Page 12 of Surrender
It was all so elegant.
Then it happened.
My eyes landed on the man standing at the front, nervously fidgeting with his hands. The young woman beside him reached out and pinched him, causing him to stop. They whispered something to each other before he turned his attention back to me.
My eyes widened as they landed on his. He was beautiful. If I had to guess, he was well over six feet tall with a muscular build. I could see the traces of tattoos on his hands. His skin was honey colored, and smooth, practically glowing with the cream-colored suit. Full, kissable lips drew me to the beard and mustache combo that adorned his handsome face. The locs on his head were pulled into a neat bun.
The closer I got to him, the more beautiful he became and the more familiar he looked. Where had I seen him before? His hazel eyes were kind, and when he smiled at me, I wanted to melt. His smile was warm and inviting. He reached for my hand to help me up onto the platform. I slipped my palm into his, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. Our eyes met as he looked down at me, smile still in place.
“I’m Jacob,” he said, kissing my hand.
“Kachelle.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve been waiting for this moment all day.”
His eyes slowly passed over me, and I felt my body heat up under his gaze. That was a good thing. At least there was mutual attraction.
“Damn,” he whispered. “You are breathtaking.”
I blushed. “Thank you. You’re quite handsome yourself.”
His face reddened slightly. The woman beside him eyed me curiously. From their similar facial features, I assumed she was his sister. Although she was standing next to him, I got the feeling that she wasn’t the biggest fan of this wedding. Even if she wasn’t, she at least cared enough to stand with him.
I looked back at my family, sitting quietly in their chairs. Stoic looks rested on their faces. My father shook his head, and my mother refused to look at me. My sister sat with her arms crossed and a tight expression. Her husband elbowed her, causing her to relax her face just a bit. It really hurt me that they couldn’t be supportive right now. They could at least fake the shit for the ceremony.
I felt a soft touch to the side of my face. Jacob turned me to face him. Pulling the pocket square from his suit, he gently dabbed the tears I hadn’t realized were falling. His eyes held sympathy as he looked at me.
“I’m right here with you,” he said softly. “Nobody else matters but us right now, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Finally, I turned my back to the audience. Now wasn’t the time to indulge in sadness on behalf of my family’s lack of support. Today was supposed to be about me and the future of my happiness. That’s what I would choose to focus on.
Jacob lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles before leaning down and placing a light kiss to my temple. I smiled softly.
“Remember what I said,” he whispered in my ear. “It’s just me and you.”
I looked up at him. “Me and you.”
“Let’s do this.”
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of God and these witnesses to join Jacob and Kachelle in holy matrimony. Marriage is a sacred covenant, instituted by God, and not to be entered into lightly.”
From my peripheral, I could see man nods of agreement along with a few audible “Amens”. Both Kachelle and I looked back at them. The room fell silent once more as the Pastor continued.
“Jacob and Kachell, you’ve gathered here today to publicly commitment to each other and to enter into the lifelong bond of marriage. Before you exchange your vows, I ask you to affirm your willingness to enter into this covenant. Jacob, do you take Kachelle to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, and to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“Kachelle, do you take Jacob to be your lawfully wedded husbac, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, and to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”
She smiled. “I do.”
Pastor raised the mic once more. “I understand that the couple has chosen to recite their own wedding vows. We will not hear from them. Jacob you can go first.”
He handed me the mic. As I held the it, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Kachelle. I don’t think I’d been able to stop admiring at her since she stepped through the door. She was so damn beautiful. Physically, she checked off everything I’d told Chance I liked. While that was a plus, my real concern was whether her insides matched.
Was she a good person? Could she be a good wife and future mother to our children? Was she easy to talk to? So many questions flooded my mind. Then I thought about tonight. I’d reserved a penthouse suite at The Ivory Towers in downtown Grand Hills, but I wasn’t even sure she’d leave with me. I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea. Just because she was about to be my wife didn’t mean that I was trying to fuck on her tonight.