Sylvia squeezed her hand. “There isn’t anything to apologize for, Emelia. Please don’t think that there is.” Sylvia smiled. “Now c’mon. Your husband is waiting for you.”
Emelia smiled, and slipped her arm through Sylvia’s.
The minute they walked out of the restrooms, Dante was there, striding toward her.
“I’ll see you soon,” Sylvia whispered, and moved away.
“Are you okay?” was the first thing out of Dante’s mouth as he gently cupped her face.
“I’m fine,” she replied, and held his loving gaze. “I love you.” She leaned in and kissed him.
“I love you, too.” He kissed her on the nose. “Let’s go and have our blessing.”
Tears formed on Dante’s lashes when he hugged Bishop Colin Sommer. Colin had always been there for him, and he would miss the man, his friend, dearly.
What Colin had done for them meant more to him than being married in a Catholic Church. The blessing that he’d just given Emelia and himself would be remembered for as long as he lived.
As he stepped back, Emelia wrapped herself around his waist for comfort. He was so in need of it as well. His emotions had been all over the place since he’d walked away from his church, but he mused that now that he was married to the woman he loved, perhaps everything would start to settle down.
“You’ll stay in touch,” Colin told him, and slipped a small card into his hand. “No excuse.”
“No excuse,” Dante repeated. “It won’t just be a Christmas card. You realize that?”
Colin smiled. “Hmm…now, I was told that I’d get fed here.”
Emelia chuckled and stepped back. “We have a private function room booked with a delicious hot buffet waiting for us.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way.”
Dante grinned and took Emelia’s hand. “We will.”
They headed toward the room that their family waited for them in, and Dante smiled. It had been a good day, and everyone they loved had been with them.
Emelia had never looked as beautiful, and she glowed with happiness.
From the moment his decision had been made to be with her, he’d not had second thoughts, and that was love.
Emelia was his whole world now, and that would never change.
He no longer felt trapped in Purgatory.
The End