Inside the Foley home is, of course, beautiful, but the sky is overcast outside, and the hallway where I stand with my father is dim and bleak.
The expression “giving the bride away” keeps running through my head.
Since the fateful meeting yesterday, I knew this wasn’t going to be a normal wedding, but I figured we’d all at least go through the motions. From ceremony to reception, we would pretend we were enjoying the whole thing. I thought my father would still kiss me on the cheek and tell me how happy he is, but he doesn?
??t.
There isn’t even any music as we walk into the Foley family study, the same room we were in the day before. I’m decked out in a shining white dress with a long train, my father dressed in his finest, holding my arm, and my mother sitting in the same place she sat yesterday while my father had a gun held to his head.
She’s wearing the dress she had picked out when I was going to marry Sean. This morning, she came downstairs wearing the black dress she reserves for funerals, but Dad made her change. She initially refused, but the idea of going to the wedding with a busted lip didn’t appeal to her, so she changed her clothes, if not her attitude. The dress was very expensive, and Dad wasn’t going to let her waste it.
I don’t look at Deklan, but I know he’s in a tux. I wonder if he has to have them custom made, considering his size. I suppose he can afford it, seeing who he works for and what he does.
Just what does he do?
Sean is standing up as Deklan’s best man. Teagan is holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand as she stands on the other side of the judge. In her other hand, she’s tapping on her phone.
Neil and Lucas are here. There are two other men I don’t recognize, but that’s it for the guest list. Those two aren’t even dressed up. Not “wedding” dressed up anyway. They are wearing Dockers and fairly nice shirts but no ties. One of them is wearing dark tennis shoes.
I’m starting to feel overdressed.
Dad leads me up to the small group and stands between me and Deklan as the judge speaks, asking who gives this woman to this man. I hear my father mumble an answer, and then he places my hand in Deklan’s.
His hand is huge, encompassing mine completely as his fingers wrap around it. He rubs his thumb across my knuckles as my head swims. I realize my knees are locked and try to relax my stance before I faint.
It’s all too surreal. I can’t think. I can’t comprehend that this is actually happening to me. This was supposed to be a fairy tale although a bit of a twisted one. I was supposed to live in the castle with the prince, not one of the prince’s guards.
Deklan grips my hand, and I glance up at him. He’s so tall, I have to tilt my head just to meet his eyes. He’s looking at me out of the corner of his eye, but I don’t understand his expression or why he is lightly squeezing my hand. Is he trying to reassure me? Are his look and gesture telling me everything will be all right or something else? Maybe it’s possessive. Maybe it’s his way of showing me that I’m his now, and he can do whatever he wants.
I have no idea. I know nothing about this man.
As soon as I knew I was supposed to marry Sean Foley, I studied him. I paid attention to him on the few occasions when we were together. I researched as much as I could about him and his family. Everything I found was more rumor than anything else, but I listened closely when my father had people at the house. I heard what they talked about. I knew the Foley family.
About Deklan, I know nothing.
Holy shit—I don’t even know his last name.
I look down, and my chest tightens along with my throat. I can hear the justice of the peace droning on, but I don’t listen to the words. I stare at the ground and try to concentrate on what’s going on around me, but I can’t. I’m only aware of the sensation of Deklan’s hand clasping mine and the sound of my mother sniffling, somewhere behind me.
It’s taking all my willpower not to let the tears fall.
“Kera Margaret O’Conner, do you take this man, Deklan Darius Kearney, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Kearney. His last name is Kearney. Kera Kearney. My name will be Kera Kearney.
“Kera, answer the man so we can get on with this.” Sean’s voice startles me. For a long moment, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. Sean is staring at me, his lips pressed together and his electric eyes glaring. He taps his finger against the face of the watch on his wrist.
Oh, yeah—answer the judge.
“I will.” I manage to say the two simple, damning words without my voice breaking.
Deklan turns toward me, and Sean hands him a ring. I hold out my left hand, and Deklan reaches for me. He takes me by the hand for a moment, his long fingers moving up to the top of my wrist. For a moment, he uses his thumb to rub the skin right above my wrist bones.
A tremor runs up my arm. I close my eyes briefly and take in a long breath. The touch against my wrist is identical to the way I often rub at the same spot and has a similar calming effect on my body.
Deklan slides a giant rock in a bright platinum setting over my ring finger. I stare at it in disbelief for a moment until I feel Teagan smacking my arm. She hands me a similar, much larger platinum band, and I place it on Deklan’s finger with shaking hands.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”