“Kyril, do you take Hannah to be your wife? Do you vow to protect and care for her for all the days of your life?”
“Yes, I do,” Kyril said, and they were married.
The mayor clapped Kyril’s shoulder. “Congratulations, my friend. And thank you for the generous gift you have made to our city,” he said. Oh, Hannah thought—bribes. That was how Kyril had managed the documentation and waiting period.
Outside on the street, the sun cleared her head. And what she found was a glowing excitement. She laughed out loud.
“What’s so funny?” Kyril asked, squeezing her hand.
“That wasn’t what I expected at all! I bought a dress. I had flowers sent to the yacht. I had a plan for a ceremony at sunset.”
Kyril turned back to face her, a grin playing at his lips. He’d been heading to summon a taxi to take them back to the villa. “Darling—you’re not upset, are you?”
“That wasn’t what I planned,” Hannah said, the borrowed bouquet dangling brightly from her fingers. “But now that the paperwork is taken care of, we can celebrate properly. With my ceremony. On the ship, with the captain.”
He blinked, eyebrows raised. “Are you sure you want—”
“Yes. It’s exactly what I want. Your ceremony, then mine.” She lifted herself on tiptoe to kiss him tenderly on the lips.
“All right,” he agreed quickly. Hannah took his hand, tugging him along toward the marina. “Captain Stavros will love it, I’m sure.” Then it was Kyril’s turn to laugh. “I thought you wanted something purely practical.”
Her voice caught. “I did. But then—” She took a deep, cleansing breath. “Then I changed my mind. I wanted more. And I’m going to get it on the ship tonight.”
Then she realized she'd forgotten one thing. She watched for the right shop as they walked through town. There.
“Let’s stop here.”
Hannah felt flushed, overheated, and off-balance. The small jewelry store midway down the block from the marina seemed welcoming—a respite from the blazing afternoon sun. The bell tinkled as they stepped inside, the cool of the air conditioning washing over her shoulders. She’d been right. This was the perfect place. It was unassuming and clean, not so ostentatious that she felt out of place. It was a store Hannah could breathe in.
“A souvenir?” Kyril seemed curious. He gave a friendly nod to the owner and turned his attention back to Hannah. “They have lovely—”
“A wedding band.”
“For you?”
“For you.”
He laughed out loud, but she proceeded directly to the case that held the rings and spotted the one she wanted immediately. It was a simple gold band, and she could picture it against Kyril’s skin.
“This one,” she told the owner, and she brushed Kyril away when he tried to pay. “I’m getting this for you,” she commanded him, ignoring his amused grin. “If you’re going to do the same for me, now’s your chance.” She tried to ignore his expression, anyway. It gave her a flush of pleasure to see that smile on his face.
“No need.”
Back out on the street, Hannah questioned him. “No need?”
“I already have your ring. I brought it with us from Venice.”
Heat curled around the base of her spine. “You bought that ring?”
“Of course,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist. “I saw that you loved it. I wasn’t leaving the store without it.”
“Well,” Hannah said, intending to make a joke, but nothing came to mind. He’d had faith in her, even when she hadn't had faith in the two of them.
It was, after all, very romantic.
* * *
Hannah wore the dress she had bought, a gauzy, flowing gown that made her look regal, and Kyril kept his promise to his new bride. They were married on the bow of the ship, with the grinning captain officiating over a ceremony as short as the one in the city hall but much, much sweeter.