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The minister introduced himself to the others, and after a few moments of polite conversation, Piers motioned that he was ready to begin.
It was all quite awkward, at least for Jewel. The rest acted as if this was the sort of ceremony they attended every day. Piers and Jewel stood in front of the minister while each couple flanked them.
Her throat tightened as she listened to Piers promise to love, honor and cherish her all the days of his life and until death do they part. And then it struck her square in the face that she wanted him to love her. Why? Did that mean she loved him? No, she didn’t. She couldn’t. She didn’t know how to love any more than she knew how to be loved. But it didn’t stop the yearning inside.
When the ceremony concluded, Piers brushed a perfunctory kiss across her lips and then stepped back to receive his brothers’ somewhat muted congratulations.
Chrysander insisted on taking them all out to eat afterward, and a limousine took all three couples into the heart of the city to an upscale restaurant that boasted delicious seafood.
She was hungry, but the idea that she was now married effectively put a damper on her appetite. She picked and pushed at her food until finally Piers took notice.
He picked up her hand, and the band he’d placed on her finger just hours before gleamed behind the diamond engagement ring in the low light.
“Are you ready to return home?” he whispered so the others wouldn’t hear. “I can send them on at any time.”
“They’re your family,” she protested. “I’ve no wish to cut short your visit.”
He laughed. “You’re very thoughtful, yineka mou, but I see them often, and if there is ever a time I can send them away, surely my wedding day is one of them? They would understand—having had their wedding nights not too long ago.”
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