Page 90 of Beautiful Life
She pulls back enough where I can still feel her words on my lips. “We don’t want to be late.”
I lean my forehead against hers in relief.
“Tony.”
I raise my hands to her hips, pulling her close.
She goes on. “Please don’t keep anything from me again. Even for a day. You can protect me all you want, but keeping things from each other? That isn’t us,” she says, throwing my words back at me.
I lean into kiss her one more time. “Fair enough.”
“Fair enough,” she agrees. “You ready to be my husband?”
“I can’t wait, Leigh.”
She gives me a smile. “Well, then. We should go. I don’t want to give you too much time to think about who your mother-in-law is going to be. I’ll be the one having to convince you to marry me.”
“Sweetheart, it’s just a bonus marrying you on the sly that I don’t have to deal with Sheila today.”
“Shall we go?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I kiss my soon to be wife one more time before she’s officially mine.
*****
Leigh
“Wait? You’re getting married? Now?” Gabby’s voice is way too loud for the tiny old chapel we are standing in the back of.
“You’re serious?” Jude asks.
“Who else knows?” Gabby keeps on.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Jude asks, but is looking straight at Tony.
“Jude,” Gabby admonishes, smacking him in the arm then turns back to Tony. “Your parents don’t know?”
“It’s genius,” Jude says. “And I get to wear jeans to your wedding.”
“Would you stop,” Gabby smacks him on the arm again making Jude grin. She turns back to me. “You’re really doing this?”
I look over to Tony who pulls me into his side. Looking back down at Gabby, I say, “I hope your family doesn’t hate me.”
Still looking shocked beyond belief, she raises her eyebrows. “They won’t hate you, although I’m pretty sure they’ll hold a grudge against Tony for a while. But I doubt he’ll care.”
“Tony?” We all turn toward the front of the church to see Tony’s family pastor, Mark, standing in business casual attire holding a well-read Bible. “Shall we?”
Tony takes my hand and we walk to the front of the church. I met Mark when he married Gabby and Jude just a few short weeks ago. He knows the Pastor of this little chapel on the out skirts of town and recommended it to Tony. He thought it would be quaint and cozy for a wedding with only two guests.
It’s beautiful and if I had the time to search all of Omaha, I would’ve chosen it myself. The floors are old wood and distressed from years of wear. The stained-glass windows running down the outside aisles are shining brightly from the sun, casting a luminous glow for our noontime wedding. At the front of the church looks to be an old cross you can tell wasn’t purchased or ordered for the space. Instead it looks beautifully handcrafted, but not perfectly so—probably made by a church member. The whole place is simple but charming.
“You’re sure about all this? I’m sorry to keep asking, but this is quite unconventional and I want to make sure you’ve thought this through,” Mark asks.
Tony looks at me and says in a strong voice like he couldn’t mean it more, “Absolutely.”
I smile at Tony and then look to the pastor. “Yes.”
“All right.” He gives Gabby and Jude a narrow gaze and goes on. “Seems like everyone’s in a hurry lately.”
