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“Niko, ‘I swear to be your home, wherever we may wander.’”
“I swear to be your home, wherever we may wander.” Xander had heard these vows many times before, but speaking them felt different. With each vow they exchanged, he felt the bond between him and Maisy grow. It should have been Niko here, swearing himself to his bride. Yet strangely, Xander felt right saying these words to Maisy.
“Maisy, ‘I swear to be your refuge when you have none.’”
“I swear to be your refuge when you have none.”
“Niko, ‘I swear to be the wind in your sails and the stars on your horizon.’”
“I swear to be the wind in your sails and the stars on your horizon.”
“Maisy, ‘I swear to be true, in low tide and in high.’”
“I swear to be true, in low tide and in high.”
“Wonderful. And now, I understand you’ve both prepared an additional vow. Maisy, you may begin.”
“All right.” Maisy gave a shy smile. “Niko, I swear to grow with you as we go through life together, to always be ready to learn, to find the beauty in the everyday, and to love you a little more with each hour we spend together.”
“Niko?” the officiant prompted. Xander’s heart sank. He hadn’t thought this far ahead — he hadn’t even known that Niko and Maisy had prepared their own additional vows. He would have to just say something.
“Maisy,” Xander said, “I swear…” He blanked. He didn’t know what his brother would want to swear to Maisy. Niko would probably say something about doing his best to be a good and loyal husband and following his duty to Maisy and to the country or something equally bland. But the pause stretched, and Xander wasn’t sure what words to use. He would have to speak from his own heart instead. “Maisy, I swear to make you laugh every day that I can. I swear to hold your hand through every adventure and every trial that comes our way. I swear to dance with you until our feet ache and watch the stars with you until daybreak. And I swear to bring you your favorite desserts every day.”
As Xander spoke, he realized that he’d gone too personal — way too personal. Maisy’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Xander saw the moment that she recognized him for who he really was.
“You—”
But the officiant continued before Maisy could finish her whispered interjection.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss.”
Xander leaned forward until he could whisper in Maisy’s ear.
“Please, help me sell this. I’ll explain everything later.”
“I can’t believe you,” she hissed back, her tone full of venom. “Xander.”
But when Xander bent his head to hers, Maisy kissed him. It was not exactly a romantic kiss. Xander could feel Maisy’s anger and worry through the quick brush of their lips. Yet despite that, a tiny part of Xander’s mind noticed how nice it would be to kiss Maisy properly — if she weren’t furious with him.
They pulled apart and Xander turned to the crowd.
“Thank you, all.” Then he took Maisy’s hand and led her down the aisle towards the exit. As they walked, the crowd roared with enthusiasm, tossing rose petals over the couple’s heads. As soon as they stepped through the large double doors, Maisy’s grip on Xander’s hand tightened.
“I can’t believe you did this.” She propelled him into a staging room off the entryway and closed the door hard behind them. “What kind of horrible prank is this?” Her green eyes were glistening with tears.
“Maisy—”
She dropped her head into her hands and sank onto a chair.
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe I married the wrong brother. How could you?”
“Maisy—” Xander tried again, but before he could explain himself, the door flew open. Their parents were standing on the doorstep, looking absolutely furious.
CHAPTER 5
XANDER
“Xander.” Queen Karina was the first to speak. “What were you thinking?”
