Page 43 of Till Death Do Us Part

The officiant telling me everything was set up. I pushed out a breath.

“C’mon,” I said, offering a hand for Elaine. “Let’s get married.”

“Now?” She paled. “I’m not…” She gestured to herself, and I smirked.

“White dress. I’m in a suit jacket again. We look appropriate.”

“I… I guess.”

“You’ll have a proper dress for your real wedding one day,” I said. “Or whatever you want to wear, you’ll have it. Someone will be lucky to have you.”

“Thank you.” She spoke it as a whisper that kept swirling in my mind.

The officiant was an older woman I’d hired from the city, along with an expedited marriage license, some palms greased along the way. Caitlyn sat at the edge of the room, our witness, and with Petra still patrolling the perimeter, it was just the four of us in the ballroom, Elaine blushing and wide-eyed as we stood at the front, our hands clasped together, the rings taken off for the ceremony.

“Good morning,” the officiant said in her warm, homey accent. “We are gathered here to recognize the union of Elaine Whitner and Vera Farkas in marriage. Marriage is a commitment, both personal and legal, entered into freely and willingly by two people… Elaine, Vera. Today, you two are choosing to enter into marriage, to share your lives and responsibilities with another.”

Elaine squeezed my hands, tears in her eyes.

And somewhere else, there was a snap.

It was just on the edge of hearing, barely there. Anyone who wasn’t trained for their life would have missed it.

But to me, it was like a gunshot.

My stomach clenched. But if I gave any sign something was wrong, it would only confuse and concern the officiant, slow things down.

So I smiled at Elaine like she was the woman I loved and wanted to spend forever with. And tearfully, overflowing with conflicting emotions, she smiled back. The officiant kept speaking.

“Do you, Elaine Whitner, take Vera Farkas to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Elaine took a few tries to say it in a shaky breath. “I do.”

“Do you, Vera Farkas, take Elaine Whitner to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

And in twelve hours, I would kill her. “I do.”

“Then repeat after me. I, Vera…”

I swallowed the grimace. Somewhere outside, I heard another sound, and another one, closer together now. Petra had heard it too. Responding. God only knew how it was going. “I, Vera.”

“Take you, Elaine…”

“Take you, Elaine.”

“To be my wife.”

“To be my wife.”

Elaine swallowed back tears, her chest shaking with each breath. I heard the noise stop. Stillness. Uncomfortable stillness.

The officiant kept going. “I promise to love you, to cherish you, and to support you…”

“I promise to love you, to cherish you, and to support you…”

“In sickness, and in health.”

“In sickness, and in health.”