Читать книгу The Mills & Boon Ultimate Christmas Collection - Мишель Смарт, Kate Hardy - Страница 116

EPILOGUE

DARKNESS HAD FALLEN by the time Princess Zara, now of Petras—still not heiress to a throne, but feeling quite happy about the whims of one particular man—walked across the courtyard in her lace gown that glittered like the snow, toward her groom. Her dark hair was left loose and wild, swirling around her in the wind, gold paint dotting her forehead, and beneath her eyes. Only family and close friends of Andres and Kairos were there, but no one mattered to Zara or Andres but each other.

Soft light was filtering through the stained-glass window in the church, shining out onto the snow, casting colors around their feet. More flakes were falling softly around them, catching in Andres’s dark hair, on his black suit jacket.

The air was thick with silence, but they weren’t alone. They never would be again. Even when they were apart they would carry their love for each other in their hearts, and with that, emptiness could never have a chance to grow.

The priest began to speak their vows, his voice piercing the stillness. Zara closed her eyes and let the words wash over her.

“Do you, Princess Zara Stoica, give yourself to this man?”

She released her hold on one of his hands, taking a step forward and placing her palm against his cheek, making sure her eyes met his. “I do. I give myself to him, of my own free will. To love, from now to forever.”

“And do you, Prince Andres Demetriou, give yourself to this woman?”

“I do,” Andres said, his voice suspiciously rough, his dark eyes shining in the light. “I give myself to her, not out of a sense of honor, or duty to my brother or country, though I love them both. I give myself to her, to you, Zara, because I love you. Now and forever.”

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Andres didn’t wait for permission to gather her in his arms and kiss her. He had never been very good at waiting for permission, but Zara considered it one of his charms.

One of his many charms.

When they parted, she smiled. “When I was a child I lost my home. I lost my family. And today, you have given me both. You are my home. You are my family.”

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers. “And you are mine. You are mine.”

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