and nudged her back toward the living room. “So, what about houses. Should we live in your house or mine?”
Hot chocolate spewed across the room, landing mostly on the dining table, bench, and chairs. The floor also looked as if the storm had moved indoors. “And I thought you were a gentleman.”
“Why would you think that? I was just protecting my back from scalding hot chocolate.”
Aggie started to turn back toward the kitchen, but Luke blocked the way. “Go sit down and enjoy your chocolate. I’ll clean up your mess.”
“Your mess. You know it , too.”
From the dining room, Luke peppered her with questions that were at nearly a conversational pace. “D o you know where you want to do this? At the church? Brunswick? Rockland? ”
“I know,” she admitted, “but you might not like it.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“On one condition.” Aggie waited for him to see how serious she was before she continued. “You’ll be honest with me if you don’t like it?”
“Of course.”
“I’m serious, Luke. I want to tell you my idea without worrying that you’ll just feel obligated to do it out of some… some… obligatory sense of… of… obligation.”
“Ok then , no feeling obliged to agree. Got it.”
She groaned as she sipped her chocolate and wondered if the idea was such a good one after all. A new thought gave her the perfect way for him to present an objection. “I also need to know if it’ll cause any problems with your family. I don’t want to start off our marriage by alienating people.”
“Just tell me, Mibs.” Luke wiped down the last of the chocolate that dripped from the bench to the floor and then strolled back into the living room, sipping his drink .
“I want to have the wedding here.”
“It won’t work. Not in March. It’ll be too cold, windy, rainy… we can’t.”
“I mean right here. You and me on those steps, Mr. Vaughn at the bottom with his back to the guests, and guests everywhere else. All the furniture out of here, the dining room, and maybe the library—well not the books, but the tables and stuff.”
“We couldn’t have very many people here…”
Aggie willed her features not to give away her disappointment. “I was afraid it wouldn’t work. That’s ok. We—”
“Wait. I didn’t say it wouldn’t work. I just said we couldn’t have many guests. Are you sure you’re ok with that?”
“I pictured your family, mine, Tina, William, Mrs. Dyke, the Vaughns, Iris… oh, probably Murphy, but that’s it for here. Then we do pictures and go somewhere else for the reception. Invite everyone we know to that. The church, my church from home, your’s and your mother’s church and friends, the Rockland church… pack the place for all I care.”
“That would work…” He hesitated and then asked, “Do you mind telling me why so few people? Is it because you want the house especially or the small number?”
“Both. I want the house, of course. It’s where it all started. You helped make the house become whole again—and now you’re helping our family become a whole thing too.” A new tear rolled down her cheek and onto her blouse. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s just about the most incredible thing anyone has ever said to me—except maybe a girl I know who said she loved me.”
“Well, that too.”
“And numbers?” Luke’s voice sounded suspiciously emotional.
“I really wanted to consider having only those people who would take seriously an admonition from our wedding sermon to ‘hold us to our vows’ in hard times. I wanted everyone to celebrate with us, but only those who understand the sincerity and seriousness of our vows to be there to witness them.”
“I see that…” His mind and jaw worked double time until he nodded. “I like it.”
“Really? I just want someone to say, ‘ I was there the day you got married. I witnessed those vows. You said in good times and bad. This is the bad. You vowed. Now let’s get back
Hot chocolate spewed across the room, landing mostly on the dining table, bench, and chairs. The floor also looked as if the storm had moved indoors. “And I thought you were a gentleman.”
“Why would you think that? I was just protecting my back from scalding hot chocolate.”
Aggie started to turn back toward the kitchen, but Luke blocked the way. “Go sit down and enjoy your chocolate. I’ll clean up your mess.”
“Your mess. You know it , too.”
From the dining room, Luke peppered her with questions that were at nearly a conversational pace. “D o you know where you want to do this? At the church? Brunswick? Rockland? ”
“I know,” she admitted, “but you might not like it.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“On one condition.” Aggie waited for him to see how serious she was before she continued. “You’ll be honest with me if you don’t like it?”
“Of course.”
“I’m serious, Luke. I want to tell you my idea without worrying that you’ll just feel obligated to do it out of some… some… obligatory sense of… of… obligation.”
“Ok then , no feeling obliged to agree. Got it.”
She groaned as she sipped her chocolate and wondered if the idea was such a good one after all. A new thought gave her the perfect way for him to present an objection. “I also need to know if it’ll cause any problems with your family. I don’t want to start off our marriage by alienating people.”
“Just tell me, Mibs.” Luke wiped down the last of the chocolate that dripped from the bench to the floor and then strolled back into the living room, sipping his drink .
“I want to have the wedding here.”
“It won’t work. Not in March. It’ll be too cold, windy, rainy… we can’t.”
“I mean right here. You and me on those steps, Mr. Vaughn at the bottom with his back to the guests, and guests everywhere else. All the furniture out of here, the dining room, and maybe the library—well not the books, but the tables and stuff.”
“We couldn’t have very many people here…”
Aggie willed her features not to give away her disappointment. “I was afraid it wouldn’t work. That’s ok. We—”
“Wait. I didn’t say it wouldn’t work. I just said we couldn’t have many guests. Are you sure you’re ok with that?”
“I pictured your family, mine, Tina, William, Mrs. Dyke, the Vaughns, Iris… oh, probably Murphy, but that’s it for here. Then we do pictures and go somewhere else for the reception. Invite everyone we know to that. The church, my church from home, your’s and your mother’s church and friends, the Rockland church… pack the place for all I care.”
“That would work…” He hesitated and then asked, “Do you mind telling me why so few people? Is it because you want the house especially or the small number?”
“Both. I want the house, of course. It’s where it all started. You helped make the house become whole again—and now you’re helping our family become a whole thing too.” A new tear rolled down her cheek and onto her blouse. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s just about the most incredible thing anyone has ever said to me—except maybe a girl I know who said she loved me.”
“Well, that too.”
“And numbers?” Luke’s voice sounded suspiciously emotional.
“I really wanted to consider having only those people who would take seriously an admonition from our wedding sermon to ‘hold us to our vows’ in hard times. I wanted everyone to celebrate with us, but only those who understand the sincerity and seriousness of our vows to be there to witness them.”
“I see that…” His mind and jaw worked double time until he nodded. “I like it.”
“Really? I just want someone to say, ‘ I was there the day you got married. I witnessed those vows. You said in good times and bad. This is the bad. You vowed. Now let’s get back
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