Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 398

Abby

The afternoon sun streaming in through the tall windows of the chapel casts the stones in a warm golden light, giving everything a sort of ethereal energy. I stand in the hallway, my arm linked with Anton’s, as the wedding coordinator prepares everyone to walk down the aisle.

“Are you ready, Abby?” Anton asks softly, leaning close.

I nod nervously and bite the inside of my cheek. It’s just hard to believe that Karl and I are doing this again—another wedding, this time of our own volition rather than an arranged marriage.

“I-I think so,” I manage.

Anton smiles down at me. He looks so different now than when I first met him; clean shaven, eyes full of life, hair neatly combed to one side.

“I must ask, Abby,” he asks, “what made you choose me to walk you down the aisle? Why not John, or Karl’s father?”

For a moment, I just think to myself. I’ve been asking myself that same question since I first decided to ask Anton to walk me down the aisle, and truthfully, I don’t know the answer. “It just felt… right,” I say with a slight laugh.

Anton smirks. “And to think I thought we had something special,” he teases.

I roll my eyes and smack his arm. “You know what I meant,” I laugh. “I don’t know, Anton. We’ve just become so close since we met. I feel like you’re family to me now. Do you feel that way, too?”

Anton sighs softly. Off in the distance, the wedding coordinator scurries around, making last-minute adjustments to the bridesmaids’ gowns, hair, and bouquets before the ceremony begins.

Up ahead, I can see Daisy and Ethan leaning together, Chloe and Logan, and Elsie and Leah with a couple of Karl’s pack members.

“I do feel that way,” Anton finally says. “I’ve always wanted to say this, Abby, but… Sometimes I feel as if you are my daughter.”

My eyebrows raise of their own volition. “You do?” I ask.

Anton nods. “You are a lot like her, you know. You have the same spirit.”

A soft smile stretches across my lips, and my eyes mist over with a fine layer of tears at the sweet sentiment. “I’ll have to meet her someday, then.”

Right on cue, the organ begins to play and the doors open. I draw in a shaky breath as I watch the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk out together, and before I know it, it’s my turn.

As I walk down the aisle arm-in-arm with Anton, the sound of the soft organ music and the golden light streaming in through the stained glass windows envelops me. I hardly feel the eyes of the guests on me; all I see is Karl standing up ahead, the broadest smile on his face that I’ve ever seen.

When Anton and I reach the altar, Karl takes my hand and leads me up the steps, away from Anton. I beam up at him as he pulls me close, whispering in my ear.

“You look beautiful,” he murmurs.

I can’t help but grin at him. “And you look as handsome as ever.”

The officiant motions for Karl and me to join hands. His palm is warm and comforting against mine, although my hand shakes a bit beneath the gaze of all of our guests.

“Dearly beloved,” the official begins, “we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Abby and Karl in holy matrimony…”

As the officiant’s words wash over me, my eyes remain locked on Karl’s. The pure adoration and love shining in his brown eyes, turned a honey color in the warm light of the sun, makes my heart feel like it might burst.

After everything we’ve been through to get here, it feels almost surreal that this moment has finally arrived; and for a second time, no less. But I’m determined to make this time around even better, and I know Karl is, too.

The officiant soon turns to Karl when it’s time to say our vows. “Please repeat after me,” he says. “I, Karl, take you Abby, to be my wedded wife…”

Karl’s deep voice rings out clearly and confidently, echoing throughout the chapel, as he recites his vows to me, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I, Karl, take you Abby, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish… until death do us part.”

Tears prick at my eyes as Karl speaks. We chose not to write custom vows for our second wedding, and I’m glad we made that choice. We both already know how we feel; and words couldn’t even begin to describe it.

When it’s my turn, I try my best to keep my voice steady despite the pounding in my heart. “I, Abby, take you Karl, to be my wedded husband…”

When I’ve finished saying my vows, there’s a moment of silence across the chapel. The guests seem to watch with bated breath as the last of my voice echoes off of the high vaulted ceilings, but I hardly even notice their presence as I’m fully absorbed in Karl’s gaze, in the feeling of his hands on mine.

“By the power vested in me,” the officiant finally says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Karl cups my face tenderly in his warm palms and lowers his lips to mine. Our kiss is soft yet searing, conveying a lifetime of devotion in that one gesture. We won’t mess this up again; I’m sure of it. And that kiss says it all.

Around us, the guests erupt into cheers and applause. The chapel turns into a cacophony of excitement, but I can hardly hear it over the pounding of my heart in my chest.

When we finally break apart, grinning and breathless, my face hurts from smiling so much. Hand-in-hand, we turn to face the guests as the officiant announces us as man and wife. I feel as if I might pour out tears of happiness, and I no longer care in the slightest if my makeup is ruined.

After all, I’m the happiest woman on the earth, makeup be damned.

The guests burst into another raucous round of cheers and rise to their feet as Karl and I make our way back down the aisle. But then, something entirely unexpected happens.

Chloe tosses handfuls of rice over our heads, the grains catching in my hair and on Karl’s suit and causing us to burst out into laughter. “Hey!” I cry out, laughing. “What gives?!”

Our friends just grin at us. Before I know it, rice is raining down on us from all around. Karl and I laugh, and I pick up my skirt, running hand-in-hand down the aisle with him.

As we near the chapel doors, Karl suddenly stops and spins me around into his warm arms. With his arms locked around my waist, he dips me low for another searing kiss. The guests whoop and holler as we press our lips together, and the flash of cameras melts into the din.

Grinning against his lips, I murmur breathlessly, “I love you, Karl.”

He smiles, pulling back just enough so that the tips of our noses rub against one another. “And I love you, Abby.”