Part 55: Love-Bombed-2

"I, Quinn Alexander Allen, join my life with yours, Lucy Elizabeth McLean. Wherever you go, I will go. Whatever you face, I will face. In sickness or health, sadness or happiness, fortune or poverty, I take you as my wife. I will cherish and comfort you all the days of my life. And I will give myself to no other." He swallowed past the lump in his throat and gently slid the ring home. She squeezed his hands and took his ring from the minister. When her eyes met his, she could no longer fight the tears. She let them come freely and he gave her an encouraging smile. She closed her eyes and composed herself. Taking a shaky breath, she placed the ring on his finger. "I, Lucy Elizabeth McLean, join my life with yours, Quinn Alexander Allen. Wherever you go, I will go. Whatever you face, I will face. In sickness or health, sadness or happiness, fortune or poverty, I take you as my husband. I will cherish and comfort you all the days of my life. And I will give myself to no other." He brushed her tears aside gently with the pad of his thumb. "On one condition," she added. Before he could panic, she gave him one of her trademark winks. "First, you must answer a trivia question." "Really?" The guests started to laugh, many of them wiping tears away. "Really," she said, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. Turning to look at the crowd of their family and friends, she addressed them while still holding his hands. "Everyone knows Quinn is an English major. If he can guess the author of the following quote, we'll continue with the ceremony," she said. "No pressure," Quinn said, to more laughter. She looked back at him with shining eyes. "It's not a huge, epic poem like the ones Quinn can recite from memory. But it describes exactly how I feel about this beautiful man," she said. Everything faded away and he had the feeling that they were suddenly alone on the beach, and that she was speaking only to him. She looked deeply into his eyes. "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." "Emily Bronte," he said softly. "Wuthering Heights." "Ding, ding!" Lucy said, and everyone laughed and applauded. She glanced at the minister and nodded. He cleared his throat. "Lucy and Quinn. You have come here tonight in front of your loved ones to pledge to each other your lifelong commitment of love and devotion. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other to seal these promises." Quinn threw his arms around Lucy and swung her into a dip, bathed in her joyous laugh. He kissed her against the roar of the ocean and wild cheers of the crowd. Her lips were soft and tasted like wine and cherries and everything good in this world. He raised her gently and they turned to face the congregation. "Woo hoo!" she yelled, raising her flowers in the air. The dog went crazy, jumping up on them both and he kissed her again, a promise of all the joy and beauty left to come. "We're not quite done, folks," the minister said. "There's one important part of the ceremony left, and it involves you." Breathless, Quinn stood with his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly to him, the other hand on Bish's head. Aiden was joined by Marco and had Nathan in his arms, and MaryLou had her arms wrapped around her children. Quinn's parents came to them and hugged them both before standing by their side. "The bride has decided not to be given away by her family in the traditional sense. Instead, the couple would like all of you to bless their union in a candle-lit ceremony." Everyone glanced at each other with delight, murmuring their surprise as unlit candles were passed out to each guest. The minister lit Quinn and Lucy's candles and they shared the flames with the wedding party. They in turn and shared their light with the others. Once the beach was filled with light, the minister spoke again. "Everyone here today is very special to Quinn and Lucy and has played a loving part in this couple's journey. Do you promise to support them in their marriage, love them, and encourage them in their love for one another?" The crowd was silent, glancing hesitantly at each other. The minister leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "You can answer 'we do.'" Quiet laughter rippled through the congregants. "We do," they echoed. "Now that you have blessed this union, please follow the couple in their candlelight procession to the reception, just up the beach a bit to Annie's Point." Quinn took Lucy's hand in his and raised it to kiss the palm before folding it into his own. She took off her shoes and held them in her other hand, letting her bare feet sink into the sand as they walked along the water's edge, followed by Bish and all the others. As long as he lived, Quinn knew he would never forget the sight of the candles at sunset, the smell of woodsmoke and the gentle rhythm of the waves on the happiest night of his life. For a moment, all joyous laughter and talking ceased and everyone was rendered silent by the quiet power of the scene. "Look!" Faye broke the silence. An extraordinary thing began to happen. One by one, candles began to appear in the windows. First, it was just the cottages along the beach. When they got further along the town opened up before them, they could see the small, soft glow in windows for miles around. "Did you do this?" Quinn asked, but Lucy looked equally surprised, and shook her head. "A lot of people asked Faye and I how they could join in the celebration. They wanted to be a part of your special day in some way, but without intruding," Marnie said. "Isn't it beautiful?" 'Love-bombed,' Quinn mouthed and Lucy smiled as she took him by the arm. "Wow," she said softly, shaking her head as she took it all in. "So much love." "And much more to come," Quinn said, kissing her again. He felt like he'd never be able to stop kissing her. This time, their friends and family were no longer silent. Their cheers rose above the sounds of the surf and were carried up into the deepening sky. THE END.