The minister cleared his throat. Alfred's insides tingled once again. He squeezed Zelda's hands in his.
"John Darrow," the Minister began, glancing down to read the name. Alfred wished he'd made a point to tell him to say the whole thing, John Alfred Darrow, just as he'd written it down, but it was too late for that now, he supposed. A note for next time. "Will you have this woman as your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?" Neither of them belonged to this faith, but Alfred hadn't exactly mentioned that when he'd been trying to convince the minister to marry them, so — if this bit was just between him and Zelda and a god he didn't really think existed, that was all right, wasn't it? And the vows did get better, as he continued: "Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health? And forsaking all other, keep yourself only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"
They'd been through all of that already, hadn't they? Maybe not to the degree that would be contained in a lifetime, but he'd loved her, comforted her, honored her and kept her already. He had forsaken all others; he'd chosen her.
"I will," he promised, meeting her eyes as he brought one of her hands up so that he could lightly kiss the back of her knuckles.
"John Darrow," the Minister began, glancing down to read the name. Alfred wished he'd made a point to tell him to say the whole thing, John Alfred Darrow, just as he'd written it down, but it was too late for that now, he supposed. A note for next time. "Will you have this woman as your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?" Neither of them belonged to this faith, but Alfred hadn't exactly mentioned that when he'd been trying to convince the minister to marry them, so — if this bit was just between him and Zelda and a god he didn't really think existed, that was all right, wasn't it? And the vows did get better, as he continued: "Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health? And forsaking all other, keep yourself only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"
They'd been through all of that already, hadn't they? Maybe not to the degree that would be contained in a lifetime, but he'd loved her, comforted her, honored her and kept her already. He had forsaken all others; he'd chosen her.
"I will," he promised, meeting her eyes as he brought one of her hands up so that he could lightly kiss the back of her knuckles.
MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER