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I looked up to see Mark had been right in the spit zone. If there is any question of whether the man was marrying me for love, this had been the ultimate test. I offered my soiled hanky but he politely declined, taking one from Brian.
They must have come with the tux?
“Sutton, we need to take you to the ER.”
I frowned. “No, this is my wedding day.”
Mark ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “You are starting to resemble a pomegranate.”
“Is that a fat joke?” I huffed.
Knox snorted with laughter but cut it off when my gaze swung to his.
“You are rather red,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Finish the damn wedding.” I was not about to move this thing again. I had on the white dress. Mandy and Elliot had flown in from N.Y. and we were getting married.
“Do you have the rings?” Knox fumbled with his script.
Maggie stepped forward and handed me Mark’s ring, while Brian gave Mark my ring.
“Repeat after me...” Knox began.
My palms and tongue were starting to itch. I knew it wasn’t a good sign. So, I grabbed Mark’s hand. “This is a symbol of our love, don’t fuck this up, I love you.”
The crowd laughed again as Mark repeated the same strange vow back to me and slid the massive ring on my finger.
“Having pledged your love and fidelity—well, I am not sure you did that.” Knox flipped back a page.
“Ambulance is waiting in front of the house,” Brian whispered into Mark’s ear, but I heard it.
“No! I won’t leave until Knox says man and wife. We are man and wife!” I was a little hysterical, or maybe a lot.
“Man and wife,” Knox parroted just as Mark swept me off my feet.
Literally, he picked me up and started back down the aisle with Knox chasing after saying something about the authority vested in him and he pronounced us once again man and wife.
The crowd was halfway on their feet when Mark ran by with me in his arms. He rounded the corner and the EMT was there with an injection of something.
“But my baby,” I cried out.
“It’s just Benedryl for the hives, ma’am. You’re going to be fine. Is this your husband?”
The EMT motioned to Mark.
“Yes,” he said shortly.
I started to laugh. I couldn’t help myself. I was laying there covered in hives and looking very much like a pomegranate. But I was in a wedding dress—a high waisted one that didn’t squish our baby, but a wedding dress.
I had pictured many things at my wedding, but this, it had never crossed my mind.
Mark got into the back of the ambulance and we headed toward the hospital that we had seen Maggie at just a week earlier.
My eyes started getting droopy. “I’m really tired, Mr. Williams.”
The concerned look never left Mark’s face as he spoke with the EMT.
“We gave her a good dose of the Benedryl. She so she might be sleepy. We need to put the oxygen mask on just in case the allergic reaction causes her airway to close even further. She keeps knocking it off; can you help calm her?”