to be dressed and ready for pictures with her bridesmaids by noon.
The morning flew by but nothing her mother could say could get her to eat anything. Kallista rejected all foods except for coffee, knowing that her stomach was too nervous for anything else. She was terrified of facing Hector after last night, her mind frantically trying to come up with an excuse, a way to shrug off her statements about the way he made her feel when he touched her. She didn’t want him to have that much power over her! She wanted to be reserved, dignified. Ladylike!
His touch blew away all of those efforts and left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. As her wedding dress was lifted over her elaborately coifed hair and professionally done makeup, she actually hated Hector for making her feel so horrible, so undignified. She was marrying him! Couldn’t he leave her with just a little dignity?
She couldn’t stop her fingers from shaking and her cousins , who were standing as her bridesmaids , teased her about how nervous she looked. Little did they know that she was marrying practically a complete stranger. A stranger who snapped and yelled and threatened her at every turn so she was so confused sh e could barely think straight, and then he drove her completely crazy with a simple touch that made her weak in the knees with a queasy stomach.
In the back of the church, she stood behind the closed doors, watching the two bridesmaids walk down the aisle through the stained glass windows of the intricately decorated doors and wondered what everyone would say if she just stepped forward and yelled “stop!”.
She didn’t have time to act on that impulse since her father stepped forward and looked at her, tears in his eyes. “I want you to know that I’m very proud of you at this moment. You brought Hector into my life at a crisis and he’s going to help me more than you can know. I’m glad you fell in love with a man who is strong and can help in ways you don’t even understand.”
At that moment, Kallista took a deep breath, kissed her father on the cheek and accepted her fate. That didn’t stop the shaking knees or the rapid heart rate. Her hand shook as she tucked it into her father’s elbow.
As they moved closer and closer to the front, she kept her eyes in front of her. But something drew them upward. As she watched, Hector turned around to watch her progress and the look in his eyes did something silly to her stomach. He looked….proud? Was he actually proud to be marrying her? What did that mean?
As her father placed her cold, shaking hand in Hector’s, she prayed that she could get through this and not fall on her face with terror. Hector’s hand looked so large compared to hers. Everything about him was huge and she almost stumbled as she took the last step to him. He held her firmly though and she smiled her thanks up into his dark eyes.
When they turned to face the priest, she held onto him, unaware of the grip she had on his hands. She didn’t hear the priest as he spoke but when he stopped and looked at her, she realized that he was waiting for her response. “I do,” was all she could get past her frozen lips.
Hector’s response was much more confident, startling her and making her look up at his strong profile.
And then he was turning towards her, his hands pulling her closer. The warning look in his eyes terrified her and she tried to tell herself that it would be okay. But thoughts were gone as his head descended. If his hand hadn’t come up to cup her cheek, his thumb resting just below her lips and surprising her into immobility, she suspected that she might have run at that point. But just like at their engagement party, when he touched her, it was so surprising, so electrifying, she was scared, terrified actually.
And then his lips touched hers, caressing hers gently and the touch was so amazing, she turned her face up,
The morning flew by but nothing her mother could say could get her to eat anything. Kallista rejected all foods except for coffee, knowing that her stomach was too nervous for anything else. She was terrified of facing Hector after last night, her mind frantically trying to come up with an excuse, a way to shrug off her statements about the way he made her feel when he touched her. She didn’t want him to have that much power over her! She wanted to be reserved, dignified. Ladylike!
His touch blew away all of those efforts and left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. As her wedding dress was lifted over her elaborately coifed hair and professionally done makeup, she actually hated Hector for making her feel so horrible, so undignified. She was marrying him! Couldn’t he leave her with just a little dignity?
She couldn’t stop her fingers from shaking and her cousins , who were standing as her bridesmaids , teased her about how nervous she looked. Little did they know that she was marrying practically a complete stranger. A stranger who snapped and yelled and threatened her at every turn so she was so confused sh e could barely think straight, and then he drove her completely crazy with a simple touch that made her weak in the knees with a queasy stomach.
In the back of the church, she stood behind the closed doors, watching the two bridesmaids walk down the aisle through the stained glass windows of the intricately decorated doors and wondered what everyone would say if she just stepped forward and yelled “stop!”.
She didn’t have time to act on that impulse since her father stepped forward and looked at her, tears in his eyes. “I want you to know that I’m very proud of you at this moment. You brought Hector into my life at a crisis and he’s going to help me more than you can know. I’m glad you fell in love with a man who is strong and can help in ways you don’t even understand.”
At that moment, Kallista took a deep breath, kissed her father on the cheek and accepted her fate. That didn’t stop the shaking knees or the rapid heart rate. Her hand shook as she tucked it into her father’s elbow.
As they moved closer and closer to the front, she kept her eyes in front of her. But something drew them upward. As she watched, Hector turned around to watch her progress and the look in his eyes did something silly to her stomach. He looked….proud? Was he actually proud to be marrying her? What did that mean?
As her father placed her cold, shaking hand in Hector’s, she prayed that she could get through this and not fall on her face with terror. Hector’s hand looked so large compared to hers. Everything about him was huge and she almost stumbled as she took the last step to him. He held her firmly though and she smiled her thanks up into his dark eyes.
When they turned to face the priest, she held onto him, unaware of the grip she had on his hands. She didn’t hear the priest as he spoke but when he stopped and looked at her, she realized that he was waiting for her response. “I do,” was all she could get past her frozen lips.
Hector’s response was much more confident, startling her and making her look up at his strong profile.
And then he was turning towards her, his hands pulling her closer. The warning look in his eyes terrified her and she tried to tell herself that it would be okay. But thoughts were gone as his head descended. If his hand hadn’t come up to cup her cheek, his thumb resting just below her lips and surprising her into immobility, she suspected that she might have run at that point. But just like at their engagement party, when he touched her, it was so surprising, so electrifying, she was scared, terrified actually.
And then his lips touched hers, caressing hers gently and the touch was so amazing, she turned her face up,
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