FROM THIS DAY FORWARD…

      At the front of the chapel Rick O’Connell stood in his black tuxedo nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.  At his side stood Ardeth Bey, dressed in his usual black robes with the addition of an ornately embroidered cape.  Ardeth was trying not to laugh at his friend’s obvious anxiety. 
       Hearing a stifled chuckle, O’Connell turned to the Med-jai.  “Just you wait!” he said, though his tone was more exasperated than threatening.  “We’ll see if you’re all calm and collected when you get married.  This is hard!”  He kept thinking to himself, ‘What if she changes her mind?  What if she realizes I’m just a beat up old soldier who isn’t worth her time of day?’
       “Relax, my friend,” Ardeth grasped Rick’s shoulder.  “She will be here.  You and she are destined to be together.”
       At that moment, a movement in the back of the chapel caught Rick’s eye.  He straightened his shoulders and released the breath he’d been holding.  The familiar strains of the wedding march began from the small organ in the rear corner.  Rick smiled as Evelyn seemed to float up the isle toward him.  He knew she could be klutzy, but there was no sign of unrefinement in her now. 
       He smiled, amazed that his arm was rock steady as he took her hand from Jonathan’s.  Rick could never recall what exactly was said during the ceremony.  He would, however, always remember the feeling of completeness and calm that he felt as he and Evelyn exchanged vows and rings. 
       Much to Ardeth’s amusement and Jonathan’s derision, Rick did not have to be prompted twice when the minister told him to kiss his bride. 

      Evelyn awoke feeling utterly content and warm.  It took her sleep-fogged mind a moment to understand the warmth was due to the fact that she was cocooned by the body lying behind her.  Rick’s arms enveloped her upper body and his left leg was resting comfortably over her knees.  She turned carefully within his embrace so that she was lying on her back and could study her husband’s sleeping form.
       Her husband.
       Evy smiled as she recalled their wedding night.  They had had a simple lunch with Ardeth and Jonathan after the ceremony.  Then they had driven to the airport and taken a charter flight to Crete, Greece for their honeymoon.  Evelyn had been a nervous wreck during the first part of the flight.  She’d been clutching Rick’s hand so tightly she was positive she’d left nail marks on it.  Then she’d happened to glance at her new husband and been flabbergasted to realize he was even more nervous than she was!  They’d had a short talk, both self-conscious about the subject matter.   They had finally arrived and checked into the hotel and Evy hadn’t batted an eyelash when Rick swept her up in his arms to carry her over the proverbial threshold. 
       She gazed at his face trying to commit every nuance of this moment to memory.  She supposed it was too rugged to be considered truly handsome, but to her it was the most gorgeous face in the world.  As he slowly came awake she couldn’t stop her smile from becoming even wider.
       Rick opened his eyes to discover the most exquisite sight he’d ever seen.  Evelyn.  Her sleep-tousled hair framed her beaming face.  Her smile was contagious and he found himself grinning as well. 
       “Good morning, Mrs. O’Connell.”  (God, he liked the sound of that!) “Been waiting long?”
       “In a way I feel I’ve been waiting for you all of my life,” she replied seriously. 
       “Ditto,” he replied.  Rick reached over to stroke her cheek.  He felt closer to this woman who was now his wife than he’d ever felt to any other person in his entire life. 
       It was more than just sex, though the previous night had been the most extraordinary and satisfying night of his life.  They had both been tense and apprehensive at first, but had managed to turn the nerve-racking situation into one they would both cherish through humor and the sheer necessity they each felt to give in to their passions.  It hadn’t been perfect; there had been awkwardness and often a distinct lack of finesse.  But the moments of imperfection interlaced with the moments of absolute bliss intertwined to make the night remarkable.  Evy had barred her soul, holding nothing back, and he had done the same. 
       He had believed himself to be head over heels in love with her before the wedding and now...well, there just weren’t words to describe what he was feeling.   All of the erotic fantasies he’d had about what it would be like to make love to Evy couldn’t compare to the reality of making love with her.  But it went beyond the physical.  They had touched souls as their bodies mated.  He struggled to put his feelings into words on this special morning, “I think you are the most incredible person I’ve ever met,” he said earnestly. 
       “Yeah?” she asked as she turned so that they were lying face to face. 
       “Yeah.”  He leaned to give her a thorough kiss, which quickly led to another round of lovemaking.  After they’d each come to a shattering climax he twisted so that she was draped on top of his prone body.  He stroked her perspiration soaked back, kissed her on the tip of her nose and said dryly, “You’re picking this stuff up pretty darn quick.”
       She smiled innocently.  “Umm.  Must be my excellent teacher.”  She rubbed her hands over his shoulders and arms, drunk on the knowledge she had the rest of her life to learn about and love this man.  “I definitely like being married.” 
       “Yeah?”
       “Yeah.”
       The sound of Rick’s stomach growling caused him to chuckle nervously.  “Hungry?” he asked.
       “Umm.  Now that I think about it, I’m starving.”  She moved to get out of the bed, but Rick stopped her. 
       “Uh uh, I’m not letting you out of this room today.”  At her shocked expression, he smiled.  “We’ll order up some room service while we move our lessons to the shower.”
       Evelyn tried to act dismayed, but couldn’t quite pull it off.  “Well, then…”
       Rick laughed.  “Woman, you are insatiable!”
       “Are you complaining?” she asked mockingly.
       “Not at all, Mrs. O’Connell.  Not at all.”