Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
The woman began to sing ‘Love Story,’ from Taylor Swift. The blacksmiths kept swinging on beat to the song. The crowd clapped and sang along, and then, Nikolai stepped to the front of the crowd. He stood before Porsche, wrapped his arms around her, and looked into her eyes, feeling the moon and stars rise within her.
“You’re my universe.”
She looked up at him, a smile trembling over her lips. He took a deep breath, after which he dropped to one knee. Porsche gasped, then began to excitedly scream as the crowd clapped and went wild. His hand shook as he dove it into his pocket and pulled out a ring he’d made her himself.
He’d toiled many days and nights over that band, and had diamonds placed within it by a fine local jeweler. One large oval diamond was set in the middle, along with his and her birthstones on the sides. It had been a labor of love—so worth it. The music died down, and everyone drew quiet as he looked up into her eyes.
“Your mother keeps callin’ because I told her I was going to do this today. I asked for her daughter’s hand in marriage. I guess she’s a little excited is all. Porsche, I’m not usually a man of many words. We met under unconventional circumstances. I was looking for something permanent. You were looking for answers. What we got were more questions and a roller coaster of uncertainty. That just goes to show that sometimes, what you wish for is much more different than what you get… but so much better. I… I wished for someone like you for a long time. Bein’ a loner didn’t mean I wanted to be lonely. I just knew what I wanted. And… I was willin’ to wait for it…” His jaw tightened. “I hate that somethin’ ugly brought us together, but I love that God made it into somethin’ beautiful. Porsche, I don’t want to spend another day without you. Will you marry me?”
A tear rolled down her face. They shared a smile.
“Yes. You know the answer is yes!”
Applause broke out from the crowd, and the blacksmiths clapped as he stood to his feet and slipped the ring onto her finger. Through all the noise and commotion, he found peace and silence as he took her warm, soft body in his arms. He squeezed her tight. After a few minutes, the chaos died down and people began to mill about, checking out various displays and getting drinks and bites to eat.
Meanwhile, they kept holding on to one another. Neither willing to let go.
She moved her mouth close to his ear, and through a choked voice said, “I love you, Nik.”
Running his hand up and down her back, he whispered in her ear, “I love you, too. I can’t wait to be under one roof with you. After we get married, I want to start a family. I will teach our children their Russian American heritage, the way my mother tried to teach me and my brothers. I will teach our son or daughter to say, ‘I love you, too’.”
He felt the warmth of her mouth as she murmured once again, “Well, I want to know, too. How do you say, ‘I love you, too,’ in Russian?”
“This is how we say it … YA tozhe tebya lyublyu. (Я тоже тебя люблю./I love you, too.) But, Porsche, love is a word that has to be said from the heart. Never taken for granted. It can be powerful, even as just a whisper…”
It was the morning of her wedding.
Porsche, her mother and friends from Boston got ready and dressed in Nikolai’s house, where she’d moved her belongings in the prior month. It was a cloudy, fall day, but the sun was slowly peeking out from the gray billows. A professional makeup artist stood next to her as she sat at a white vanity mirror, staring at her reflection.
She closed her eyes as the bristles of the soft powder brush slowly glided across her cheeks. The smell of Sauvage by Dior eau de parfum she and her mother were wearing filled the beautiful master bedroom that she and Nikolai had painted and decorated, just to her liking.
She opened her eyes and noticed in the reflection her mother standing across the room, leaning against the wall. Looking proud and emotional. Mom pressed a tissue to her mouth and blinked several times.
“You’ve seen me get married before, Mom. This ain’t my first trip down the aisle, or rodeo. Don’t you do these waterworks today! I don’t like getting caught in the rain!” Porsche teased, causing the room to erupt in laughter.
“I know, baby. It’s just that I haven’t seen you this happy in a long while, and you look so beautiful. Nikolai is a good man. I’m proud of you. Both of you.”