"Okay, so, to finish up..." I glanced back down at my notes. This wasn't as hard as I'd thought it was going to be; there weren't very many people there to worry about (which was both good and bad) and, frankly, I looked great. So did the bride, in a cream-colored sheath and a set of grayish pearls, bareheaded, with flawless makeup. Daniel was in a dark suit of some kind, but who cared? Weddings weren't about the groom.
Daniel hadn't told his dad (for obvious reasons, but still, it was sad), planning to later explain his "elopement" with the new Mrs. Daniels, who had a horror of sunlight. Andrea's family wasn't there. My mom and my sister were, as were Marc and Jessica, Sinclair and Tina. George was enchanted with his new #6 crochet needle, and refused to come out of the basement.
So I wasn't especially nervous, but I wanted it to be nice. "I did some research on nondenominational weddings... obviously nondenominational... and I found this on the Web. Okay, it goes like this.
" 'May the promises you make to one another be lived out to the end of your lives in an atmosphere of profoundest joy.' " I paused. Daniel and Andrea were positively google-eyed at each other, and Mom was sniffling like she always does at weddings.
All part of my diabolical plan, so I went on. "I thought that would be good advice for anybody, regardless of special, uh, circumstances. So now we'll do the vows, and then we'll have punch. Do you, Daniel, choose to marry Andrea? To speak words that will join you with her as your wife for all the rest of the days of your life?"
"I will."
"Do you, Andrea, choose to marry Daniel? To speak words that will join you with him as your husband for all the rest of the days of your life?"
I paused again. That was the big question. Andrea had a long, long life ahead of her. And Daniel was no sheep. How would they make this work? Would she try to turn him into a vampire? Would he allow it?
It was none of my business. Better to focus on the day and worry about that stuff later.
"I will."
"Then by the power invested in me, by me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Bite away."
They ignored me and kissed, but that was all right.
"I have one more thing," I said. "From Shakespeare. Don't look so surprised, my search engine works. Anyway, as soon as I saw it I thought of you two, so I figured this would be a good place to mention it." I didn't mention it was from Romeo and Juliet; hopefully their romance would turn out better.
"With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls,
For stony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do, that dares love attempt."
I finished and looked up from my notes.
From across the room, Sinclair was smiling at me.
