Chapter 8 - The Sovereign Wedding
Two years after the day in the bistro, the historic Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue was illuminated by the warm, golden glow of one thousand beeswax candles and towering displays of white calla lilies, blooming hydrangeas, and fragrant jasmine.
The cathedral was packed with six hundred guests: longshoremen from the maritime terminals in tailored suits, harbor engineers, restaurant dishwashers, chefs, and community leaders who formed the true heart of the Kane empire.
At the altar stood Vincent Kane, looking exceptionally handsome, commanding, and completely at peace in a bespoke midnight-blue three-piece tuxedo, his dark eyes fixed on the center aisle with an expression of profound, unbridled devotion.
The massive pipe organ erupted into the triumphant, soaring chords of Pachelbel's Canon in D.
The towering bronze doors opened, and Sarah Carter walked down the aisle.
She looked breathtaking in an exquisite, custom-designed ivory silk gown with an eight-foot cathedral train of hand-sewn Venetian lace, carrying a bouquet of white peonies and purple mountain laurels. Her face was radiant with pure, unshadowed happiness.
And walking directly ahead of her, proudly scattering white rose petals along the silk runner with intense six-year-old concentration, was me.
I wore a magnificent miniature ivory lace dress and a golden flower crown, my face beaming with pure joy as I grinned at Vincent waiting at the altar.
When Sarah reached the platform, Vincent stepped forward, taking both of her hands into his strong, warm palms.
"I take you, Sarah," Vincent said, his deep baritone ringing through the vaulted marble arches with absolute, eternal certainty. "To love, honor, cherish, and defend, through every storm and in every victory, for as long as we both shall live."
"I take you, Vincent," Sarah answered, looking into his eyes with all her soul. "With my whole heart, forever."
Archbishop Conti raised his hands in blessing. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal this sacred covenant."
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Vincent wrapped his strong arms around Sarah’s waist, lifting her slightly as he kissed her deeply beneath the soaring stained-glass windows, to the thunderous, standing applause of six hundred guests that echoed like music through the cathedral.
I bounded up the altar steps, giggling with pure delight, throwing my small arms around both of their legs as Vincent scooped me into their embrace, lifting our family high into the radiant morning light.
