I'm so sorry that I, once again, didn't post for months. This is continuing the wedding. I have about one more chapter of the wedding in Maxon's POV, and then I will post Bella's POV of the wedding. I'm sorry if this is boring, but I tried to add a little bit of excitement.

Thank you to nrkonkle for the favorite!

Enjoy!

-CL

"Bella and Maxon, have you come here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?"

Bella and I answer, "I have."

Father responds, "Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?"

"I am."

"Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

"I am."

"Since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church."

Bella and I look at each other and grab each other's right hand. I say, "I, Maxon Calix Schreave, take you, Bella Rose Starr, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."

Bella looks at me and gives a small smile. "I, Bella Rose Starr, take you, Maxon Calix Schreave, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life." I can see her hand shaking, and I squeeze her hand. She glances at me and tries to give me a smile, but she doesn't seem right. I smile, trying to calm her, but she doesn't respond.

Father continues, "Maxon Calix Schreave, do you take Bella Rose Starr to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do," I respond.

Father turns to Bella and asks, "Bella Rose Starr, do you take Maxon Calix Schreave to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do," Bella responds shakily. Father glances at Bella, looking concerned. She smiles at him and turns to me.

"May the Lord in his kindness strengthen the consent you have declared before the Church and graciously bring to fulfillment his blessings within you. What God has joined, let no one put asunder.

"May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God who joined together our first parents in paradise, strength and bless in Christ the consent you have declared before the Church, so that what God joins together, no one may put asunder. Let us bless the Lord."

The congregation responds, "Thanks be to God."

America's younger brother, Gerad, brings up the rings, and Father blesses the rings. "May the Lord bless these rings, which you will give to each other as the sign of your love and fidelity."

We respond, "Amen."

Father sprinkles holy water over the rings and gives them to Bella and me.

I take a deep breath, placing the ring on Bella's finger, saying, "Bella Rose Starr, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Likewise, Bella places the ring on my finger and says, "Maxon Calix Schreave, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fiedlity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

"You may now kiss the bride," Father says.

I lift the veil from Bella's face and take in Bella. I get chills, realizing this is the first time Bella and I will kiss. I put my arms around her back, almost giving her a hug. She places her hands on my chest, looking at me with shining eyes. She leans in…and loses her balance. I squeeze her in a hug, which steadies her. She takes a shaky breath and looks at me. I'm sorry, she mouths. I smile. She leans in and I hold her tight.

Our lips touch and it's like fireworks exploding. Oh my gosh, I think. I wish the kiss could go deeper, but we have an audience. I'll finish that later, I think. We break apart and look at each other, both of us grinning.

"And now we lift our prayers to God," Father says.

A woman walks up. She reads the prayers and we answer "Lord hear our prayer."

The congregation sits while Bella and I go to the back of the church. I grab the water and wine while Bella grabs the ciboriums. We walk down the aisle and meet Father at the steps to the altar. We give our items to Father and walk back to our seats. We turn to face the altar, staying standing.