Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 132464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“Jonas, with this ring, I promise to be your faithful and loving wife...” Sarah is saying.
Yes, I want to declare my eternal love to Kat in front of our family and friends and God and I want her to take my name. I want to make a life with that demonic-devil-woman. I want to be her husband—her family. “This is my beautiful wife,” I want to say when I’m introducing Kat at a party. “Oh, you haven’t met my wife yet? Well, here she is—Katherine Faraday.”
Sarah slips a ring onto Jonas’ finger and he exhales a loud, shaky breath.
“And now it’s your turn, Jonas,” the officiant says. “Repeat after me.”
I look at Kat again to find her blue eyes trained on me.
“Sarah, with this ring, I promise to be your faithful and loving husband...” Jonas is saying.
My eyes are locked with Kat’s.
My chest is tight.
Jonas slides a sparkling ring onto Sarah’s shaking hand and she squeals with glee, making everyone in the audience chuckle, yet again.
“And now, by the authority of the state of Washington, I pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiant declares. “Jonas, you can now officially kiss your lovely bride.”
Jonas swoops Sarah into his arms and plants a passionate kiss on her lips to raucous applause.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you—for the very first time—Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Faraday.”
The place erupts with cheers.
I clap and cheer, too—of course—but I’m distracted.
My eyes are still locked onto Kat’s.
My heart is pounding in my ears.
There’s no doubt in my mind—I want to make that beautiful terrorist my wife.
Jonas and Sarah link arms and bound happily down the aisle together, waving and fist-pumping as they go, and Kat and I link arms and follow them, exactly as we were instructed to do during last night’s rehearsal. But tonight’s walk down the aisle with Kat feels completely different than last night’s dry run. Because tonight, for the first time in my entire life, I finally know what I need to be truly happy in this one and only life: I need to make Katherine Ulla Morgan mine, all mine. Forever.
Twenty-Eight
Josh
“Go Henny! Go Henny!” Kat shouts, and the crowd around Henn on the dance floor joins in on the chant, goading him on.
How much has Henn had to drink tonight? He’s always entertaining, but this right here is a gift from the comedy gods. I can’t tell if he’s trying to break dance or if he’s going into cardiac arrest; but either way, I’ll never forget the sight of him as long as I live.
I look up at the band as I dance with Kat. The horns players are swiveling in synch as they play. Two women in fringed dresses and go-go boots are shaking their asses and singing their hearts out at center stage. And the guitarist is totally laying it down. I don’t know who was responsible for finding this awesome band, whether it was Jonas or Sarah or Kat—but whoever it was, they deserve a medal. I’ve never had so much fun dancing in all my life. Even Jonas has been dancing all night long.
The band begins playing a new song—“Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars—what else would a wedding band play these days?—and Uncle William grabs Kat’s hand and steals her away from me, twirling her around.
Kat doesn’t know this, but during dinner, while Kat was chatting with Sarah, I pulled my uncle aside and told him the news about my impending fatherhood—and also about my nascent plan to ask Kat to marry me. It was the first time I’d told anyone my intention to make Kat my wife, having only formed the idea two hours earlier—and my uncle’s reaction was better than I could have imagined.
“Hallelujah! The Faradays are multiplying!” Uncle William exclaimed, hugging me enthusiastically and patting me on the back. “This is the second best day of my life.” And then he poured me a tall glass of fifty-year-old Scotch from the bottle he’d brought with him from New York—a bottle of Glenfarclas 1955, exactly like the one he’d given me for Kat’s dad—and we clinked glasses.
“You got yourself a knockout with that one,” Uncle William said, looking at Kat across the room. “She looks just like your mother.”
I swigged my Scotch rather than reply.
“And don’t you worry, Joshua,” Uncle William continued, taking a long sip of his pricey liquor. “I’ll make sure Kat’s dripping in diamonds for you every bit as much as Sarah was for Jonas today—you can be sure of that.” He winked and leaned into me like he was telling me something confidential. “Like I always say, we Faraday men always keep our women dripping in diamonds.”
It was a truly bizarre statement, given that, one, I’d never heard Uncle William say a damned thing about women and/or diamonds before, and, two, I have no idea who “our women” would be in relation to “we Faraday men.” But, still, the fact that my uncle was so effusive about my news and immediately wanted to spoil my future bride every bit as much as he’d spoiled Sarah today sent electricity shooting through my every nerve ending.