Love in 1865

Chapter Twenty-Six

Izaak finished the story with an impeccable silence. His head fell to his chest, his hair draping before his face. I could see that this had been eating at him for awhile. All I could do was watch him. In a single moment, everything that had happened to me in the past year made complete sense. All this time that I had been afraid, there was a man and my mom protecting me. Izaak dropped my hands as if to signify that I can leave at any time. He finally looked up at me with a confused grimace. I couldn't help but to be warm in response. Taking his hands into mine, I held them up to my cheeks. His eyes became doe like in comparison to before the story. "I love you. You lied to me about more than you should have. Although this new information is slightly overwhelming, I have no reason to be mad at you." Izaak's confusion only furthered as I kissed each of his knuckles. "Let me assure you, Izaak, at this point you are only hurting me by letting yourself be hurt. Through all that you just said, you forget that we survived all that has happened because we come together in each other's time of need. Despite the lies and the fruits of the past. This isn't a matter of who deserves what, but a matter of who loves who. I love you no matter what. We cannot live in a home where the Sheriff's men- or whoever else feels like it- will barge into the house you built and rip at your body in front of me and your daughter. I know you can protect us, and if you don't feel like you can best protect us here then we can figure something out." Izaak's face softened as his smile dripped with tears. My heart widened by his emotions. He truly cared and didn't just have a mind for murder. I jumped in his arms as more than just a reassurance of my trust. We both knew he was bruised and beaten, but Izaak wasn't defeated. He began to find all the high points on my face and distribute passion to each one. "You are my everything, Gwyneira. I will not let this happen again! But you needed to know." "I get that. Now, I need my handsome man to finish cleaning himself up while I check on our daughter." After one last gentle squeeze I picked up Natty from her spot next to Beast to change her.

It had been an eventful evening. The cold nipped at our bodies as Izaak and I strolled down to the lake dock. Natalina and Beast stayed back at the house. We had a feeling that those who attacked us wouldn't be foolish enough to do it a second time in one day. Maybe it was foolish, but it turned out alright. As we continued our walk, I noticed the path grow bright with dancing lights. Along the posts of the dock were lanterns with candles. It grew clear to me what this was when I set my sights ahead. Mother was there in all her glory beside Pastor Ewan. "I know I probably could have asked you. We have been playing this up for too long to not be ready." I took the first step forward with pleasure. "You were always going to have it this way. I knew it from our first kiss. Impulsiveness on your part is just one of the things I love about you." We made our way before them and explored the wonders of the Word on union, devotion, and what it means to be one. There were no objections or hard feelings; that doesn't mean it wasn't a mess of a wedding. Izaak, of course, was covered in wounds, I had a normal's day wear and ratty hair. Even as we stood together exchanging heirloom rings and repeating vows, there was so much ahead to even think about now. The only clarity that I had during that moment was watching as the man who protected me for the past year become my husband. In truth, a ceremony is but anything more than that. Seeing how this moment played out compared to my sister's wedding, mine was more romantic. Well, at least in the sense one of us was marrying a man who loved us.