"Please remember that you're standing in front of a house of God." Annukka snickered as she shut the car door while Chloe's hand flew in front of her mouth in shock. Hearing another car door shut she turned her head to see Antti standing next to an identical red Ferrari, and then Seb. Dressed in black trousers and a white shirt with the first couple of buttons undone he removed his sunglasses as he strode casually towards her, his smile getting bigger as he got closer to her. She looked around to see Britta and Annukka looking extremely pleased with themselves, they'd got her here without a hitch, apart from a bit of moaning from herself when she was cramped in the back seat. Lowering her hand she turned back to Seb who was now standing in front of her. She realised that she was shaking, although she had no idea why, she wasn't scared or worried, just very, very surprised and even more in love with the man standing opposite her, looking cool as a cucumber with his hands in his pockets.
"Hi beautiful." He eyed her up and down before taking one hand out of his pockets and placing it on her waist. Before she could stop it, a garbled string of indecipherable words fell from her lips that sounded like nothing more than a weird noise and she put her hand in front of her mouth again. "Uhm.....surprise!" He laughed, taking her hand away from her mouth.
"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" She quickly rambled. "Oh my fucking god!"
"Yeah, he's probably watching." He laughed again, giving a little glance towards the sky, her response was a little unexpected but none the less amusing. "Chloe...." He took his other hand from his pocket and took hold of hers, he could feel her shaking, her response was now understandable. He suddenly felt a little nervous, his confidence and his emotions shifted, pretty much his whole world did in that moment as he looked at her again, his beautiful bride. With minimal makeup, her hair up in a loose bun and her cheeks now glowing at her own response, he'd never been more drawn to her or more in love. He swallowed heavily, past the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Seb...Sebastian....so much for the hot...." She was silenced by him stepping closer and leaning in to rest his forehead against hers.
"I can't wait another minute....." He let go of her hands and slipped his arms around her waist. "I know we were planning on doing this in Germany and we still will, but I love you too much...." He stopped and swallowed again, he heard Britta sniff, she was crying already. "I just can't wait, I want you to be my wife, lets get married, today, now."
"Yes. Yes I'll marry you." She slowly nodded and cupped his face in her hands, her eyes filled with tears as she was overcome with emotion. He hadn't been training at all, he had planned this all for her because he couldn't wait to marry her. He rewarded her with a huge smile before lifting her from the ground as he kissed her lovingly.
"Hey! Stop that!" Antti called out. "Save that for after the wedding."
"You're right." Seb reluctantly let her put her feet back on the ground and released her from his arms.
"Hang on, who's walking me down the aisle? And, we'll need witnesses." She looked to Antti and then to Seb. "And a licence."
"It's all hand." Replied Britta as she dabbed under her eyes with a tissue. "I'm walking you down the aisle, Antti has the rings and is best man as well as him and Annukka being witnesses, it's all organised, you don't need to worry about a thing."
"Wow." Chloe put her hand on her chest, her voice was breaking as the tears threatened to come again. "I can't believe it.... I'm so...honestly I'm so grateful, I can't believe we're actually going to do this." She reached out to let her fingers brush against Seb's.
"Come on." Antti patted his shoulder. "Let's go in and get you guys married." He rolled his eyes as Seb stole one more kiss from his bride before they went in to the chapel. "We'll see you in there Chloe!"
"I love you." Seb blew her a kiss as Antti practically hauled him away.
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Annukka rushed to the car and opened the boot and Chloe watched as she picked up a small bouquet of white roses. "You'll be needing these." She said as she closed the boot and locked the car. "And FYI, there's no point at throwing the bouquet afterwards, just pass it to me, I'll be the only woman not married very soon." She handed Chloe the bouquet. "I want to nail Antti down!"
"Right, got it. I'm sure Antti won't need nailing down!" She replied. "Thank you Annukka, for this morning."
"You're welcome! I'll make my way in, then it'll be time." She smiled and left Chloe looking at a tearful Britta.
"God, I feel like my boy is getting married and he's not even my son. I'm not even old enough to be his mother."
"Yeah but you've known Seb for a long time now, it's only natural."
"Honestly Chloe..." Britta stepped closer and took hold of her hand. "....I've never seen Seb so happy as he is now, or as in love. He's besotted with you. I know you've had more than your fair share of ups and downs together and your romance got serious very quickly, but I truly think you two are meant to be. He really couldn't wait until December to marry you."
"Thank you Britta. Yeah, it's been a whirlwind and we've both made mistakes along the way. I still have to pinch myself that he's mine and I know that I'm luckiest girl in the world. I'll do my best to take care of him, and his two daughters." Feeling that her bottom lip was about to start trembling, she bit down on it. Yeah, she knew she was definitely the luckiest girl in the world and she would devote herself completely to taking care of Seb and his two girls and once she'd dealt with Stephen she'd let nothing else get in her way of doing that. She closed her eyes for a second, Stephen wasn't welcome in her mind, not today. Taking a deep, cleansing breath she banished him from her thoughts, opened her eyes and nodded at Britta. "I'm ready, let's do this."
"Lets go then." Britta wiped under her eyes and together they started to walk towards the chapel. "Nervous?" She asked as they reached the red carpet.
"A little. I'm wishing I'd bought a less revealing white dress with me now."
"You're in Vegas, normal dress rules don't apply here. You look gorgeous and I'm sure Seb thinks so too." Britta noticed the burly security man standing at the door, a request of Seb's to help keep things private. It was just a precaution in case they got recognised and anyone turned up and tried to take photos, although as the chapel was newly built and not officially open to the public it was unlikely that would happen. Walking up the five white steps Chloe stopped and briefly looked behind her, seeing the two Ferraris parked a few meters from each other, and then at the door in front of her. Her life felt as though it was about to change and she was going to change along with it. "You ok?" Britta asked, sensing a bit of hesitation.
"Yeah. It's just hit me that these will be my last steps as a Houghton." She closed her eyes as more tears threatened to come.
"You'll be a Vettel instead." Britta took her hand and gave it a squeeze of reassurance.
"Jeez, what is it about that man that makes me an emotional wreck?"
"It's because you love him." She handed Chloe a tissue. "Here, I knew I'd need a few of these today."
"I think I'll need a whole box of them." Chloe replied, wiping delicately under her eyes.
"Alright now?" Britta placed her hand on the door handle and looked at Chloe before she opened it. Taking another deep breath and swallowing down her emotions she nodded her head and Britta opened the door. The first thing Chloe noticed was the music that started to play, the same Ed Sheeran song they'd danced to at the masked ball, she hadn't expected him to remember that and was touched that he had. The second thing, as Britta started to walk her down the aisle, was Seb standing at the alter, bathed in light from the three tall, slim arched windows with Antti by his side, those two had come a long way since April, when her mistake of kissing Antti had caused Seb to lose all trust in him. The third thing was the floral arrangements of white roses scattered all around her, filling the chapel with a beautiful scent and the final thing she noticed was the simple, yet traditional looking painted wooden interior of the chapel with it's high white ceiling, pale sage green walls and white framed arched windows. Even the pews were white wood with the same green seating pads. As she got close to Seb, he turned around and any nerves she had vanished. He looked at her with pure adoration, his exquisite blue eyes full of love and his lips forming another smile that got bigger as she stopped by his side and entwined her fingers with his while Britta took her bouquet and stepped around behind them to join Antti in taking a seat with Annukka. As the minister started to speak Chloe barely heard a word the man said at first, too lost in the man who's hand she was holding and was about to become her husband. This heavenly looking man who could have been a gift from God himself was about to become her husband! It took a polite cough from Annukka, who somehow seemed to have noticed that she'd temporarily 'gone', to bring her back to her senses and she focused her attention on the minister, she wanted to commit this day to her memory forever.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." The minister paused, falling silent for a moment and Chloe noticed from his name badge was he named Christopher, a biblical sounding name and very apt for where they were. She could hear Britta give a little sniff, followed by Annukka and from the corner of her eye a photographer loomed into view. Glancing at Seb and seeing that he wasn't phased by the woman's appearance she figured that she must be an official photographer and not some randomer who'd gained access. "Sebastian, you have something you'd like to say to Chloe?"
"Yes." Seb turned to Chloe and took hold of her other hand. As he looked at her his entire body felt bathed in a warm rush of love, butterflies erupted in his stomach, as they did every time he looked at her, and his heart beat rapidly in chest as a little bout of nerves kicked in. He swallowed and licked his lips before he started, trying to push down the emotions that this moment was creating. "My beautiful girl; because of you, I laugh, I smile and I dare to dream more than I ever have. You say I healed your heart, but you also healed mine and I will always be eternally grateful for that." He stopped as his voice broke, Chloe had tears rolling down her cheeks but a loving smile across her lips and he took another deep breath before continuing. "I'll also be forever grateful to you, Britta...." He turned to look at her. ".....because if it wasn't for you bringing Chloe to meet me that day last year, then I wouldn't be standing here now." Britta gave him a tearful smile in response and he turned back to his bride before speaking again. "You're going to be a wonderful mother and step-mother, Mia and Leonie don't know how lucky they are to have you in their lives, but I do and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." He let go of one of her hands and tried to wipe her tears away, he was desperate to kiss her but knew he'd have to wait a few more minutes to do that. "I love you, so much." He whispered as he looked to see that Christopher was ready to start.
"Sebastian and Chloe, are we ready?" He smiled as Britta stood and dashed over to give Chloe another tissue.
"Very." Chloe replied as she tucked her tissue into the front of her dress. This was it, this was actually going to happen.
"Sebastian, do you take Chloe to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?"
"I do." He looked into her eyes as he answered, holding both of her hands within his own.
"Chloe, do you take Sebastian to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore?" Christopher looked to her but she kept her eyes locked with Seb's as she answered.
"I do." She wanted to say those words over and over, she wanted to go up onto the chapel roof and shout them out because she'd never been so sure of anything in her entire life.
"Do we have the rings?" Christopher asked. Antti rose from his seat and pulled out a small black velvet box from his pocket. Taking a couple of steps forward he opened the box and gave the two gold bands to Christopher before going back to his seat. He was relieved to have passed them on, he felt like they'd been burning a hole in his pocket and he'd been terrified he was going to lose them, he'd lost count of the number of times he'd checked to see if he still had them. "Sebastian and Chloe, you will now exchange rings as a symbol of your love and commitment to each other. Rings are a precious metal; they are also made precious by you wearing them. Your wedding rings are special; they enhance who you are. They mark the beginning of your long journey together. Your wedding ring is a circle—a symbol of love never ending. It is the seal of the vows you have just taken to love each other without end." He held the rings out on the palm of his hand. "Please each take a ring and place it on each other's left hand." Seb nodded and let go of Chloe's hand, he picked up her wedding ring while she picked up his. Taking her left hand, he slid the gold band onto her finger, noticing how her tears had been replaced by a smile that was so big, she was biting on her bottom lip to try and contain it. She looked at her hand for a second before taking his and sliding his gold band onto his finger. Her eyes rose up to meet his, he was literally beaming from ear to ear. "Beautiful." Christopher smiled. "Ok, can you both repeat after me....as a sign of my love, that I have chosen you, above all else..." As he spoke, he glanced to see Britta wiping her eyes and Annukka cuddled up to Antti as Seb and Chloe both repeated his words in perfect unison. "...with this ring, I thee wed." He paused to let them have a moment as they gazed at their hands and then back at each other. "To make your relationship work will take love. Continue to date each other. Take time to show each other that your love and marriage grows stronger with time. It will take trust to know that in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication to stay open to one another—and to learn and grow together. It will take loyalty to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you have both pledged today." There was another pause and he watched as Seb tucked some loose strands of hair behind Chloe's ear and licked his lips, this man was obviously eager to kiss his bride. "And now it is my honor and delight to declare you married. Go forth and live each day to the fullest. You may seal this declaration with a kiss." Seb didn't wait another second and pulled her close, quickly sealing their union with tender, but passionate kisses before sweeping her off the floor in an enormous hug, nearly squeezing all the air from her lungs.
"My beautiful wife!" He said joyfully as he swung her round. "I love you Mrs Vettel! I love you!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sat next to Seb in the car, on their way back to the hotel, Chloe stroked her hand over the envelope containing their wedding certificate. It wasn't their official, legal wedding certificate, that would be mailed to Britta within the next few weeks. This was purely a memento of their day, but still signed by herself, Seb and their two witnesses - Annukka and Antti. She yawned and stretched in her seat.
"I hope you're not tired." He put his hand on her bare thigh. "The day isn't quite over, we've still got the night to come yet."
"I am a little, if I'm honest." She turned her head to look at him, his face lit up by the headlights of passing cars and the lights of Las Vegas's famous strip. With his left hand on the steering wheel, she could see his wedding band shining as it caught the lights and it made her look at her own left hand, where her gold band sat proudly on her finger. "It's been quite a day."
"It has and I want to give you quite a night." He moved his hand, letting his fingers suggestively stroke her inner thigh. "We have a marriage to consummate."
"Indeed we have, dear husband." She smiled at the thrill it gave her to say the word 'husband' and saw him smile too.
"How does it feel to be Mrs Vettel?" He asked, removing his hand as he slowed the car and turned into the car park of their hotel.
"I'm not sure it's sunk in yet. How about you? How do you feel being a married man?" She watched his hands on the steering wheel as he reversed the car into a space, his tanned, muscular forearms on show after he'd rolled up the sleeves of his shirt earlier in the day. All of a sudden she wanted to feel his hands on her body and his arms holding her tight, she wasn't tired anymore.
"I feel insanely happy, I don't think it's quite sunk in for me either, but I do know that I love you more now than I ever have." He switched the engine off and looked at her. "I have days when I look at you and I can't believe that you're mine and now I'm looking at you and I can't believe that you're my wife." He leant in, placing his hand lightly at the back of her head to bring her lips closer to his and was about to kiss her when he felt her hesitate.
"What and how do we tell our parents? They're helping us to plan a wedding and a blessing and now we're already married."
"We don't." He brushed his lips over hers, he'd done with talking, now he just wanted some action.
"We can't just not say anything."
"They already know." He kissed her lips and then her cheeks.
"They do?"
"They knew it was going to happen today, relax." He pulled away and opened the car door. "Let's go inside, I need to get you in to bed." He got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Chloe couldn't clamber out quick enough and she even removed her shoes so that they could run into the hotel together. "I like your thinking Mrs Vettel." He gave her a salacious grin as he took her hand.
"Why thank you, Mr Vettel. I aim to please."
"It'll be me doing the pleasing tonight." He replied, his grin being rapidly replaced by a look that was full of intent.
"What are we waiting for then, lets get this party started." She tugged on his hand and then squealed with excitement as he started to run, pulling her along with him.