Lavender handed me a tissue, and I wiped at my eyes and cleared my throat. The officiant looked at me and said, "It's your turn, when you are ready." It took me a minute before I could say anything, but I was able to get myself together and start.
"Christian, when I was sixteen, I was told that I would have to marry a man who wasn't my mate. A man that I hadn't even seen in years. So I ran and hid as soon as I was able to. For five years, I stayed away because I was determined that I wouldn't marry anyone but my mate. But then I met my competition, a man who went by the name of Chris, and the dots didn't even connect for me. I was a little leery at first, but then I got to know you. And then I started to fall in love with you the more that we talked and were around each other. At first,
