Page 127 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
He wasn’t sure what to expect, but she seemed more okay than any other time she’d visited. Glancing at the epitaph one more time, she clutched Nex’s hand, then led them to the front of the church.
At the top of the steps, Nex paused at the big wooden doors, worried someone would recognize he couldn’t be there and stop him. Or maybe the invisible barrier would make an appearance. An inch at a time, he shifted forward. Nothing happened. He was inside a church for the first time.
Kat kept him close and tried to keep people from flocking over. They were excited to meet the person she’d talked about for so long, but she gently directed them away with the shortest introductions possible. The end of an empty pew was the perfect place for her to settle Nex, so no one could sit next to him but her.
Kat snuggled into his side. “Okay?” She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles.
Nex nodded and couldn’t stop the smile because he apparently had no ability not to melt under any type of affection from her.
Bernice turned from the pew in front of them. “Excited for the trip?”
“Very.” Kat bounced in her seat. “We’ll be back Friday.”
Bernice grinned. “Take lots of pictures. And please don’t elope while you’re there. I want to be at your wedding. Did you decide on a date yet? And a place?”
“Not yet.” A slow smile formed as Kat glanced down at her finger where her mother’s engagement ring rested. “We’ve barely started talking about it. You’ll be the first to know, I promise.”
“I better be.” Bernice gave a playful glare and faced forward.
“You want to get married in the church, Katherine,” Nex whispered, placing his hand under her chin and turning her toward him. “Let’s do it here. It’s where your parents got married. The others will understand.”
“I want Marcus and Arda and everyone to be there,” Kat said. “It’s just a building. Outdoor weddings are nice too.”
“Katherine.” Nex’s serious tone and expression told her it was unlikely she’d change his mind. “We can have a party with the others afterward. Don’t change your plans for a handful of people. You only get to do this once. For once in your life, be selfish, for fuck’s sake.”
“Nex,” Kat scolded.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. He promised he wouldn’t curse in church, but some habits were hard to break. “Sorry, but I’m serious. They’ll understand. They can hear very well. They can stand outside and listen to the whole thing.”
Kat fiddled with her ring. “It’s not the same. Who will be your best man if not Marcus?”
“I couldn’t care less. I just want to be with you, Katherine. Pick my best man for me for all I care. It’s a human thing I’m not familiar with.”
Kat straightened his tie. “It’sourwedding, not mine.”
“I gave you feedback on the single thing that matters to me.”
“My—” Kat glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “My lingerie for the wedding night and honeymoon doesn’t count as a wedding plan.”
“Highlydebatable.”
Kat opened her mouth, but the service began, so she leaned against Nex’s shoulder.
Allen stepped up to the podium. “All right, we’ve been working through the New Testament, and we’ve come to a set of verses many are familiar with, and that brings us to today’s topic. Love.” Allen opened his Bible. “Reading from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.” He cleared his throat, a smile reaching his face while his eyes darted to his wife. “‘Love is patient, love is kind.’”
Kat cuddled closer to Nex, setting her free hand on their clasped ones.
“‘It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.’”
Nex glanced down at Kat, bringing their hands up and kissing the back of hers.
“‘It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.’”
Kat rested her chin on Nex’s shoulder, mouthingI love you.
“‘Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.’”
Nex mouthed it back and kissed her temple, holding her hand tighter.
“‘It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’”
Allen went on, but Nex was distracted, staring down at Katherine. After considering the words Allen read, he realized something. Katherine was the embodiment of love. When she looked up at him and gave him another one of the smiles he loved so much, he considered it worth it to spend two hundred years in hell if the result was this, living in this time period with his own personal heaven sitting next to him.
