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She had to fight down the tears as she went for the door. Maria was already running late, and while she needed a good cry, she wouldn’t allow herself one.

Opening the door, Maria’s emerald green eyes were already on the verge of tears before she saw the man waiting behind the door. He held the same emotions in his cold heart that were in hers right now.

“Maria”—Lucca held out his arm—“may I walk you down the aisle?”

Fifty-One

The Letter M

As Maria walked down the aisle alongside her brother, she felt as if she was floating on air from being up so high in the open sky. The sun was beginning to set, and the glittering city below was starting to sparkle. At the top of the Casino Hotel, with just the few people they had shared the day with before, made this the only acceptable and most perfect wedding in her eyes.

Looking at Dominic as she took each step, made her cold, dead heart feel as if it had been hit with a defibrillator from the possessive way he was staring at her.

Dom held his tatted hand out as she approached …

Taking his hand, she wasn’t sure she would ever let go.

Both men gave each other a nod as her brother took her bouquet, then went to take a seat next to his fiancée. Dante might not accept the validity of their union in the family, but Lucca was making sure it was.

Clasping both their hands together, the contact sent an electric charge through her at the firm hold Dominic had on her, showing her that she wasn’t the only one who planned to never let go.

“You look beautiful, princess,” he whispered the words for only her to hear.

“Thank you.” Maria took in the sight of him as he stood in a suit that made him somehow look hotter than ever. She let him see with her eyes just what she thought of him. “You do too.”

Maria and Dominic stood in front of their families, alone, at the top of the city. The only other participating member was the one neither Maria nor Dominic had expected to be there.

Sal normally didn’t come out from behind his computer, always watching the cameras, trying to find One-Shot, but he made an appearance in a way none of them had expected ….

Clearing his throat, Sal began, “Dominic and Maria have chosen us, those special and most important to them, to witness and celebrate the beginning of their life together. Today, as we create this marriage, we also create a new bond and a new sense of family, one that will undoubtedly include all who are present here today.

“Do you, Dominic Luciano, choose Maria Caruso to be your partner in life, to support and respect her in her successes as well as her failures, to care for her in sickness and in health, to nurture her, and to grow with her throughout the seasons of your life together?”

Dominic’s hazel eyes made her an oath. “I do.”

“Do you, Maria Caruso, choose Dominic Luciano to be your partner in life, to support and respect him in his successes as well as his failures, to care for him in sickness and in health, to nurture him, and to grow with him throughout the seasons of your life together?”

“I do,” Maria said the words she never thought she’d say as she made her oath to him.

Reaching into his pocket, Sal gave the ring to a brother.

Taking the ring, Dominic began with glossy eyes. “Through this ring,” he said, sliding it onto her slender finger, “I accept you as my wife, now and for all time.”

Maria stared down at her finger, seeing the ring that he had chosen for her. The gold intricate band with small diamonds throughout sat on top of her engagement ring like a crown.

Sal went to his other pocket, handing the ring she had chosen for Dominic to a sister.

“Through this ring”—Maria slid the thick gold band that was encrusted in tiny diamonds that was fit for a king over the letter M, as if their destiny had already been decided long ago—“I accept you as my husband, now and for all time.”

“Before us no longer stands Maria and Dominic alone, but one couple about to embark on a new future,” Sal spoke over the sniffling of the girls. “One that they hope you will share in and be a part of as their marriage journey begins and lasts long after the celebration ends tonight. I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Grinning from ear to ear, he concluded, “Dom, you may now kiss your bride.”

Maria’s heels left the ground when Dominic swept her up in his arms. Her new husband didn’t hold anything back, giving her a passionate kiss that had her wondering if the stars that were now overhead were closer than they appeared.