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Her lips tremble, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. She looks at the ring, then back at me, and I can see the war inside her reflecting in her uncertain expression.
Then, finally, she nods. “Yes,” she whispers.
Relief crashes into me like a tidal wave. I slide the ring onto her finger, then stand, pulling her against me.
She looks up at me, her hands trembling as they clutch my shirt. “Elio, I…I…” She swallows hard, her throat bobbing. “I love you.”
Everything inside me stills. I never knew how badly I wanted to hear those words from her. And now, hearing them, makes me feel like the most fortunate man in the world.
Cupping her face with my palms, I press my forehead tenderly against hers. “I love you, too.”
Her breath shudders, and then her mouth is on mine, her arms around my neck with her body pressed so close I can feel her heartbeat against mine.
My mouth roams against hers, latching onto her lips like she’s the only thing keeping me alive.
As we stand together, lips intertwined, heartbeats pounding in one accord, I swear to myself… to her…to our unborn child, that I’ll do whatever it takes to give them the life they deserve.
Chapter forty
Aria
One Month Later
Elio is on his way to becoming free…free from the danger, free from the mafia.
The weight of that realization fills my chest with a sense of security I never thought I’d have. After years of living with the fear that his world would swallow him whole, he’s finally making the big move to walk away and choose a future where we aren’t constantly looking over our shoulders.
Knowing it wouldn’t be a day’s job to fully separate himself from the mafia, he’s promised to get there within a year. While he’s working toward that day, today marks the day we officially march into our forever. It’s our wedding day.
The grand ballroom of Elio’s latest luxury addition, the Dona IV Hotel, is bathed in a soft golden light from the towering chandeliers. Ivory and gold drapes cascade from the high ceilings, and the air is fragrant with white roses and peonies.
I stand at the entrance, my fingers curled around my bouquet of white roses. My wedding dress clings to my body in all the right places before flaring into an elegant train behind me. The fabric is a delicate ivory satin shimmering under the lights and hugging my curves, including my baby bump.
The dress had to be tailored to accommodate my growing stomach, and though I was self-conscious at first, seeing Elio's face light up when I stepped into the ballroom made all my worries vanish.
My gaze darts towards the makeshift altar again.
Elio stands there−sexy as ever−dressed in a black tuxedo with a crisp white dress shirt and a black silk bow tie. A single white rose is pinned to his lapel, matching my bouquet. His dark hair is neatly styled, but a few strands have fallen onto his forehead, making him look both polished and effortlessly handsome.
And his eyes…those deep, dark, unreadable eyes that have held so much violence and power now only hold one thing:Me.
Cortez is standing beside him in a navy tuxedo with a white shirt but he doesn’t have a bow tie on. Mia is standing across from him on the opposite side of the altar.
I take a deep breath and begin walking forward, my arm looped around my dad’s.
“It’s okay, honey. Don’t be nervous. I’m sure your mother would be proud,” Dad soothes and I smile.
Dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with a silver tie, Dad’s graying hair is slicked back, his sharp blue eyes trained forward…at Elio. He’s the only man who’s ever truly terrified Elio, not because of power−but because he’s my father. Because he knows that if he ever made me unhappy, my father wouldn’t hesitate to make him pay.
At least that’s what my father told him when we went to inform him that we’d be getting married again, for real this time. Even though my father has eased back from his workaholic ways, he remains just as formidable as ever, especially when it comes to people he cares about.
The fact that Elio had saved his life in the most unfavorable situation had already made Dad softer toward Elio, but the turning point for him was when he heard that Elio was giving up the mafia for me. That made him finally give his blessing for our marriage.
The ceremony begins as soon as I arrive at the altar. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my fingertips. When Dad lets me go, I clutch Elio’s hands, my fingers trembling slightly in his warm grip. Elio’s adoring eyes hold my shaky gaze as the priest begins to speak.
“We are gathered here today to witness the union of Elio Donatelli and Aria Abruzzi in holy matrimony.” The priest’s voice sounds far away like all of this is happening somewhere in my head and not in reality. “Marriage is not just a bond of love, but a promise, a vow to walk together through all of life’s joys and trials.”
Elio squeezes my hands, and I exhale slowly. The world feels smaller in this moment, like it’s just him and me, standing on the edge of forever.