Page 173

I reach over and take Chloe’s hand, squeezing until she looks at me. “Are you okay? You’re not having any regrets, are you?”
She winces as all the colour drains from her face. “I want to marry Marcus, more than anything. I’m just nervous. You hear all of these horror stories about people changing when they get married. He’s my best friend, and I don’t want to lose that.”
I can’t help the chuckle that slips out as I smile at my little sister. “Chloe, I can promise you, without a shadow of a doubt, this won’t change anything for Marcus. He loves you, and asfar as he’s concerned, giving you his last name is just another way for him to claim you in front of everyone. If anything, this marriage will bring you closer together, not further apart.”
“Is that what happened with you?” she asks.
My smile turns into a wide grin as I think back to our wedding day. We don’t really think much about the church wedding that Indie and I had, as that was more for other people, but the commitment ceremony the three of us shared was magical.
“Our ceremony was the day we finally became a family, all under the same name. It didn’t really change anything important, but we all felt closer to each other.
“The ceremony was our way of showing the world how much we mean to each other, and that made us stronger as a threesome. I suspect yours will be the same. This is Marcus’ way of telling the world that you belong to him, and nobody can do anything about it.”
She laughs as she nods. “He is very possessive and protective.”
“So, are we going in, or are we making a run for it?” I ask, hoping it’s just a joke.
“We’re going in,” she announces proudly, holding her head high, confident in her decision.
I slide out of the car and hold my hand out for her to take, and when she does, I feel an overwhelming amount of pride as I take another look at my beautiful little sister dressed as a bride. She really looks stunning, and more grown up than I can imagine.
With a lump in my throat, and my heart beating quicker than it did at my own wedding, we make our way towards where Indie is waiting for us at the entrance, along with the wedding co-ordinator.
Before we know it, the music starts and I grab hold of Chloe’s arm, ready to walk her down the aisle. She’s trembling beside me, but one look at her tells me it’s just nerves. She’s made up her mind about marrying Marcus, and now we’re here, she can’t wait to get on with it.
We wait patiently for the bridal march to start, and once we have the all clear from the wedding co-ordinator, we begin our walk down the aisle. I keep my steps slow and purposeful, just like we rehearsed, and my grip on Chloe’s arm is firm, making sure she doesn’t speed up or fall.
The minute her eyes land on Marcus, it’s like everything else in the world falls away, and it’s just the two of them. She breathes a sigh of relief, and the smile on her face is blinding as they just stare at each other.
I’ve known Marcus my entire life, and I’ve rarely seen him show any level of emotion. His biggest talent is remaining emotionless in the face of everything, but as soon as he catches a glimpse of my sister, his walls come crashing down.
His lips tip up into the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen, and I’m pretty sure there are tears in his eyes. The way he stares at her, like she’s his whole world, settles my nerves instantly. The love he gives her in just one look is enough to tell me this guy is more than good enough for Chloe. He’s going to love her and cherish her in all the ways she deserves.
Looking at Marcus and Chloe as they share this moment almost feels like I’m invading a private moment, and so I take the time to look over the crowd that’s gathered to share in their special day, noting that a lot of them are the same people we had at our wedding.
Marcus’ dad is sitting in the front row on the groom’s side, with his girlfriend Courtney beside him. Courtney is smiling at her brother, Miles, who is standing beside Marcus as his best man.
Miles is still not happy with the strange relationship his younger sister seems to have with his best friend’s dad, but after several arguments, he’s no longer outwardly objecting.
I don’t know Maximus as well as Miles does, but anyone can see he cares for Courtney, which is a very new thing, as he hasn’t officially dated since Marcus’ mother died years ago.
I’m sure he didn’t live all of those years as a monk, but he also never publicly dated, so for him to announce to the world that he’s with Courtney, it must be more than just sex.
My mother and father are in the front row on Chloe’s side, both of them with forced smiles on their faces as they deliberately stare past us rather than at Chloe. Luckily, she’s too caught up with Marcus to notice, but I don’t miss it, and it’s something I will bring up at a later date.
Now that I’m in charge of the Santoro family, I’m going to make sure my father knows he’s no longer entitled to the level of power he’s grown accustomed to. He’s retired, and that means he doesn’t get any say in how this family is run.
If he’s not happy with that, he’ll be presented with options—none of which are good. I’m the leader now, and he either gets in line, or he gets out of my fucking way.
Sitting behind Maximus are Leo, Marcus’ driver and friend, and his daughter, Penny. I’m more than a little surprised to see Jenny sitting beside him, much closer than I’d expect. Not only are they smiling, they’re also leaning into each other. Last I heard, they had an explosive argument and Leo refused to work with her again, stating she’s a brat who pushes his limits.
Right now, it looks like he’s tamed the brat, and they’ve moved past whatever hatred they had for each other. She also appears to be getting on well with Penny, who is twirling her finger in Jenny’s bright rainbow-coloured hair.
Scattered across both sides, I notice the Doughty family are all present. Teigan and Freya both became friends with Chloeafter being introduced to her by Indie. Although the girls don’t live in Blackthorn, they make a point to meet at least once a month, and have become very good friends.
Teigan is sitting with Evan, the eldest and most stern looking Doughty brother, while Freya is with Kian. He has the same bright dimpled smile we’re used to seeing, and I’m sure he’s thinking that the next wedding we all attend will be his.
Bree is sitting with her husband, Liam, looking just as beautiful and scary as she always does. She’s smiling at my sister as we walk past the aisle she’s sitting on, and I nod my head at her in a show of respect.