Page 41 of And Everything In Between (Love By Any Means #3)

Paige fought her tears; suddenly grateful she hadn’t bothered with complicated makeup. It was her turn now and she drew in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“Vanni...” Her voice cracked on the first syllable, and she had to pause, blinking fast. “I told myself I wasn’t gonna cry.”

She laughed, quiet and trembling, He wiped the tear falling down her cheek.

It was useless because that simple gesture made more tears fall.

She looked over at Blake, needing a minute to calm down.

Blake nodded her head, silently telling her she could do this.

Giovanni didn’t need her to continue. This was enough but she did.

She wanted him to know that she was just as in love with him as he was with her.

“I spent so long being the strong one. The one who held it all together because I thought that’s what made me worthy. And for a long time... I didn’t even know I was tired. I didn’t know I was lonely. I didn’t know I was waiting.”

She looked up at him, this man, hers now, in disbelief.

“You didn’t try to fix me. You just showed up. Again and again, until I stopped bracing for the fall, for the disappointment. And now I can breathe.”

“I promise to choose us. Not just in the big ways, but in the quiet ones. In the moments no one sees. I’ll protect what we’ve built.

I’ll make space for your silence, your rest, your joy.

Just like you made space for me.” She stepped closer, fingers curling around his.

“You are not just my peace. You are my everything in between.”

A tear rolled straight down her face, and this time, she didn’t bother with it.

“I love you, Giovanni. And I vow to love you loudly. Freely. And forever.”

When they kissed to seal their vows, the ground shifted beneath their feet. And as he’d just vowed to do, he caught her. They stayed together in each other’s arms until Emon cleared his throat.

“This was some beautiful ass shit. But we gotta get moving bruh.”

They stepped into the Vegas night as husband and wife, the reality of it hitting them in waves.

Giovanni kept squeezing Paige's hand like he needed proof this wasn't a dream, while she kept catching glimpses of her ring in the neon lights.

The limo waited to carry them back to LA, to the premiere, to the rest of their lives.

Once they were alone in the limo, the partition raised between them and the driver, Giovanni pulled her onto his lap, her legs straddling him.

“We just got married,” he whispered still in disbelief.

“We did,” Paige said, rubbing his beard before pulling his chin close for a kiss. “Having second thoughts?”

“Not a single one.” He tilted his head to kiss her, deep and unhurried, hands finding the curves of her waist. “You?”

“Never,” she murmured against his mouth.

His laugh rumbled through his chest until he saw the mischief in her eyes, that particular glint that meant she was about to make him forget his own name. His throat went dry.

“Paige,” he warned, voice rough. “We gotta be on camera in less than an hour.”

“Good thing I keep it efficient with no panties,” she replied, already working at his belt, her movements quick. “Consider it our mini honeymoon.”

He didn’t argue. Not when her soft hand gripped the head of his dick. Paige lifted to position, herself above him, her eyes never leaving his. She sank down slowly, taking him inside her with a satisfied moan that made him throw his head back.

“Fuck,” he breathed, one hand tangling in her hair while the other gripped her hip. “You feel so damn good.”

Paige set the pace, slow and controlled at first, then faster as urgency built between them. The limo’s tinted windows hid them from the world outside, but the possibility of being caught only added to the thrill.

Giovanni leaned forward, his lips trailing from her neck to her collarbone, then lower, finding the soft swell of her breasts just above the neckline of her dress.

With a slow drag, he slipped the spaghetti straps down her arms, baring her completely.

Her scent hit him like a drug. He took her into his mouth, pulling a moan from deep in her chest, her head falling back with abandon.

“My wife,” he growled the words sent a shudder through her.

“My husband,” she gasped, her voice breaking as he found that spot—the one that activated her crazy.

It was quick, intense, almost desperate, the way they gave each other everything in the back of the limo. When Paige tightened around him, her body tensed as pleasure overtook her. Giovanni followed immediately, holding her against him as they rode out the waves together.

Foreheads together, breaths mingling, they stayed close. Neither of them ready to pull away.

“We’re really doing this,” Paige said softly. “All of it.”

Giovanni brushed a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“All of it,” he agreed. “The show, marriage, whatever comes next. Together.”

“That night you came to the shop. That’s when I knew. That’s when I stopped asking what you saw in me and started asking how I could make sure I never lost it.” Paige swallowed hard, emotion bubbling beneath her smirk. “You better be lucky we got places to be.”

“Or what?” he grinned, sniffing and licking her neck.

She didn’t answer. Didn’t have to. The look she gave him said it all.

The limo began to slow as they approached the airport, where the helicopter waited.

Inside, they pulled apart reluctantly. Paige straightened Giovanni's shirt collar and bowtie while he adjusted her dress straps, both of them smoothing away evidence of their stolen moment. She smoothed his waves, taming what she’d messed up, while he gently wiped the smudged lip gloss from the corner of her mouth.

A shared exhale, and they were ready to face the world again.

But underneath the dress and fresh lipstick and pressed suits, they were different now.

Married. Anchored. One.

Before stepping out he leaned over toward her with a look of pure admiration, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”