Page 122 of Forced plus-size Bride of the Bratva

Adrian wanders off again with Grayson, bouncing him gently as they head toward the garden path lined with hanging lanterns and the faint smell of lemon trees. Grayson is babbling at something only he and Adrian seem to understand, and Adrian nods solemnly like it’s the most serious thing he’s ever heard. My heart swells.

“Oh, God, you’re whipped.” Violet gags.

Laughing, I turn to her just as Zoe joins us, barefoot and flushed from laughing. She sinks down beside Violet and sighs dreamily as she gazes at Lukin—who is now trying to juggle a toddler, a plate of food, and a business call.

She exhales slowly. “Marrying Lukin is the best thing that ever happened to me. I hate saying it because it sounds so sappy, but…it’s true.”

I laugh. “I feel the same. Every single day.”

I glance at Violet, who lifts one brow like she knows what’s coming.

“It’s time you found someone, too,” I say sweetly, nudging her with my knee.

Violet groans and takes a long sip of wine. “Not to shit on your parade—and I know you’re both in love with your men—but let’s not forget they practically kidnapped you guys. I’m willing to let it go…but I haven’t forgiven them.”

We all burst out laughing.

“I mean,” she adds, waving her glass dramatically, “you guys got love, diamonds, and full-blown Bratva weddings out of it. I got trauma and am constantly worrying if you’re both okay. We’re not the same.”

Zoe grins. “You’re being dramatic. The guy you punched that night definitely had it coming.”

“And I stand by it.” Violet smirks. “But I’m not rushing into anything until a man can promise me he won’t tie me up in a warehouse first.”

“Fair,” I admit, giggling so hard I nearly spill my drink. “But when you do fall, you’ll fall hard.”

Violet rolls her eyes and is about to say something when Adrian returns, Grayson now asleep on his chest like a warm, chubby little sloth.

“Miss me?” he asks, planting a kiss on my forehead and resting his hand protectively on my shoulder.

I smile up at him. “Always.”

He hands the sleeping Grayson to Violet—who fumbles but takes him with a surprising amount of grace—and then he tugs me to my feet with that familiar look in his eyes.

“Where are we going?” I whisper, laughing as he pulls me through the patio doors and into the garden. The lanterns cast a golden glow across the grass, and soft music drifts from the speakers hidden in the hedges.

I’m about to ask again when he suddenly slides one arm around my waist and the other gently cradles my hand.

Then he starts to twirl me.

I squeal, breathless with laughter as the silk of my dress flares around my legs. He spins me once, twice, then pulls me close until our bodies are flush.

We sway slowly under the stars, the world shrinking until it’s just us. His palm settles on the small of my back, his thumb brushing soft, lazy circles through the fabric. I rest my head on his chest, right where his heart beats steady and sure.

“I love you,” I whisper, voice thick with emotion. “So much it terrifies me sometimes.” I search his eyes, half-laughing, half-crying. “Thank you for forcing me to marry you.”

His brows lift, surprised. “That’s not something most women thank a man for.”

“I know.” I smile, brushing my thumb along his jaw. “But if you hadn’t…I never would’ve known this kind of love existed. I never would’ve known you.”

Adrian’s eyes darken, his grip tightening around me like he’s afraid I’ll vanish.

“You were mine from the beginning,” he says quietly. “Even before I knew your name. All of it—everything we went through—it was just fate and time catching up.”

He leans in and kisses me, slow and reverent, like I’m a prayer he’s been repeating his whole life.

When we break apart, I rest my forehead against his. His hand is over my heart. Mine over his.

Just us.

Together.

Always.

*****

THE END