Page 85 of Stolen Vows

“Because we’re doing this our way,” he states.

Joy blooms in my heart.I kiss his chest.

“I can’t argue with that, and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to.I love being in your arms,” I say.

He kisses my temple and stands me in front of the sink.

We get ready together, like we do every morning, unwilling to change our routine when we like it so much.I rub prescription ointment over his back—because the brute finally relented and saw a physician—and kiss his mostly healed wounds.He slathers lotion over my skin and brushes my hair.

We dress in the walk-in closet.His amber eyes sparkle as he watches my sexy underwear disappear under my simple, elegant dress.My mouth waters as he dons the most appealing suit I’ve ever seen on a man.

Who am I kidding?It doesn’t matter if the suit is tailor-made or the ugliest thing on the planet, the moment my husband puts it on his body, I’m going to find it appealing.He’s too sexy.Too big.Too handsome.

I grab his tie and tug his lips down to mine, loving him more for bending so I can reach his lips.

“Mine,” I declare.

“Yours.Only yours,” he growls.

I rise onto my toes and kiss him with every ounce of ferocity in my body.He wraps his arms around me and worships every centimeter of my mouth.

When he pulls away, I whine.

“We’re already late,” he growls against my temple.

I sigh.

He cradles me to his chest and carries me through the house.

My feet don’t touch the ground until we reach the venue.I stand behind the partition as he walks down the aisle ahead of me.

When my mother’s favorite song plays through the speaker, I turn and wipe a tear from the corner of my eye.

Mamma didn’t abandon me.She loves me.I believe she’s watching over me.Wherever she is, I hope she sees how happy I am with Mario.

Sienna stands on my side of the podium.

She looks… thin.Not quite gaunt, but not fully healthy either.

I hope she comes to dinner so I can explain how much her father told us and let her know I don’t blame her.When she pulled away a decade ago, I was too heartbroken to approach her, but now the haunted look in her eyes fills me with guilt.I should have clung to her and asked why she didn’t want to be friends anymore, but I couldn’t.

I can now.I will now.

Right after I have the wedding of my dreams.

I lock eyes with Mario and basically bounce down the aisle with happiness.

We don’t have many attendees by design, but they may as well all be wallpaper with how little attention I pay them.No one matters to me beyond my husband.

No one exceptThe Kidstanding beside him and Sienna standing beside me.

We enjoy a simple outdoor ceremony, exchange vows we wrote ourselves, slip custom-designed rings onto each other’s fingers, and kiss as though we’ll die if we don’t taste each other’s tonsils.

The only dark cloud in a perfect day is Sienna’s absence at the dinner party.

No one sees her leave.

She just disappears.