Page 91 of Thorns of Desire

“Is it time?” Isla asked, excited to get the wedding going. My mom didn’t comment, her eyes locked on my face.

“Where have you been?” I asked as I smoothed down my wedding dress.

“Athena, this is a mistake,” she said gravely. She took my forearm, her fingers digging into my flesh. “Let’s get out of here, okay? You can come to Spain with me.”

I yanked my hand out of her grip. “I told you already, Mom, I’m marrying him.”

Her eyes flared angrily. “He’s all kinds of wrong for you.”

I gave her an incredulous look while Isla stood to the side staring at her with a shocked expression.

“You’re kidding, right? Why do I get the feeling that if it wasyouhe wanted to marry, your story would be completely different.”

It was a cheap shot and I knew it, but the words were already out and there was no taking them back.

Her eyes bore into me. “You’re young, why does it have to happen today? Wait a year or two, and if you still feel the same way, then we’ll reconsider.”

“No,” I snapped, putting my foot down once and for all. “There’s nothing to reconsider.” It was time to come clean and be honest with my mother. “I’m pregnant.” A bloodred flush washed over her complexion and she gaped at me. “Whether you like it or not, I’m marrying him. You can be happy for me and stay, or you can leave.”

I turned to Isla, who handed me my bouquet—a tasteful arrangement of red roses. I headed out of the room with her by my side. We walked in silence, my shaking hand in her comforting one, my heels clacking on the marble floors while my heart pounded in my chest.

It wasn’t until we stepped out onto the veranda, overlooking the vineyards, lemon trees, and the sea in front of us, that Mom appeared at my side.

Isla squeezed my hand as we stepped through the open door.

“I asked Enzo and Amadeo to be the flower boys,” she said, and suddenly the mood lightened. We shared a glance and chuckled softly.

Amadeo and Enzo appeared in front of us wearing three-piece suits, little replicas of their father who I spotted down the path, his eyes hidden behind dark aviators. The music began and off they went, dancing down the makeshift aisle, throwing red petals on the ground, their moves nothing short of suave.

“What are they doing?” Mom asked in shock.

I kept my gaze on the boys, smiling. “Being the best flower boys the world has ever seen.”

With each step, the Marchetti boys created a path of red rose petals, leading to where Manuel stood, tall and imposing.

The music changed from a dance beat to Pachelbel’s and then everyone’s eyes turned to me.

Taking my first step, all my attention was on the man waiting for me. He was wearing a sharp black tux, and the heat in his dark eyes drew me forward. Emotion I couldn’t quite decode flitted over his expression—I suspected a combination of obsession and impatience—and it made my toes curl.

The whole world disappeared, red petals flattening under my shoes. I closed the distance between us and Manuel extended his hand, reaching for me. My fingers interlaced with his, my engagement ring glinting under the late afternoon sun.

The priest in his white frock greeted us, and the rest was a blur until he asked us to recite our vows.

We faced each other, and Manuel spoke first. “I, Manuel Marchetti, take you, Athena Kosta, to be my wife.”

THIRTY-SIX

MANUEL

I’d never seen a more beautiful woman.

As we made our promises to each other in front of our family and the priest, I pushed all thoughts of my run-in with Alexandra out of my mind and focused on my bride. The whole world ceased to exist, and with her hands in mine, we were proclaimed husband and wife.

She bound herself to me wearing a beautiful but simple dress that accentuated her figure. A bouquet of red roses and white lilies rested in her hands, while her dark hair fell loose down her back in waves.

“Vi dichiaro marito e moglie!” the priest announced, marrying us in the thousand-year-old courtyard.

I took her mouth for a kiss. The cheers barely registered as her soft lips molded to mine, her body pliant.Dio mio, this hunger for her would never ease. Not while there was breath left in my body.