The day Sophia married Luca dawned warm and bright, like the world itself had decided to give them a blessing. She stood at the end of the aisle with Aurora beside her, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her dress as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest. The bakery smell—vanilla, sugar, and something comforting still clung faintly to Aurora, who had insisted on baking the wedding cake herself.
“You ready?” Aurora whispered.
Sophia smiled, eyes shining. “I’ve been ready for him my whole life.” When the music started playing, everything else faded. Luca stood at the altar in a dark suit that fit him like it had been made just for him. His usual hardness softened by awe the moment he saw her. The fighter, the protector, the man who’d torn through hell to save her, looked undone. And he never once looked away from her as she walked down the aisle.
The vows that they exchanged were simple and honest. They made each other spoken promises without hesitation. “I won’t disappear,” Luca said, his voice steady but thick.
“I won’t stop choosing you,” Sophia replied.
When it was time to kiss the bride, Luca took his time. They had already survived the worst and knew this thing between the two of them was forever. He had all the time in the world, and she loved that their special moment wasn’t rushed.
That night, after the guests had gone and the house was quiet, Sophia stood barefoot in their bedroom, watching Luca loosen his tie in the mirror. The gold band on his finger caught the light, and something warm bloomed in her chest.
“Hey,” she said softly.
He turned to face her and smiled. “What’s that look for?” he asked. She took a breath and held out the small white stick she’d been hiding in the nightstand drawer for a few days now. Her hands trembled, but her smile didn’t.
Luca frowned, confused, and then it seemed to hit him. He crossed the room in three long strides. “Soph,” His voice broke as he looked at the test. “Are you?—?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “We are going to have a baby.” For a moment, he just stared at the stick in her hand, and then he laughed—a rough, disbelieving sound, and pulled her into his arms so carefully it made her chest ache.
“I don’t deserve this,” he murmured into her hair.
She pulled back just enough to look at him. “You fought for this. You fought to find me, and you saved us.
He dropped to his knees in front of her, pressing a kiss to her stomach, like he already loved the life growing inside her. “I swear,” he said, looking up at her with fierce tenderness, “I will protect you both with everything I have.”
A few months later, Sophia sat ringside in Atlantic City, one hand resting protectively over her bump, Luca’s jacket draped over her shoulders. He stood in the ring, sweat-slicked and focused, eyes locked on her through the chaos.
This time, he wasn’t fighting to survive. He was fighting for his future—their future. When the bell rang, Luca glanced her way one last time. Sophia lifted her chin and smiled—steady, proud, and unafraid.
“I’m right here,” she mouthed. And for the first time in her life, she watched as Luca went into a fight, knowing exactly what she was coming home to. Love, family, and forever.
She had always thought of her time in foster care as something she wanted to forget. But being in the system had led her to Luca, and that was something that she wouldn’t change. They had both finally made the family that they had always wanted, and she wouldn’t trade it or her fighter for anything in the world.
The End
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ROCCO
Rocco walked out of the mess hall and up the hill to the barracks. He had a 48-hour pass, and he planned on using it to sleep. The rest of the guys thought that he was crazy to waste his leave just to stay on base and sleep, but it felt like ages since he was able to get a good night’s sleep. Most of the guys would take that pass and get as far away from base as humanly possible, but flying from Japan to America would eat up a lot of his time, and he would probably come back even more tired than when he left. A couple of the guys said that he should head into town and find a warm, willing woman, but that just wasn’t his style. He had a girl waiting for him back in the states, and there was no way that he’d cheat on her. In fact, he planned on asking her to marry him once he got home from his current tour.
He walked into the back of the barracks and found his friend, Gunner, standing by his bunk. “I’ve been waiting for you to get back here. Where the hell were you, man?” Rocco wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his business where he was, but he also knew that might not be a good idea since Gunner outranked him.
“Mess hall,” Rocco said. “Did you need me for something, sir?” He sounded like a jerk, but he couldn’t help it. He was exhausted and just wanted to climb into his bunk.
“What the fuck, Rocco? What’s up with the whole sir routine?” Gunner asked.
“Sorry, I’m being an ass,” he said. “I’m tired, and all I want to do is crawl into my bunk and sleep for two days.”
“I guess that means you don’t want to go out with a few of the guys and me, then?” Gunner asked. There was no way that he’d last an hour out on the town with the guys. They all liked to party, and that was the last thing that Rocco wanted to do right now.
“Yeah, I’m going to pass, but thanks for the invitation, Gunner.” His friend looked like he wanted to protest, but unless he was going to give Rocco a direct order, he was going to stick with his original plans.
“All right,” Gunner said, “enjoy your downtime. The rest of the guys and I ship out for the rest of the week tomorrow. Since you have 48 hours, you get to stay put.”
“You sure that you don’t need me?” Rocco asked.
