I place my hand on her lower back, and looking at mother and daughter, I say, “I’ll find out soon enough what the two of you are hiding from me.”
Aunt Samantha takes a quick sip of her champagne, then my father’s voice comes over the speakers. “Everyone, come closer.”
“Saved by the speeches.” I let out a chuckle and gesture for the women to walk ahead of me.
When we’re close enough for Dad’s liking, he smiles at me with pride in his eyes. “Right before your twenty-second birthday, you came to tell me you love Sienna. Seeing how committed you’ve been to her fills me with pride.” His eyesflick to Sienna. “Christiano chose you above all others, and that carries a lot of power in our world. Use it wisely.” Dad moves closer to her and does something I never, in a million years, expected to witness.
He leans down and kisses my wife’s cheeks, then says, “Welcome to the Falco family, Sienna.”
My heart swells with so much emotion as I watch my father show everyone he accepts Sienna as my queen.
When he walks to Mom’s side, I wrap my arm around Sienna and pull her closer to me. “Thank you, Dad.” I glance at all our guests before looking down at my beautiful bride. Seeing panic in her eyes, I say, “We can skip the rest of the speeches. I want to dance with my wife now.”
“You heard the man,” Remo calls out. “Put on the music.”
Chuckles and laughter erupt from everyone as I lead Sienna to the space where we said our vows. The chairs have been cleared out, and the fairy lights and baby’s breath flowers form a circle around the dance floor.
The same song that played when Sienna walked down the aisle begins to fill the air. I pull her into my arms and hold her tight.
Lowering my head, I ask, “How are you holding up?”
Her eyes meet mine, and even though I can see she’s struggling, she does her best to smile. “Your Dad’s speech was just a little intense.”
I press my mouth to her forehead as I slowly steer her around the circle. “I chose this song for you.”
“You did? I wasn’t listening!”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I call out, “Start the song over.”
The music stops instantly, and a second later, the opening notes sound up once more.
We begin to dance again, and her eyes sparkle up at me as she listens. Her chin starts to quiver, and when a tear spiralsdown her cheek, I whisper the words, “I’ll be the one who never lets go.”
She pushes up on her tiptoes and seals her mouth to mine, and not caring about who’s watching, I kiss her with everything she makes me feel.
Love. Obsession. Protectiveness.
And so much fucking light, that for a rare moment, there’s no darkness.
I’m just a man kissing the only woman who’s managed to bring him to his knees for close to a decade.
When I lift my head and my eyes meet Sienna’s again, I see how much she loves me. I savor it for the few seconds before her walls come back up between us.
One of these days, I’m going to break those damn walls down.
We dance for three more songs before I let go of Sienna so she can mingle with the guests.
I head back to the couches, and when I sit down, Remo and Enzo join me.
“You did it,” Remo says. “How does it feel to be married to Sienna?”
I brush my hand over the spot where my heart is. “Peaceful.” I let out a chuckle. “And fucking relieved.” I smile at my brother and friend. “I’m happy.”
“You deserve it,” Enzo says.
Rosie comes to sit beside me and asks, “What are we talking about?”
“How happy Christiano is,” Remo replies.
