“It means you have to marry someone else, Savina,” he says with a stern look on his face.
“Oh, God, no. Who?” I gasp in unrestrained disgust. If my father signed a contract with another family, like the Irish Mafia, I will absolutely throw myself out of a window, run away and never look back.
“Me,” Dimitri says, his features softening. “But only if you’ll have me,” he adds quickly.
I stare at him for a while, unsure if any of this is real. Maybe I did pass out earlier and hit my head or something. “Tell me this is real and that I’m not dreaming,” I whisper to him, using the same words I said after he rescued me from the warehouse.
“This is real, Savina.” And then he holds his arm out, just like he did last time, and says, “Go ahead. Pinch me.”
I carefully pinch him, and then I pinch myself. Hard.Ouch, that freaking hurt!Okay,it’s real. Dimitri is really here.And he just asked me to marry him…
I watch as Dimitri slowly gets down on one knee before me and presents a sparkling, green sapphire ring that matches the color of my eyes. “Will you marry me, Savina, and be mine forever?” he asks me, his dark brows heavy with worry.
“Yes!” I cry. “Yes, yes, yes,” I chant before throwing myself into his arms and practically tackling him to the ground.
Dimitri manages to keep us upright as he pulls me close and stands with me in his arms. He slips the engagement ring on my finger, and then his blue eyes dart down to my lips for a fraction of a second before his mouth meets mine in a fiery kiss. He kisses me like we’re the last two people on earth. In front of the priest. In front of our parents. In front of the entire church. In frontof everyone.
“Uh, we haven’t gotten to that part yet,” the priest says from the altar before clearing his throat loudly.
We reluctantly part, and I flash the priest a sheepish grin. “Sorry,” I mutter. With heated cheeks, I look out over the pews and am surprised when I see looks of happiness on our parents’ faces. Even Dimitri’s father looks pleased, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man smile in my entire life.
“Well, let’s get on with it then. I don’t think there’s any question that these two are obviously in love and can’t wait to be married,” Mr. Sokolov calls out, waving his hand at the priest.
Talk about someone doing a complete one-eighty. Maybe he’s just happy that at least one of his sons showed up for the wedding. That’s all I can chalk his attitude change up to.
The priest starts with a prayer and then goes straight into the vows, but I block him out almost entirely. All I can do is stare up at my soon-to-be husband. Dimitri looks so brutally handsome in his black suit. He stares down at me, his gaze full of what can only be described as admiration and relief. Those icy blue eyes used to intimidate me. Now, they look more like two inviting pools of water, drawing me into their deep depths, and I would gladly fall into them forever.
The priest clears his throat. “Are you two even paying attention?” he admonishes us in a whisper.
“No. No, we’re not,” Dimitri whispers back in confession, and I can’t help but giggle.
The man is clearly unimpressed with his answer, but he carries on. “All right, let’s just get on with it then,” he says quietly. “Rings?” he questions Darby, who steps forward and hands them to us. And then louder so that everyone can hear, the priest says, “Dimitri Sokolov, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“Yes,” Dimitri answers without any hesitation. And then he adds in his own vows. “I promise to protect you and keep you here,” he says while pointing to his heart, “for the rest of my life. There are not enough words in English or Romanian to describe how I truly feelabout you, but I promise that I will love and cherish you as best I can every single day of my life.” And then he squeezes my hands and says, “Te iubesc.I love you, Savina.”
Tears fill my eyes as I hear him speak the words I never thought I’d actually hear coming from his mouth.He does love me.
“I love you too. I’ve loved you for such a long time,” I confess, my voice trembling. “I know you’ll always protect me, and I want you to know I’d do the same for you. I promise to weather through every storm we face in our lives firmly by your side. You are my heart, my home, my everything,” I tell him.
Dimitri smiles. A real smile.
We exchange rings. My hand is shaking so hard that Dimitri has to hold my finger steady just to get the band on, and it makes us both laugh.
When we’re finished, the priest announces to the room, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” And then, with a smirk, he says, “You may now kiss the bride…again.”
Dimitri gathers me in his arms, his palm cupping my cheek as he gives me the most gentle, sweetest kiss he’s ever given me. This time we keep it brief and chaste, which I’m sure the priest is pleased about.
Then, Dimitri takes my hand and leads me out of the cathedral. We get into an awaiting car, which will drive us to the wedding venue for the reception.
When the car starts to move, Dimitri turns to me and says, “I want you to know I never stopped trying to get to you.” He scrubs a hand down in his face in frustration. “My father destroyed my phone. He had guards posted outside of your apartment building. They wouldn’t let me get within ten feet from the door. I did everything in my power to —.”
I move closer to him and put my hand over his mouth, silencing him. His dark brows quirk up in response. “Dimitri, it’s okay. I believe you. But none of that matters,” I start. “We’re together now. We’re married,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief.I still can’t believe any of this is real even though I know it is. “Everything that happened in the past needs to stay there, and we need to focus on the future.Ourfuture,” I tell him vehemently.
He grabs my palm that’s over his mouth and places a kiss on it. “I just didn’t want you to think that I gave up on you, on us, because I would never do that.”
“I know you never would,” I assure him. I know deep down in my heart and soul that Dimitri will love and protect me for the rest of my life. He has killed for me. He has shown me unconditional love. My bully, my tormentor turned into the greatest love of my life. I definitely didn’t see that one coming, but I’m glad we’re here now. Because I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.
Dimitri pulls me close, pressing his lips against mine in a rough and hungry kiss. “Fuck, I wish you weren’t wearing this wedding dress right now,” he murmurs against my mouth as he fumbles with the bulky material.
