We laugh as my bump gets in the way. On cue, the baby kicks.
Her eyes widen. “I felt that. Was that…?”
“Yes.” Another laugh bubbles over my lips. “She’s very active this afternoon.”
Her blue eyes soften. “When our turn comes, he’ll be a good dad.”
“A great dad.”
“Do you think he survived Dante’s lecture?”
“Barely. Dante told him in detail how he’ll suffer if he doesn’t treat you right.” I motion at the door. “The wait won’t help his nerves.”
She wiggles her shoulders and tilts up her chin. Closing her eyes, she says, “Just give me a moment.”
While Jazz finds her composure, I take in the sight of the familiar church. Using the profits from Teszner Agglomerate, I donated the money for the necessary renovations. It seemed like the right thing to do. My mom would’ve wanted that. Except for Dante, I never told a soul about the necklace my mom had hidden behind the altar.
I was surprised when Jazz said she wanted to get married here. I suppose she likes the romantic feel of the small building that looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. She came with me when I met with the bishop about the renovations and fell in love with the place. She’s been an ardent follower of the restoration ever since.
“Right.” She opens her eyes and adopts a determined look. “Now I’m really ready.”
I open the door a crack and nod at the guard. When he pulls the heavy door open all the way, I follow Jazz inside.
Reino stands in front of the altar with Dante and Sav flanking him. If Jazz had any reservations about Reino’s feelings for her, she only has to look at his face. The way he’s staring at her leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s crazy about his bride.
I meet Dante’s eyes. He’s assessing me with so much unconcealed possession and heat that flames erupt over my cheeks. At the sharp arrow of untimely desire that pierces my belly, I have to look away quickly.
My heart swells as my gaze finds Noah where he stands in the front next to Emily. He’s wearing a miniature version of the two best man’s suits, looking just as handsome as his father.
As there are no pews, the guests are standing. Spotting Anya, Sav’s wife, I shoot her a smile. A tall, dark man a few paces behind her at the very fringe of the shadows catches my eye. Despite his ruggedly handsome features, there’s a chilling quality in the coldness of his bold, dark gaze. He makes a formidable impression in a silver-gray three-piece and a cravat pinned with a diamond. Thick, graying hair is brushed back from his face. Perfectly groomed, he appears cultured and worldly. Yet the quiet way in which he carries himself leaves a far more impactful impression. He seems like someone who always has control of a situation. He appears fearless, and worse, indifferent. Benson Bennett is even scarier in real life than in the photos I’ve seen. I’ve heard he likes to make examples of his enemies by boiling them alive and returning their remains as canned soup to their families.
A beautiful woman with delicate features and glossy black hair that hangs to her waist stands next to him. In a silver silk dress and stilettos, they form a striking pair. He’s clasping her hand in the crook of his arm, the touch light but protective. She stares straight ahead with a lifted chin, but the strain on her face says she’d rather be anywhere else than here. She seems a lot younger than him. Maybe she’s his daughter. But then my assumption is proven wrong when he bends down and brushes an intimate kiss over her temple. She stiffens ever so slightly before their gazes lock in a dual. Benson’s hold a challenge while hers sparks with defiance.
I resist looking over my shoulder as I pass them. I didn’t know Reino had invited Benson. As far as I know, Sav isn’t a big fan of the business tycoon. Dante told me Benson did him a favor, so perhaps Reino, as Dante’s right-hand man, extended an invitation as a show of respect. Dante didn’t go into details, but I know Benson had a hand in Leander’s financial ruin.
At the thought of my late brother, a shiver runs through me. His body was found hanging upside-down from a bridge. The autopsy report stated he’d suffered from ruptured blood vessels and brain hemorrhages due to the blood that had pooled in his brain, but the cause of death was heart failure. After hanging there for hours, his heart could no longer maintain his blood pressure. It must’ve been a slow and painful death. Dante and I never spoke about it. It’s better if I don’t know.
I push away the morbid thought because today is a day for happiness.
The ceremony continues without hiccups. Noah plays his role of ring bearer proudly. I touch the ring Dante had put on my finger to replace the one he’d claimed was stolen in this very church. The old ring is now lying on the bottom of the Hudson River. The new ring is a lot daintier than the first one Dante had given me. The diamond isn’t even a full carat. Yet it carries more value to me than all the money in the world.
Dante took the diamond from the center of the flower where I’d hidden a tracker chip in the stolen necklace. He had it set in white gold shaped like a snowflake, reminding me of the day that irreversibly changed our fates.
I’m still grateful he didn’t destroy the necklace to sell the diamonds. It would’ve been a shame to ruin something so utterly perfect, even more so now that I know the history behind the necklace. A king commissioned the necklace for his favorite mistress. Betrothed to the daughter of an ally as part of a political strategy, the king couldn’t marry the woman he truly loved. Instead, he gave her the necklace as a declaration of his undying love.
A direct descendant of the king’s mistress tried to reclaim the jewelry that was plundered from the family castle during a war invasion but failed. The lady is a wealthy jewelry dealer herself. She posted an amount on the dark net that far exceeded the value of the necklace, vouching to reward anyone who was able to retrieve it.
Dante collected a handsome sum when he returned the necklace to its rightful owner. It’s a beautiful ending for a man who rarely plays by the rules, albeit a little twisted. Dante didn’t steal that necklace because he wanted to do good. He didn’t do it to reunite an old lady with something that holds special meaning to her family. He always had his eye on that reward. But he also did it for me, for us to be together.
“Do you, Jasper Everson, take Reino Selva as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and to never tamper with his spark plugs—or any part of his truck—again, until death do you part?”
Laughter breaks out among the guests, pierced by Jazz’s indignant gasp.
The priest gives her a mischievous smile. “He said he’d shoot me if I didn’t slip that part in.”
Reino winks. “Sorry, firecracker.” He takes her hands. “If it’s a hard no, I’ll forgo that one. You know how much my truck means to me. But I’ll give it up for you in a heartbeat.”
Her face crumples. “Oh, you silly man.” Going on tiptoes, she throws her arms around his neck and smacks him on the lips. “I do.”
