"It is," I say quietly. "You are."
We move in silence for a moment, the warmth of her against me grounding me more than anything ever has. I can still feelthe tension clinging to the back of my mind, but with her in my arms, it begins to loosen.
"Did you like the cake?" she asks out of nowhere, her voice light and casual.
"The cake?" I blink, looking down at her. "You're thinking about cake right now?"
She lifts her head with a playful shrug. "Yeah. It's a mixture of chocolate and vanilla."
I raise my brows. "Chocolate?"
She sighs dramatically. "Yeah. This is how I know something is bothering you," she says, her voice softens, and her eyes search mine. We keep swaying, slow and easy, but I can feel her reading me. I don't want to ruin today for her, not this moment, not after everything we've survived to get here. So, I smile and run a gentle hand down her back. I can't make her worry.
"I'm fine, Gianna. It's just the excitement of today, and the taste wasn't actually so bad."
"About James," she says, searching my eyes with empathy. "I saw the two of you outside earlier. Are you okay?"
I nod, pulling my lips into a smile. "This isn't the type of conversation newlyweds should be having," I say with a smirk.
She sighs. "I know it must have been difficult seeing him again. If you don..." She starts, but I cut her off.
"Gianna, I promise you I'm fine. He apologized, and I don't want anything to ruin this day."
She narrows her gaze at me, not convinced with my words, but I try to divert the conversation. "I could hear your laughter across the room earlier. What were you discussing?"
Her expression lights up. "Oh," she says, glancing behind me. "Elena said something about Vito looking human as he made his speech."
I laugh. "I'm surprised he's capable of saying something nice."
She smiles and dips her head against my chest as the beat of the music changes. I turn her slowly, letting her spin before pulling her gently back to me, my hand returning to the curve of her waist like it belongs there.
"Rina and Elena wanted me to make an introduction earlier," she says, looking up at me with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"Why didn't you introduce us?" I ask with a raised brow.
"You were with Liam," she says simply. "And it would be odd with Rina by my side."
I nod, understanding the unspoken undercurrent there.
"Besides," she continues, her smile growing more intimate. "I wasn't ready to share you with other members of my family."
A slow smirk tugs at my lips. "Oh really. I guess I must be so special to you, Mrs. Costello."
Her laugh is soft, but it blooms in my chest like firelight.
"Way too special, Mr. Costello," she teases back, before resting her head just beneath my chin. We sway in silence, and for a while, it feels like time doesn't matter. But eventually, the music softens. Conversation grows quieter. Laughter becomes less frequent, more spaced apart. People begin to slip out. The party starts to die down, but everything still remains beautiful, soft light glowing through glass walls, flower petals scattered across the floor.
Still, the most beautiful thing in this room, hell, on this earth, is Gianna.
She's still in my arms, her fingers lightly curled around my collar. "You look so hot in this dress," I whisper in her ear, letting my lips brush her skin enough to earn a reaction. She pulls back slowly, her eyes glinting with trouble. A dangerous smirk tugging at her lips.
"What is under the dress is hotter," she says, and I swear to God, Gianna just set a flame burning in me brighter.
"Oh now, I'm curious," I say, matching her energy, leaning in just a bit more.
"Do you want to get out of here?" she asks. I don't hesitate. I nod, already loving where this is headed.
She slips her hand into mine again, fingers lacing tight, and together we move and leave the greenhouse. But not before I grab two bottles of champagne.
