The door opens again, and Enzo steps in, looking sharp in his tux, scars catching the light like badges of honor. He offers me his arm with a small, rare smile.
"Ready?" he asks. "Or did you change your mind, and I'll take you across the border instead?"
I laugh, the sound light and genuine. "No, I haven't changed my mind. And I don't think there's a border in the world Gabe wouldn't cross."
Enzo chuckles. "Yeah, you're right. That one is pretty stubborn."
"Possessive is what I'd call him," I reply, grinning, "but stubborn works too."
We share a quiet smile. He's become something like a father figure to me over the last year, steady and protective, someone who understands the weight of this life without needing explanations. His own daughter lives across the country, so we've filled a little of that space for each other.
Maggie and Mom rush by to take their seats as the music begins.
I choseCan't Help Falling in Love, the soft, timeless Elvis version. It feels right. Slow, inevitable, like the way I fell for Gabe even when I tried so hard not to.
My heart nearly beats out of my chest as Enzo walks me out onto the terrace. All of our friends are here, the ones who made it and the ones who didn't. For a split second, I see Brick smiling at me from the front row, that scarred, loyal face I'll never forget. I let the image linger just long enough to say a silent thank you, then gently let it go. And…
I catch sight of Gabe. Shit, he looks even more handsome in a tux. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but there it is. Broad shoulders, sharp jaw, the faint scar on the side of his head only making him look more dangerous and devastating. My knees go weak, and I nearly falter.
"Easy," Enzo laughs under his breath, steadying me.
Maggie and Mom are holding the twins in the front row. Next to them is Jenna with her baby. She winks at me. Maggie is already sniffling, dabbing at her eyes. When we reach the end of the aisle, Enzo places my hand in Gabe's. The moment our fingers touch, the rest of the world fades. Gabe looks at me like I'm the only thing that has ever mattered.
Massimo steps forward to officiate, a quiet, private choice that feels right for who we are. His voice is low and steady as he begins the ceremony, but when it comes time for the personal vows, he surprises us both by speaking directly to us.
"Love like yours doesn't come often," he announces, his eyes move between us. "It survives bullets and betrayal and the kind of darkness most people never see. Gabe, you have always been the storm. Audra, you are the fire that refuses to be put out. Together, you are something rare, two people who chose each other even when the world tried to tear you apart. Protect that. Cherish that. Let it be the legacy you leave for your children. Because in the end, the only thing stronger than the violence we live with… is the love we choose to build in spite of it."
Tears slip down my cheeks. Gabe's hand tightens around mine, his thumb brushes away one of the tears with a tenderness that still undoes me every time.
Then it's his turn, everything narrows to him the way it always does. "You should have been afraid of me."
A ripple moves through the crowd, but I don't hear it. I'm too focused on him. That's one of the things I love about him; no matter how hard it is, he will always tell me the truth. My fingers tighten around his without thinking.
"You should have run the moment you felt me watching you. Instead, you met me like you met every challenge thrown at you, with fire in your eyes and your chin held high. You looked straight into the darkness I carry and didn't flinch."
I blink a tear away. I've seen enough. Felt enough. Lost enough to understand exactly what kind of man he is. What kind of man I'm choosing.
"I don't know how to love the way good men do," he continues, and his voice turns a note rougher. "I don't know how to give you soft, or easy, or safe. What I do know is how to be yours. How to protect what belongs to me. How to burn the world down before I let it take you from me again."
My pulse jumps at that.Belongs. I should hate that word. I don't. It settles over me like armor, heavy, unyielding, and strangely safe.
"You gave me something I didn't think I was capable of having. A family."
My throat tightens painfully. That word still feels unreal sometimes. Too big. Too permanent.
"I don't make promises I can't keep. If the world comes for you—for any of you—I'll burn it to the ground before I let it touch what's mine."
There's something terrifying in that. Something absolute. But there's something else too. Something that wraps around my ribs and holds tight.
"You won't lose me." His eyes never leave mine. "I choose you. Every version of you. Even the parts that still don't trust me yet. And I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you never have to question whether you chose wrong."
I look at him. At the man who could ruin me. At the man who already has, in ways I don't know how to fix. And I'm not sure if they're really broken or put back together just right. At the man who held me like I was something worth protecting when I had nothing left. My heart is racing. There is only one reckless, impossible truth. I don't want to walk away. Not from him. Not from this.
My fingers tighten around his. And when I finally speak, my voice isn't steady. But it's real. "I don't know what the right choice is anymore. I just know… I'm choosing you anyway."
A tear slips down my cheek. Gabe brushes it away with his thumb, then leans in and kisses me, slow, deep, full of every promise he's made and every battle we've survived. When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine, and for a moment, the world is only us.
"You are my heart," he whispers against my lips, so quietly only I can hear. "My soul. My blood. I knew it from the first moment I saw you. You've given me everything you possibly can: your trust, your love, and our children. And I will spend the restof my life doing the same for you. No matter what comes. No matter how dark it gets. You are mine, Audra. And I am yours. Forever."
