Gisele gave us the signal, and we slowly walked down the small, makeshift aisle. I took a deep breath as my eyes briefly moved to all the people standing there, watching. There were a lot of familiar faces, but I didn’t much care for them, save for a select few. Maura stood somewhere in the middle. Tears were running down her face as she shot me a happy smile.
I smiled back at her.
Maura would be coming to work for Elio and me soon, and I couldn’t be happier to have her close by.
I moved my eyes away, and they clashed with Chiara’s, standing with her family. Her expression soured. I looked away from her without reacting.
She wasn’t important.
My eyes moved up to the front, finding Elio’s right away, and it all just fell into place.
All my nervousness was gone, and in its place was a sort of calmness only ever achieved when you finally found your person.
And he was mine.
“I love you,” he mouthed to me.
More tears fell. I didn’t think I would make it through this day without crying at least once every hour.
“I love you,” I mouthed back to him, and his smile widened.
And Valentino did as he promised. He held onto me until the very end. By the time he handed me over to Elio, his eyes were red and watery.
I turned and looked at him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on my cheek before turning to Elio. “Take good care of my girl.”
“Always,” Elio answered him, gently pulling me toward him. I pressed in as close as I could get, taking in his familiar scent that always brought me comfort.
I didn’t remember much of the ceremony after that.
I kept my eyes on Elio.
He was all that existed in my world.
My heart stalled for a fraction of a second before picking up speed when he placed that ring on my finger. It was a miracle I didn’t drop his ring when I put it on him.
“I do,” Elio said, smiling softly at me.
“I do,” I repeated.
Then the officiant said the words I had wanted to hear since I was a little girl.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. De Luca. You may now kiss the bride.”
Applause erupted, but I paid them no mind when Elio wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close to him, and he kissed me, and kissed me, and kissed me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, savoring the taste of our first kiss as husband and wife.
The first of many, I vowed.
EPILOGUE
ISA
Two YearsLater
I woke up with a start,running my hand over Elio’s side of the bed and finding it empty.
It was still warm, so wherever he went off to, I was sure it hadn’t been that long ago.
