‘I pronounce you husband and wife!’
As soon as the preacher says them, I kiss Xander with everything I’ve got.
He kisses me back, and the church erupts into hoots around us.
The moment is a blur. The ring on my finger feels solid, a diamond band that has absolutely no hint of a ruby in it.
We’re on the way from the church to our reception before I know it, and I change into a smaller, less cumbersome dress. When I open the door to the hallway that will lead to the reception hall, Xander is there.
I smile at him. I was hoping that Xander and I steal a quick moment together, since we waited so long for this.
I want to really savor the moment.
I’ve waited five months now to hear those words. Five months of long days and nights planning our wedding, five months of hiding the wedding dress from Xander’s eyes; I’m wearing my mother’s dress, which I thought that would be a perfect way to have her here with me.
Xander smiles down at me, a wide open smile with nothing to hide and I know I’ve seen him smile before, but this feels different.
‘You’re my wife now.’ He whispers into my ears, his fingers rubbing at my waist.
Finally.
The words have been something we’ve thrown around a lot. But finally, now, we have them. We mean them.
It’s true, it’s real.
Forever.
I place my hand against his chest and nod. ‘And you’re my husband, to have and to hold as long as we both breathe.’
He returns my smile. “Which I plan on making a very, very long time.”
“No more Russians in random warehouses?”
He shrugs. “Well, it is my business, my dear.”
I laugh.
He places his hand on my chin and tips my head up before kissing me soundly, his kiss possessive and soft all at once, his tongue brushing against my lips but not penetrating, his hands moving towards my stomach where our twins are nestled inside me, growing.
I’ve saved a little announcement about that for this moment too.
I pull back and smile at him. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” he whispers.
“How’s it going?”
Xander throws his head back and laughs. “Pretty good, how about yourself?”
I bite my lip. I’ve been saving the big news about the pregnancy to tell him about until after the wedding, not because I have any kind of thing about telling him.
Honestly, we just haven’t had a chance.
However, telling him…
It’s all so different than with Lucian. With him, I didn’t get to have this fun moment of a gender reveal, or knowing more about the baby. I have the sort of irrational fear that when I tell Xander there’s more going on with this pregnancy, he’ll freak out.
But I know that’s not true.
I know that Xander and I are meant to be together, and that nothing could ruin this moment.
Still…
I take a deep breath.
There’s nowhere to go but up.
“Hey, can you do something for me?”
He smiles. “Anything, amore mio.”
“I think we’re going to need to invest in some different cribs.”
“Why?” he frowns. “What is wrong with the crib we got?”
“We’re going to need double of everything,” I say, hoping he’ll catch on.
Xander’s eyebrows pinch together in confusion. “Double of everything? It’s one baby, my love. Why does one baby need two of everything?”
He still doesn’t get it.
He’s a badass mafia boss. The leader of a whole crime organization.
And he can’t figure this out.
I sigh. He’s cute when he’s like this. “Xander, we aren’t just having one baby.”
I can tell the moment when the words start to make sense to him. He squints, then his eyes go wide. His pupils blow out and he looks down at my stomach. “Not just one?”
“Yes,” I laugh.
He kneels before me, framing my belly with this hands. “How… How long…”
“I just found out. A boy and a girl, the nurse told me at my fourteen week appointment.”
“Fourteen…” he pauses.
Xander looks up at me, his eyes like saucers.
“A boy… and a girl?”
I nod, my joy impossible to contain.
“We’re having twins.”
“Twins!” Xander shoots up and picks me up in his arms. I laugh as he twirls me around, kissing me and murmuring words of affirmation in my ear. He tells me I’m beautiful, he calls me his wife, and eventually, he figures out that spinning a pregnant woman isn’t a great idea.
He puts me down. “Mel,” he breathes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“And miss this reaction? Absolutely not,” I laugh. His eyes are a little hurt, so I stop. “We haven’t had time, Xander. Between the wedding and everything else…”
He nods. “I see. I know, amore mio. I am so happy right now, I don’t even know what to do or say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, love. Let’s just enjoy the moment.”
Xander laughs and kisses me again. “I enjoy all of our moments, and this one? This one is the best of all.”
He pulls me into his arms in a hug, and I sigh and lean into his arms.
What could make this moment more perfect? I don’t believe I’ll ever find out.
I pull away, breathless and smiling. Xander takes one of my hands, kissing my fingertips before putting my palm flat against his heart.
I can feel the beating underneath my fingers. Strong, steady.
Xander.
‘I love you Melissa Sedric Amory,” he whispers.
‘I love you Xander Amory Vittorio. With all my heart and soul and body.’
He leans in, pressing a kiss against my forehead. I tilt my face up, waiting for him to kiss me. He does, and then whispers into my ears. ‘Can’t wait to have you fulfil that promise to me later tonight.’
I shake my head and slide my arms into his as we begin the walk to the reception hall together. ‘What promise?’
He shoots me a wicked grin. “Your body.”
I snort. “That’s not new, Xan.”
“It’s great every time.”
I laugh. “You’re such a guy.”
He pauses and takes my hand. His eyes look deeply into mine. “No, Mel. I’m not. I’m going to think you’re sexy every day. I’m going to want to fuck you every day for the rest of our lives. I need you to know that you’re the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen, and I will never get tired of seeing you naked.”
I lean in, a silly smile pasted across my lips. “Babe, that’s so sweet.”
“See how sweet it is when I’m…”
A throat clears in the hallway behind us.
I look up and see Ryder, waving us forward into the reception hall. “Where have you guys been?” he hisses as we get closer.
Xander shoots me a look. “We had some things to catch up on.”
I grin back.
Ryder shrugs. “Whatever. Get ready for the gauntlet though.”
I roll my eyes at him.
Nothing could ruin this moment for me. Ryder’s sarcasm, an earthquake…
Right now, everything is perfect.
We enter the reception hall to the applause of our friends and family, and for a minute I just bask in the love that’s surrounding us.
Gianna waves at me from the front row where she and Daniel are seated together. On the opposite row is Xander’s family, Knox smiling just as widely as I am certain I am.
Their mother has a soft look on her face as she watches us. The rest of the crowd are the members of the famiglia who were important enough to be invited to our wedding.
Xander squeezes my arm. ‘You still want to enjoy the day with all of these people?’
I roll my eyes at him, straight up at the high ceiling. “I think this is just kind of part of the deal.”
“You know, since we’re the ones getting married, we could decide to just leave.”
I laugh at him. “Xander. We can’t leave our own wedding party.”
‘I know,” he wrinkles his nose at the crowd of people milling about, ready to congratulate us. “But we also definitely could.”
Without warning, Lucian comes running towards us, a flower in his hand which I’m almost certain Gianna had given to him as a sort of distraction. ‘Mama!’
His voice is loud and happy but the smile on his face as I bend to sweep him into my arms answers my question.
This moment is perfect just as it is. With my husband beside me and my son in my arms, and our babies kicking in my belly. Nothing else could beat this.
It’s the wedding I’ve always wanted.
With the man I’ve always loved.
We haven’t had an easy road, Xander and I. But, as I let my husband hold me, I bask in the moment.
I don’t care how the road brought us to where we are.
All that matters is that we’re here.
