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“Sedric?” I asked her and one met my gaze. “Why is Sedric waiting? Where is my father?”
LIAM
“So what happened on the boat, Lamb?” Neal asked me for the billionth time as we waited in St. Peter’s Cathedral.
“Mind your own fucking business. And if you call me Lamb again, Neal, I will kill you, then bury you under the church.”
He smirked. “You’re excited. You didn’t even describe how you would kill me. That boat ride must have—”
Before he finished, I punched him in the fucking nose.
“For the love of motherfucking fuck!”
“Last chance brother or you’re going to piss me off,” I replied, fixing my tie.
“Liam, calm down before you get blood on your suit. I’m sure Melody wouldn’t mind, but the press . . .” Declan sighed, throwing a cold beer at Neal who held it on his nose.
Neal mumbled something under his breath and left.
“One day you two will have to work out your issues,” Declan said to me.
One day maybe, but not fucking today.
Saying nothing, I took a deep breath and walked out the door that lead to the front of the Cathedral. Looking outside, I noticed my mother had made sure to invite every last motherfucker with a net worth over a hundred million. They all looked like tourists, excited to be on the guest list. My eyes met Vance’s, and I could feel the blood in my veins begin to run hotter. He smirked, nodding at me as though he was fucking proud, the bastard. Next to him sat Amory. The golden-locks-wannabe was all but sucking on Natasha’s neck. It had seemed Deep Throat had switched ships. She winked at me, and I wanted to puke.
“How is security?”
Declan snickered. “They would have a better chance getting to the president than any one of us today.”
“If this doesn’t go off perfectly, shoot him for good measure.” I wanted to be the one to take Vance’s life, but if it needed to be done today, then I didn’t care who did it.
“Just worry about Melody and pray she doesn’t run away.”
“No, she wouldn’t run.” Running wasn’t in her nature. “She would come if only to kill me.”
Before he could reply, music rang throughout the church and the door opened slowly making my heart rate quicken. A vision in white stood beside my father with a bouquet of blood-red roses in her hands. She didn’t bother with a veil to cover her face, and for that, I was fucking glad. She was beautiful, deadly, stunning, and all mine.
When she reached me, she stopped and kissed my father on the cheek before taking my hand. However, when I looked in her eyes I saw a twinge of sadness, and it pained me to my core. I squeezed her hand, not to hurt her, but to tell her I saw and I didn’t like it. I wanted her to be happy. I would let her pick anyone in the church and kill them if it made her smile.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the face of not only God, but the world, to join together Liam Alec Callahan and Melody Nicci Giovanni in holy matrimony.”
Everything he said after that faded when she squeezed my hand back.
She glanced up at me, and the lioness in her eyes wasn’t gone, but simply asleep. Something was wrong, and I hated that I couldn’t figure it out.
“Liam Alec Callahan, do you take Melody Nicci Giovanni to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish? Do you promise to be faithful to her until death do you part?”
“I do, always,” I said without any hesitation, and she snickered at me, shaking her head as I placed the wedding band on her finger.
“Melody Nicci Giovanni, do you take Liam Alec Callahan to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish? Do you promise to be faithful to him until death do you part?”
“I do, always,” she replied, and I felt overflowing relief and joy as she slid my ring into place.
“May these rings be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace and continue in love until life’s end,” he said as we stared at each other. “You may now seal the promises you have made to each other with a kiss.”
In that moment it didn’t feel like our lips met. It was though our souls did.
Mel, my Mel, wiped the lipstick from my lips.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you the loving couple, Mr. and Mrs. Liam Callahan,” the priest said while Mel rolled her eyes at me. Apparently, Mrs. Liam Callahan didn’t sit well with her, but too fucking bad.
Everyone rose from his or her seat, clapping and cheering as we walked down the aisle hand in hand. We stopped at the top of the stairs to take photos for every damn magazine in the world, when my father leaned in beside me.
“I believed both of your emotions, so will the world,” he whispered with a smirk as we smiled. “But was it true. Do you believe it? Did it take only Russian blood and a boat ride?”
I said nothing before stepping into the Rolls Royce.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Sighing, I leaned in and held the side of her face so she would have to look me in the eye. “Wife, what is wrong?”
She stared before sighing as well. “Husband, my father refused to walk me down the aisle. He’s gotten worse.”
With that she ripped her head from my hand and glared out the window. I felt like a bloody moron. I was so focused on her, I didn’t even think about the person walking her down the aisle. Melody Gio . . . Callahan had the ability to make me forget anyone else existed when she was near.
“After we do our time at the reception, if you want, we could sneak out and go see him.”
She looked at me, and her eyes narrowed. “Is this you trying to be sweet? Because I’m fine and would prefer to deal with asshole Callahan. You know, the son of a bitch I fought in my basement who thought his balls were bigger than they actually are?”
And there was the lioness again.
“I’m putting in effort, maybe you should fucking try it, Melody. I’m planning on going to war with the entire world. I don’t need one with the woman sleeping beside me.”
Neither of us spoke after that, she knew just how to fucking kill the mood.
Not looking at me she took my hand into hers and squeezing it before letting go. “I’ve never been . . . nice. I’m not used to being anything other than a Giovanni. Affection and tenderness are not our strong suits. So I do not know how to reciprocate that. Bitch is standard mode for me, and I will work on it.”
“I don’t mind you being a bitch to anyone else, as long as it is not me,” I whispered, taking her hand and kissing it quickly. Part of me was starting to enjoy her ripping out other people’s hearts. It was her thing, and she was good at it.
She laughed, and I enjoyed the sound. “You do know that we have known each other for only seventy-two hours.”
“Holy fuck, I feel like I’ve known you for decades.” If not longer.
“Really?” she asked. “What is my favorite color?”
Fuck.
MELODY
When we got to the reception, which was being held outside at Callahan Manor, there were more photographers, who Evelyn allowed to take photos from a distance. My face felt as though it would break from all the forced smiling.
