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A smile stretched across my lips because I knew she was right. I walked to the window and peeked into the backyard. Cane stood there in a black suit and tie, his hair styled. He looked handsome and hard under the afternoon sunlight. He’d shaved his face so his chin was clean and smooth. He looked across the fields, probably thinking of a million things at once.
Crow came to his side and placed his arm around his shoulders. They spoke to each other in private, a few smiles exchanged.
Pearl came to my side. “They act like tough shit all the time, but they’re just a bunch of girls.”
I smiled. “They are.”
“I’d never believed in a million years I would have married someone like Crow. If you’d told me that before I was captured, I wouldn’t have believed it. It went against everything I stood for. But now…there’s nowhere else in the world I belong. I’m sure you feel the same way about Cane. He’s not what you expected. He’s not even what you wanted. But he’s exactly what you need…”
My eyes were still on Cane. “You described it perfectly.”
* * *
It wasn’t my dream wedding.
But it was perfect for us.
My father took me down the aisle until I reached Cane under my favorite oak tree. He didn’t wear a smile of joy like most grooms, but he stared me with intense possession. He wanted to snatch me away from my father the second I was in range. He wanted to make me his forever, to make me a Barsetti. He wanted that name to be on my tombstone and last for the rest of time.
When my father released me, Cane didn’t hesitate before he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his side. Once his hands were on me, the intensity in his gaze relaxed. He pulled me close to him and kissed me on the cheek, his touch delicate.
Crow stood beside him, and he smiled at his brother.
Cane turned me to the priest, his hand held tightly in mine. The vows were read, but Cane seemed only to be repeating them. He stared at me with a different message in his eyes, telling me he loved me because of everything we’d endured. He saw me as a strong woman who never gave up. He saw me as the perfect partner to share his life with. He saw me as the one treasure he would guard forever.
I hardly listened to the priest myself.
Despite the fact that so much had changed, this felt right. I didn’t belong in America anymore. I belonged in the vineyards under the sun. I belonged in that big bed with this huge man beside me. I was meant to be a Barsetti and nothing else.
I never believed in destiny or fate, but now, I wasn’t so sure.
Maybe those terrible things were meant to happen to me. Maybe they were meant to strengthen me, to make me resilient despite the pain. Maybe they were meant to bring me across the ocean to find the one man who was perfect for me.
Maybe this was all preordained.
“Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the priest asked.
Cane squeezed both of my hands and moved closer to me, ready to kiss me even though it wasn’t time. “I do.”
“And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the priest asked.
“I do—”
Cane’s hands were on my face, and his lips were on my mouth. He kissed me before the words were fully out of my mouth. He couldn’t wait to love me, to make me officially his. A real man loved his woman with everything that he had, and there was no doubt Cane loved me with all his heart.
Crow snickered then clapped, getting everyone else to clap along with him.
“Uh…kiss the bride,” the priest said awkwardly.
My hands moved to Cane’s powerful shoulders, and I straightened to reach his mouth better. I was in sky-high heels, but it wasn’t quite enough to make up for our height difference. He kissed me with lots of lip and tongue, and I did the same back even though everyone was watching us.
Cane didn’t seem to give a damn.
He finally broke away, giving me the most possessive look I’d ever seen. “Mrs. Barsetti.”
I loved the name because it fit me like a glove. “What happened to Bellissima?”
“Bellissima Barsetti…suits you perfectly.” He took my hand and guided me down the short aisle of our family. They threw white rose petals over us that drifted down and littered across the grass.
My eyes were on the road ahead of us, the long future we had to enjoy.
But his eyes were on me—and only me.
Epilogue
Crow
“I’m so hideous.”
“Are not.” I moved on top of her, careful not to bump against her enormous belly. Button was nine months pregnant and ready to burst. She was uncomfortable, her back aching from the strain, and her feet hurting from the extra weight.
