"Please tell me that means yes," he whispered, his voice trembling.
"Yes! Yes, yes.Yes!" I kissed him again, and he grabbed me, tangled his hand in my hair, poured every bit of his love for me into our kiss, and I did the same.
When we finally broke apart, he took out the ring.
It was so intricate with a clear, large, black diamond sitting in the center of a white gold band, surrounded by smaller, clear white diamonds in the form of a flower. The smaller diamonds followed the band down until the middle in a beautiful pattern, while the sides had small, detailed scrolls.
"Do you like it? If not, we can?—"
"It's perfect, Marco. Just like you."
He grinned, and I gently wiped away the single tear that had fallen down his face, then kissed him again. "I love you."
"I love you too, Catalina, and I always will."
Epilogue
Catalina
Today was the day I'd always dreamed about.
I'd once thought that dream had died. That when my heart was broken, and it felt as though I'd fallen off a cliff and plummeted into an endless abyss, I'd never find myself again.
But I did.
Then Marco came into my life, and I started to believe that I could be more. That my dreams weren't childish fantasies, but something that could actually come to life with this incredible man who saw and wanted me for who I truly was.
And now it was finally here—the day I'd become Marco Torrino's wife.
I'd always heard weddings were supposed to be stressful, but ours wasn't. Even in the small, chaotic moments, Marco and I would lock eyes and laugh, kiss, take a deep breath, and work through the problem together.
He was my rock, my confidant, someone who understood and loved me on such a deep level that I'd begun to learn how to love myself.
The feelings he invoked in me were ones I never thought I was capable of experiencing: joy, bliss, happiness, ease,calm.
With Marco, my life was peaceful and serene, regardless of what was happening around us. I was lucky just knowing he wanted to stay by my side, but when he asked me to marry him, I felt like I'd won the lottery.
And I had.
Our wedding planner had done an excellent job every step of the way. She’d listened. And the venue we'd booked was perfect.
Marco stood outside beside a lake, waiting for me under a beautiful wooden arch covered in an array of red, white, and pink flowers. Our families, even Julianna and Lilia, were seated comfortably with a beautiful, tall arrangement of the same flowers and candles at every end.
Carlos stood beside Marco as his best man, Joseph and Samuel as his groomsmen.
Jo had been the most incredible maid of honor and had fluffed my dress before walking out the door. Soon, she and my bridesmaids, Naya and Olivia, would head down the aisle.
Then, all that was left was me.
I took a deep breath. I didn't have any pre-wedding jitters. For the first time, I had friends, family, and a man that loved me just as much as I loved him. But I had to calm down and make sure I didn't lose my composure and trip over my own two feet.
I looked at myself one more time in the mirror. My nude-ivory, A-line dress flowed perfectly around my body. The ribbed corset was tied just right, enough to make sure the dress stayed in place, but not so tight that I couldn't breathe. The off-the-shoulder mikado sleeves brought a beautiful architectural simplicity to the otherwise glittery gown, and the thigh-high slit would make Marco's heart race.
My train wasn't too long, my makeup light and airy, highlighting my golden tanned skin, with just a hint of red at the lip. And my hair was perfect in its half-up, half-down style with the diamond encrusted tiara Marco had given me as a wedding gift.
I checked the time.
This music would start in under a minute.
