She giggled at his attempts not to step on her toes.
“Aria, amore della mia vita. You are the most stunning bride in the history of the world. You outshine the beauty of the moon and stars, and I love you,” Alex whispered in her ear.
Taking her turn to serenade, Aria sang the words to the last verse while gazing into her husband’s eyes.
“Andyou, my husband, take my breath away every time I look at you. How did I get so lucky?” Aria asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Suddenly becoming serious, Alex’s eyes darkened.
He finally said huskily, “Mine.”
Aria simply nodded and whispered, “Yours.”
His stormy eyes cleared as he whispered, “I’ve waited over a decade to say that to you, my little angel. Tonight, I have become your husband. And you have become my wife, forever by my side. No matter what we face, you are no longer alone.”
“And you, my strong albatross. You no longer need to fly alone. You’ve found your mate. As of this moment, I am no longer a widow. I am a wife,yourwife. There will be days I will need help navigating through my past, but let there be no confusion, Alex Rossi, I am yours, now and forever.”
When it came time for the mother and son/father and daughter dance, Maria walked up to Alex and asked if it would be alright for her to dance with him. Aldo went to Aria's side, and she lay her head on her father’s shoulders, watching the interaction.
“Maria, it would be my honor to dance with you,” Alex said. “Thank you for thinking of me. My only sadness tonight is that my mom can't be here.”
“Son, sheishere,” she said, tapping him lightly over his heart. “She is right here with you. Always.”
Hugging her tightly, he took her hand and the four of them danced to Lauretta. Aria was awash in love and gratitude as she watched her husband and mother dance.
Afterward, the DJ announced that it was time to celebrate the bride and groom. He invited everyone up to the dance floor, playing high-energy music.
“Alright, now that you're my husband,” Aria said, “I think I'm ready to see these moves I've heard about.”
Alex laughed as he led her to the center of the dance floor.
“Let's go, my dancing queen,” he answered, spinning her with one finger.
Sofia yelled to them, “Don't say I didn't warn you, Aria, but he's yours now. You're stuck with him. Too late to back out now!”
Catching the beat with his signature head bop and arm movements, Alex started dancing around Aria as she watched in shock, her eyebrows all the way to the top of her forehead.
“Oh… oh, my,” was all she could say.
She had never seen anything quite like it, but she loved it all the same.
Aria loved every minute of it. She copied her husband's interesting dance moves and soon everyone was on the dance floor doing ‘The Alex’.
Everyone was having a blast, singing to all the songs they knew, changing partners as they danced and celebrating for hours. It didn't go unnoticed by Alex and Aria that Santo and Sofia danced quite a bit that night.
Susanna and Louis had graciously catered the small event, but refused their insistence that they stay once the delicious food was served. They gave the couple a hug and wished them well, saying they took credit for their reunion, making everyone laugh.
As candid photos were taken throughout the evening, it was evident the joy the occasion brought.
When the wedding party and families took the more staged photos, Aria gave Alex a knowing look when they saw Enzo and Corinna looking awkward as their photos were being taken.
Later on, after they cut the cake, Aria whispered, “I can’t get a reading on what’s going on with Enzo and Corinna.”
Alex shook his head and answered, “Yeah, they either really like each other and are in denial, or they hate each other.”
As the night went on, Alex enjoyed watching his wife dance with everyone there, but he didn't let her move from his side for very long.
Pulling her back into his embrace during another slow song, he whispered in her ear, “Is this our story’s happy ending, my wife?”
