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The sun was just starting to set on the horizon when I stepped up beside Dad. He gave me a beaming smile, and I couldn’t help noticing the differences in him in the short time he’d been in Colombia with us. The day before, when I first saw him, he’d looked as if he’d aged twenty years since my graduation.
Losing me and then Mom disappearing had been bad for him. It was my fault, and I couldn’t help feeling guilty for putting him through so much emotional pain unnecessarily. My anger had been misdirected at those I loved, when it should have been focused on Sheena, Manuel, and Bain. Two of the three were dead now, but Bain was still out there. He had Ciana, and I wasn’t going to let him continue to hold her prisoner.
Which was exactly what she was. There was no way she would willingly stay with that monster. Even if he was the father of her children, if she knew the real man, she would be trying to find a way out.
And I was going to help her.
Somehow.
Putting that thought to the back of my mind for the moment, I returned Dad’s smile and placed my arm through his. He looked handsome in his starched white dress shirt with his leather MC cut over it. Black dress pants and his biker boots completed the outfit. He’d styled his hair a little, and he’d even shaved off the scruff that had peppered his jaw the day before.
“You look beautiful, princess,” he said in a choked voice, his green eyes taking in the way my long blond hair was pulled over my left shoulder. The white dress I was wearing was too long, but it fit me well enough, considering it was a loner.
Cali had gone up into the attic and found a trunk full of her mother’s old stuff. Inside had been the wedding dress she’d married Matias Ramirez in, as well as the one she’d worn to marry Cali’s father. Cali had brought them both to me and told me to pick which one I liked the most.
They were both beautiful, but I’d noticed how her gaze had lingered longingly on the one her mom had married her stepfather in. I picked the dress from her mother’s first marriage, knowing my friend would want to wear the other herself one day. Hopefully, if my brother played his cards right, she would get to wear it sooner rather than later.
My dress had a bohemian feel to it, with cap sleeves and had pearls sewn into the lace. Mom and Anya had helped with my hair, curling and then braiding it with a lace and pearl headband that had also been in the trunk with the wedding dresses. A little makeup and I was ready to marry Ryan.
It felt surreal, that after everything I’d been through, I was still getting to marry him on my eighteenth birthday. I’d been hesitant earlier in the day because I thought it wasn’t what he really wanted. Ryan had been imagining this day since he was eight, and I wanted it to be perfect for him. More than anything, I didn’t want him to have any regrets.
“Are you two ready?” Garret asked as he and Cali came into the house where we were waiting for the ceremony to start.
My brother looked so much like a younger version of our father with how he was dressed—minus the cut. In the weeks since he’d come to Colombia with me, he’d been working his ass off. Not only had he stepped in to run the Ramirez business, but he’d also been showing Cali that he was all in with her and Justice. Unlike with work, where he was already making strides, his progress was slower with the woman he loved. But Cali was finally starting to believe that he meant what he said.
Cali had dressed up a little too, acting as my maid of honor. She’d pulled her hair up into some kind of classic knot and was wearing a peach-colored sundress. It was sleeveless and ended right above her knees, showing off her long legs. She looked so much healthier than she had right after giving birth. The stress of worrying over Justice and recovering from major surgery had taken its toll on her, but now that Justice was doing so well, she actually seemed to glow.
“I don’t think it would matter if you were ready or not,” my friend said with a light laugh as she glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the garden. “You have maybe two minutes before Ryan comes for you if you don’t get out there soon.”
I tightened my hold on Dad’s arm. “I’m ready,” I told them confidently.
“Good,” Garret said, relief making his face relax. “Because she wasn’t kidding. He’s pacing and making the priest antsy. Guzman is standing guard in case the poor old man tries to bolt.”
“Well, lead the way, son,” Dad told him. “Let’s get your sister married before we have to find another officiant.”
My brother smirked and held out his arm to Cali. “May I?”
She rolled her eyes at him before giving me a wink and accepting his proffered arm. “Since I need to pump soon, I guess we should hurry this along. The hospital called a little while ago and said their supply for Justice is running low.”
“Fuck,” he muttered. “Yeah, let’s rush this along so we can take our girl some dinner.”
“Relax,” she said with another roll of her eyes, but she was unable to hide the amusement in her voice. “She’s not going to starve. They have enough for a few more feedings.”
That didn’t soothe him, and he only increased his pace. “I want to cuddle my baby girl before visiting hours are over.”
“Me too,” Cali said with a wistful sigh. “I can’t wait until we can bring her home… But I’m scared to bring her home. Does that even make sense?”
“Perfect sense, babe,” Garret assured her. “I’m scared too. What if we break her?”
Their gazes locked for a moment as they walked in front of us, and I could actually see the sparks flying between the two of them. But then Cali blinked and cleared her throat. “Thank goodness we have your parents, huh?”
“Yeah,” he agreed in a tender voice. “We have them to help us, but even if we didn’t, everything would be okay. Justice has the best mother in the world to take care of her.”
Dad and I tried not to listen in to their conversation since it seemed so personal, but with them only a few feet in front of us, that was impossible. When I glanced up at him, I noticed he was having a hard time swallowing, and I realized he was struggling not to cry. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was about to get married or that he was proud of Garret and the father he was becoming—or both.
I gave his arm a little squeeze, and he shot me a trembling smile. It was weird that he was so emotional when I wasn’t even the least bit nervous. My entire life was about to change. Ryan was about to be my husband. In a matter of minutes, I was going to have a different last name. Becoming a Vitucci wasn’t for the faint of heart. It came with a lot of power, but even more responsibilities.
We reached the garden, and then Dad stopped, waiting for the music to start. According to Cali, her stepfather used to throw huge parties out in the garden all the time, so hidden speakers were installed everywhere. While Garret and Cali continued forward, I glanced down at my shoes, simple white sandals that showed off the light pink polish Cali had used to paint my toes earlier.
