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“Sneaking off to get married, Tia?” Hal raised an eyebrow.” Nah. That was never gonna happen. Not my style and you deserve much better than that. I had a nice talk with your father, and he gave us his blessings. We got a few people waiting at the church, too. Not a lot. But those that matter to us will be there. You good with that?”
Valentina looked at Hal with eyes bright with happiness. “I’m good with that.”
Then she turned to her father and with her eyes begged his forgiveness. “Papa, I’m sorry that I didn’t…”
But Gianni put his hand up to stop his daughter’s words. “Questo uomo ti rende felice?”
Valentina looked from her father to Hal then back again. “Yes, Papa this man makes me very happy.”
“Then there is nothing to be sorry about. Now, I think we have a wedding to go to—no?” Gianni smiled at her.
“Yes!” Gia stepped out from behind the door and yelled out with exuberance.
Aunt Audrina narrowed her eyes and wagged her finger at her wayward daughter, then Audrina joined the rest of the wedding party as they laughed out loud.
Hal managed to stutter out the wordsI dobut really the rest of it was pretty much a blur to him. The whole time Father Mike was saying the blessing and reading scripture and performing all the other rites that a marriage ceremony entailed, Hal was thinking about what a lucky bastard he was.
Valentina looked amazing, completely flawless. He couldn’t imagine a woman who could be any more gorgeous or sexy or perfect. He just kept thinking to himselfthis woman is going to be my wife. I get to marry her. I get to spend the rest of my life with her.
After the ceremony, Father Mike had arranged for a small reception in the community room attached to the church. Glory, Raine, and Claire decorated the whole place with fresh flowers and table cloths with matching napkins in all those pastel colors that Valentina loved.
When the newly wed Mr. and Mrs. Thomas walked into the little reception room, Valentina gasped and looked around in wide-eyed wonder as if Hal had just led her into the Taj Mahal. And in that very moment, Hal knew that if he lived to be one hundred years old he would never forget the happy surprise on Valentina’s face or the feeling it gave him to know he had put that smile there.
He intended to make that look last forever—starting with tonight. Hal was pleased that Valentina was enjoying the reception, but really, he was ready for it all to be over. He wanted to take his woman to bed. At the precise moment that Hal was imagining Valentina naked and writhing beneath him, she turned and looked at him from across the room. She widened her eyes, bit her lip, and blushed that rose color that drove him insane.
Hal wondered how the hell it was that Valentina always seemed to know what he was thinking. He grinned at her and tipped the beer he was holding in her direction. When he did the light caught the wedding band on his hand and it drew his attention to the thick circle of white gold. Hal stretched out his hand and looked at the ring.
“You’ll get used to it.” Prosper clapped Hal hard on the shoulder. “It’s a good fit.”
“The ring?” Hal asked.
“The woman.” Prosper grinned.
They both turned to Valentina who had started making her way across the room to her husband. The look of joy, love, and pride in her eyes when she looked at Hal made everything in the room seem colorless in comparison.
“So you think I can make her happy, Boss?” Hal asked sincerely. “Even though I’m not the white picket fence kind of guy?”
“White picket fences are way the fuck overrated. And as far as making your woman happy, brother? Take a look at her. I think you pretty much got that one already covered.”
