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“We’re getting married,” I told Matteo.
He whooped again. “So Papa will be here for a long time?” he asked.
“We’ll get our own house,” Rocco said. “We’ll be a family.” He picked up Matteo in the same bear hug he had swept me up in, and my heart soared.
“It’ll be a while,” I warned. “Papa and I are going to have a long engagement.” Rocco and Matteo both pouted at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Not too long,” I insisted. I didn’t think I’d ever been happier. Everything had come full circle, and I even through all the ups and downs we’d had, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
* * *
Six months later,I stood at the end of the church hallway, breathing hard. “It’s going to be okay,” Martina told me, patting my shoulder. “You’ve got this, Allegra.”
“I don’t got this,” I muttered. “I don’t got this at all, Martina, I’m about to getmarried.”
“You’re getting married to the love of your life,” Martina reminded me. “You’ve always loved him and you know you’ve always loved him,” she insisted.
I took in a deep breath. She was right. I had always loved Rocco Moretti, from the first time I’d seen him. He’d been on a motorcycle, a stolen one, his hair falling over one green eye, and I’d been lost.
I looked down the hallway and saw Rocco standing in a black suit at the altar, looking as nervous as I felt. Martina’s words echoed in my mind, and I summoned all my courage. My heart raced as I took a step forward, my white dress flowing around my feet. Each step was leading me to my future, and it was a future I’d longed for.
As I approached the altar, I couldn’t help but notice the anticipation etched on his face. His green eyes that had made me lost from the start met mine, and a warmth spread through me. Everything we’d been through had brought us to this very moment. Standing beside Rocco, I felt complete finally, as if everything in my life had led me to him. The pain and worry I had endured the day that he’d left me now seemed like a distant memory. We had overcome that, even though it had nearly broken me, and in the end it strengthened our bond.
The priest’s words came to me as if floating, a reminder of the commitment we were making. I was barely listening, just looking into Rocco’s eyes as I parroted back the words. The only words that mattered were “I do,” which came easily from Rocco’s mouth, and then mine. Rocco mouthed “I love you,stellina,” and I smiled broadly. Martina was right. This was the right thing. I was cementing my future with Rocco and Matteo, our little boy who was sat in the front pew, watching everything. Papa would be keeping him along with Alice, his nanny, while we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii. I couldn’t wait to be alone with Rocco when we weren’t on the run.
As we stepped out into the sunlight, I knew that this was all I’d ever want. This was my happily ever after, and I hoped it was Rocco’s, too. The warm sun kissed our faces as we walked hand in hand, the sound of applause and cheers from our friends and family following us. The weight of the past slowly lifted from my shoulders, replaced by a sense of freedom and contentment. It was a new chapter, a fresh start, and I couldn't wait to embrace it fully.
We climbed into the sleek vintage car Enzo had provided for us to get to the airport. The flight was filled with flirting and excitement, Rocco joking that we should join the mile high club. The honeymoon was long days of making love and talking all night, catching up and getting to know each other all over again. We’d done some of that in the past six months, of course, but a lot of it had been about Matteo, about learning how to be parents instead of just lovers. On the honeymoon, we got to reconnect in the way we had connected when we’d been teenagers. We got to live in this little bubble of love, this beautiful place in Hawaii where it seemed like there was only the two of us in the whole world.
Matteo was happy to see us when we returned home, and months turned into years, and then came another baby—a girl this time. Rocco named her Stella, after his pet name for me, and she had him and her big brother wrapped around her finger the day she came home from the hospital.
Every day was like a dream, and although there was work that got in the way plenty of times, Rocco wasn’t hurt again, and neither was I. We didn’t have to deal with kidnappings or being on the run, just the regular day-to-day life of a wiseguy. We were a happy family, and it was all I’d ever wanted. Everything we’d been through had just brought us closer together, and I had such hope for our long, long future together: me, Rocco, and our children. I was right at the wedding—this was our happily ever after.
