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“Shut up!” she said, pulling me in for a hug before reassuring me how beautiful I looked. “Your man downstairs will lose his freaking mind when he sees you. I believe he has the island surrounded, so if you were thinking of being the runaway bride, it's too late; you’re Bourne’s forever.”
“Damn right, let’s go before my well-mannered British man charges up the stairs and throws me over his shoulders like Tarzan.” We laughed, and then I pulled back and took a minute to tell Lucy a long overdue thank you.
“Lucy,” I began to say as she finished applying her lipstick.
“Yeah?”
“I couldn’t do this without you; you know that, right? I love you so much, and if I haven’t said it already, thank you for being the most awesome best friend ever. Without you, I would have never made it through college, and all that happened with my family and now Bourne.”
“You are most welcome, and I would do it again. My life would be boring without you, so stick with me for the rest of our lives, and all will be perfect.”
“Deal, now will you take me to my prince?” We hugged it out and heard music from my mother’s piano, which I love so much. Bourne made it all possible. I played for three hours before Bourne ordered me back to bed to rest. I couldn’t contain the joy I felt when he surprised me, and now our baby and any future children we have will enjoy it just as much as I did. Lucy kissed my cheek and signaled to Pierre, who was waiting to walk medown the aisle. He stepped up beside me and put his hand in mine.
“Are you ready?” Pierre asked while wearing the biggest smile on his face. “Breathe, Sabina; your happily ever after awaits.”
“I already have it, and it’s the best feeling in the world.” We took our positions and waited for the cue to the music. I placed my hand over my stomach and whispered, “Time to marry Daddy,” and then the most beautiful music played: my mother’s music. It was perfect for our wedding march. I took slow and careful steps with my eyes on Bourne.
He looked as if he was ready to charge toward me, but I think Edric was holding him back. Once I was within reach, he stepped forward to take my hand in his, and then Bourne kissed me in front of our family.
“Hey, we didn’t get to that part yet,” I said when we broke apart, and then he winked; I found myself falling deeper in love with Bourne Atwater.
“I couldn’t help myself, and I can’t promise it won’t happen again,”
“Oh, I know, and I’d be sad if you didn’t try. How about we get married, and you can kiss and do all sorts of naughty things in private.” I whispered close for only Bourne to hear.
“I love how you think, Mrs. Atwater,”
“If you don’t say I do and make it official, I will never be Mrs. Atwater,”
“We can’t have that now, so let’s get married.” He kissed me again, and we both faced the minister and told him we were ready. The minister said a blessing for my mother, his father, and sister, and then for our new family. Anna was crying, and then Lucy wiped a few tears as well. We flipped a coin on who would go first, and Bourne took the victory and then began to recite his vows to me.
“When we first met, I felt something for you that I couldn’t explain at the time. I placed the unfamiliar feeling in a part of my heart that I hoped to revisit someday, never knowing where life would take us to. I guess I just got lucky when our worlds collided again. I didn’t just fall in love with you. I practically sprinted into love with you. I hijacked the airport van and made you talk to me, which I have committed to my memory forever. My eyes are wide open, and I choose to walk every step with you. I never believed in destiny until we were fated to be together. As my wife, I take you today, tomorrow, and a hundred lifetimes later. Principessa, you are my only choice. I love you.” He wiped away my tears, and then I had to inhale and exhale a few times to catch my breath before reciting my vows to Bourne.
“My mother believed in destiny and tried to explain what it meant to believe and dream of impossible things becoming real and attainable. I may not have understood it all then, but I do now. I remember meeting you and every detail of that day. I was so nervous that my palms were sweaty. You shook my hand and were the perfect gentleman. I heard some of my classmates giggle as you walked by. I felt as if I was ten feet tall because you weren’t paying any attention to them. I remember your eyes were on me, and now I know why you always want mine on yours. It’s like we are two mirrors looking into each other’s reflection. You are the first person ever to see me, making me feel cherished and loved. I promise to love you with all my heart because you were the one who taught me what real love is, and now it’s yours for all the days of my life.”
He was crying now, too, and I wiped away his tears as he did mine. The minister pronounced us married, and then we shared our first kiss as husband and wife. Our kiss was brief, but the connection behind it was everlasting. From the moment we reunited, I felt the connection that was always between us. We married today on our island before the most important peoplein our lives and with the angels watching over us. The days of running scared and living in hiding are over because Bourne brought me out into the open, where I could live free and be in love with him. His hand cupped my cheek, and my husband looked down at me and smiled.
“Are you ready, love?” His words lifted me from my daydreaming, and then he chuckled softly and leaned in closer to kiss me again.
“I said, are you ready? Because we have an audience waiting to congratulate us.”
My face flushed, and then I buried my face in his chest, giggling until my attention focused on everyone. The roar of the applause finally registered in my brain, and we both looked to the minister, giving him the signal to pronounce us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, it is my honor to announce Mr. and Mrs. Bourne Atwater!”
I didn't make it one step off the platform before Bourne lifted and carried me down the aisle as our family threw rose petals at us, sending us off into our new married life with love and happy tears. It was the best day of my life. I will cherish the memories in my heart for all the days I have to share and make new ones with Bourne—my husband.
Following our wedding, we spent the better part of the next two weeks locked away from the rest of the world, enjoying married life and the freedom to be together without anyone trying to hurt or split us apart. The danger to our lives is no more, and I made peace with it. I moved on and never looked back. Bourne made me a promise, and I intend to keep mine as well. Before I left Ellen’s clinic, I had asked if they had a chapel, and I was happy there was one I could go to and say many prayers for peace and forgiveness.
I had Edric keep Bourne busy while Ellen took me to the chapel. I needed some time alone with my thoughts, and the onlyone I wanted to share these thoughts with was God himself. It was a small room with a station for candles, and at the center of the room was a small platform that housed a beautiful crucifix. I knelt on both knees and began to recite the prayers my mother, and I shared each night she could read to me as I fell asleep.
Once I finished my prayers, I lit candles for everyone we loved and lost. If I told Bourne that one of the prayers was for my brother, he would not understand, so I kept it private between God and me. The only person I didn’t pray for was my father. As I stared at the flickering lights from the candles, I wondered if that was wrong, and if it was, well then, it was another piece of my past that I’d have to make peace with and move on the best way I knew how. As for Lucas, he was my brother, and I loved him, but somehow, he lost the one part of himself that is now forever sealed in my memories. I’ll hurt for a while, but with Bourne’s love, I’ll be fine; we all will. I said another prayer for Gio and thanked God that the bullet my brother fired didn’t kill me. I don’t ever want to know how he spent the last moments of his life or how that life ended.
Of course, I have suspicions, but not hearing the actual words also gives me peace. This wasn’t my fight, yet I paid for their sins for so many years. I lost count of how many prayers I had said in the small chapel, but they needed to be said. The last one was for our baby to live and be healthy. I have to believe that part of our life is behind us, and now it's time to only look forward to the good. If only that were true, a few weeks later, we got more of the bad when I miscarried our baby.
We always knew there was a chance, but we tried not to think of the unknown and continue moving forward. Ellen had returned to the island per Bourne’s request. I wanted to be alone and wallow in my despair, but he insisted, and I had no choice but to comply. All I wanted to do was forget and not feel anything, but the pain over losing our baby wouldn’t allow meto, and each day, the cycle began again. Why did this happen to us? We’ve been through so much, and now our baby is gone. I avoided not only Bourne and his feelings but Lucy, too. I couldn’t face her, not like this.
Bourne felt powerless to help me, a feeling he hated, but I wanted to be alone and forced him to accept it. It makes sense why he called Ellen, who was more than just a doctor to me since we became friends, and now she’s caught the attention of Edric, too. I was happy to see them together at our wedding. He looked relaxed as they danced for hours until the reception ended, and we went our separate ways. Was that just six weeks ago? Time suddenly feels stopped, and I’m caught between happy and sad memories. The one concession I gave to Bourne was to allow Ellen to examine me. I hated every second of it, but since she traveled close to a day to do it, I shut my mouth and complied. I believed she would take a day or so to rest and return to Italy, but Bourne convinced her to stay for as long as it would take to bring me back to him. I refused to talk to her, but it didn’t stop Ellen from talking to me. The day she was to return to Italy was probably one of the most challenging days I’ve had since I miscarried. She pushed me to talk and to stop feeling sorry for myself. Ellen reminded me that I had a wonderful life to return to, and it was time to stop blaming myself for the loss I was suffering over.
