Chapter 27 Sergio
SERGIO
For a minute, I’m not sure if she’s going to do it. If she’s going to take those steps down the aisle. Down to me. She’s in her head and I know she’s hasn’t been sleeping. I see it in the shadows beneath her eyes.
I don’t know what I’ll do if she turns and runs.
I know I can’t let her go. I won’t.
But I don’t want to chase her. I don’t want to make her.
And a moment later, when the pianist begins the wedding march again, I’m glad I don’t have to. Her lips move into a small smile, and, eyes locked on mine, she comes to me.
I’ve never felt relief like I do in that moment.
Does she deserve this? Me? My family? No, she deserves a hundred times better.
I will live and die with that knowledge.
I will live and die knowing I loved her too much to let her go.
It’s selfish. But I guess I’m selfish. And what I feel for her, it overwhelms me sometimes.
It swells and surges and takes me under so I can’t breathe.
She is breath. She is life. She is everything.
She reaches the altar and I take her flowers from her, hand them to the priest because I don’t know what to do with them.
I lift the veil from her face and her eyes glisten with tears.
I know they’re not all tears of joy and I lean close to her, touch the soft skin of her cheek and bring my mouth to her ear.
“You’re beautiful.”
With my thumb, I wipe away a tear and we just stay like that for a minute and I breathe her in and I want to make this moment last forever.
“I’m happy,” she whispers, more tears sliding down her cheeks.
I close my hand over the swell of one hip and draw back to look at her.
I know happy isn’t all she is. I know she’s scared.
I want to tell her not to be afraid. That I’ll protect her.
That I won’t ever let anything happen to her.
To us. That I’ll take care of everything.
But I can’t do that. And I don’t. And all I can do is smile at her words.
Someone clears their throat. Fucking Dominic. I want to kill him. I want to kill my bastard brother. But Natalie pulls back and we turn to the priest and he begins the ceremony and, a short while later, Natalie Gregorian is Natalie Benedetti.
My wife.