Chapter Twenty-Five
Mindy
(One Week Later: New Year’s Eve)
The beach smells of salt and warm sand, the kind of clean air that fills your lungs and makes you believe in fresh starts. My bare feet sink into cool granules as the waves roll in over our toes in a rhythm that feels ancient, like the ocean has been waiting for this exact moment to happen.
Amber stands at the edge of the water, sunlight catching in her blonde curls, her off-white dress dancing around her legs as the breeze teases it. Drac faces her, barefoot and solemn, dressed in all white except for the cut all three men wear.
The love in their eyes is unmistakable. It’s the kind of love you see after years of trials and tribulations, overcoming obstacles neither knew they were going to fight.
I barely know their story, but Rich has told me parts of it: the years they spent apart, the way the universe brought them back together.
It’s the kind of story you only read about in fairytales, but here they are, holding each other’s hands on the cusp of the ocean, a fading sun setting in the distance.
Autumn squeezes my hand, both of us suppressing our tears as Drac takes Amber’s hands and her first tears fall.
A woman Amber knows is officiating everything, her smile just as beautiful as she is.
“We come here today, in front of the ocean, under the eyes of all those who passed before us, to celebrate the union of Amber and Eddie. This isn’t the first time they’ve shared their vows, but today they wish to do it in front of all of us, their closest family and friends.
Their baby cries, and Giovanni immediately snaps into action, putting on his best big brother pants. “Now there will be none of that today, Gage. Mommy and Daddy are getting married again, and you need to be quiet so they can say their vows.”
Everyone laughs, especially when Gage coos and gurgles at his brother.
“It’s okay, Lucia. Continue,” he says proudly.
Rich’s gaze meets mine, both of us longing to hold the other. But it’ll have to wait. Today’s not about us. It’s about them. Their journey.
Lucia’s words drift in and out, but it’s Amber and Drac who hold me captive. This isn’t about legality or obligation. This is about choice. About surviving hell together and still deciding to stay with each other till the end.
“I choose you,” Amber says, voice trembling as she chokes on her words. “Every version of us. The good… the bad… the fights that split us apart and brought us crashing together again. In every lifetime, I’ll always choose you,” she vows, barely able to hold his hand.
Drac’s jaw tightens, voice rough but still steady.
“You and our sons will always be my life,” he murmurs, stroking her face with love.
“Since the moment I met you, it’s always been you, even with the bumps and obstacles that tried to split us apart.
You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, the only woman I’ll ever love.
Now it’s about us, the four of us growing as a family, building strength out of the foundation of ash we rose from to find each other again.
We’ve been through hell and clawed our way out of it.
We’ve survived obstacles others only saw in movies.
But we’re still here… surviving… growing together every day.
I love you, Amber. I loved you yesterday.
I’ll love you tomorrow. And I’ll love you every day after that.
You and our sons are my world, and I’ll gladly spend the rest of my life showing you just how much my life revolves and centers around you. ”
When he kisses her, the beach erupts in cheers, laughter, and tears. I feel mine stinging behind my eyes, emotion swelling unexpectedly.
Rich crosses over to me the second he can. “You okay?” he murmurs, caressing my locks in his shaking fingers.
I nod, swallowing hard. “Yeah. I just… I love this. Weddings always make me cry.”
His thumb traces my cheeks, following the tears as they slip down my cheeks. “They make all women cry,” he says with a laugh. Gesturing to Lucia, Autumn, and both of their mothers who are all crying hysterically.
Lanterns flicker to life as the ceremony ends, casting a soft golden light over the sand just as the moon drifts up to greet us. Music filters in from somewhere behind us everything turning everything even more romantic.
“Do you think they’ll make it?” I ask, watching them dance with Gio on the sand.
“If anyone can, it’s them.”
“Do you believe in love?” I ask him, my heart clenching inside my chest.
“I didn’t…” He smiles. “… until I met you.”
My heart flips at his revelation.
“I never had time for love, but now, now I wish for it,” I admit, slowly dragging my gaze upwards until I’m lost in those deep seas of blue.
“Mindy,” he says quietly, like he’s afraid the night might overhear. “No need to wish for something that’s already here.” He takes my hands, brushing his lips over the back of them with ease.
The beach, the laughter, the music. It all blurs.
“It is?” I ask, my voice barely coming out a whisper.
He nods, eyes shining with vulnerability. “Yeah, I know we just met, but I’ve fallen deeply in love with you. I know it sounds crazy, but I know in my heart it’s true. I just didn’t want to say anything because I thought I’d scare you away.”
My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might explode inside my chest. “I love you too,” I say, voice way too shaky. “I tried to fight it, but I just can’t anymore.”
Something breaks open in his expression. Something fierce and tender all at once. He pulls me closer, resting his forehead against mine, and for a moment the entire world shrinks down to the space between our breaths.
We fall harder right there, without even moving.
Rich and I join the others, walking up to them hand in hand. They’re all sitting at some tables, wine flowing like it’s on tap, glasses clinking together as their laughter spills into the Italian night sky.
Amber sweeps through the crowd, dragging Eddie along by the hand, both of them glowing like there isn’t anything that can drag them down.
“Mindy, Rich, over here!” she calls. “You need to meet my people.”
She introduces Luca first and then his beautiful wife, that’s proudly cradled in his arms. “This is Bianca,” Amber says. “She’s the nurse who stole his heart.”
“And my last name,” Luca adds, grinning.
“Luca and I sorta had a thing for a while,” Amber admits, the wine obviously getting to her. “But then I told him that the pretty little nurse was perfect for him, and the two have been together ever since.”
Bianca laughs, hand resting on her stomach. “And now we’re pregnant.”
“And now you’re pregnant,” she agrees. She lifts her wine glass. “To the baby.”
“To the baby,” we all shout.
Amber turns to the woman who officiated their wedding, standing elegantly in her long flowing yellow dress, with her husband proudly standing beside her.
“I’m so glad you guys could come. I’ve missed you all.” She slides a piece of paper into Lucia’s hand.
“Nonna Etti’s house is yours now.”
Lucia looks down at the paper and then back up at Amber in shock. “Are you serious?”
She nods. “She would’ve loved knowing it stayed in the family.”
“No more rent?”
Amber shakes her head. “No more rent.”
Both Lucia and her husband sag with relief, the strain of having a toddler and running a house weighing on them.
Lucia’s eyes fill instantly as she pulls Amber into a fierce hug, whispering blessings through tears. My chest aches in the best possible way.
“Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to us, Amber.”
“Just promise me if you ever want to sell it, I get first dibs.”
“Absolutely!” Lucia exclaims, her face nothing but smiles. “But honestly, I’ll probably live there forever. Nonna Etti always had the best view of the ocean.”
“Yes, she did.”
The rest of the night moves like a dream. We eat, we laugh, and tell secrets. Apparently, the reason Drac was so pissed off at the hospital when Gage was born is because his dead father gave his wife the blessing she needed to date Hannibal.
Imagine that.
A ghost telling his wife she can marry whoever she pleases.
Drac still is unsure about it all, but he respects Hannibal and gave his mother his blessing, even though you could tell it hurt him to do so.
And that’s how the night ends, all of us standing near the ocean, watching as Amber and Eddie sway together on the beach, the waves lapping at their ankles, slow dancing while Giovanni spins himself dizzy on the sand.
We laugh when he falls, staring up at the stars, all out of breath and tired.
“Do you ever think about this?” I ask softly. “Having kids and getting married someday?”
He doesn’t hesitate to answer. “Yeah. I do.”
I look up at him. “With me?”
His smile is so gentle, so loving. “Especially with you.”
Emotion swells in my chest that’s too big to contain.
He lifts my chin and kisses me under the moonlight, our lips melding together in perfect unison. Underneath the moon, his handsome features seem to glow, even the scars he urgently tries to hide.
“You’re so beautiful,” I remind him, making sure he knows just how much admire him.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “But you don’t have to say things you know you aren’t true.”
I playfully smack his cheek and then kiss it. “Hey now, there will be no more of that. Tonight’s a good night. No Moseley breathing down our necks. No danger lurking on the horizon. Tonight is all about love and happiness.”
He smiles, though it barely reaches his eyes.
“Are you still worried about what will happen when we get back?”
I nod. “Moseley said if I left there would be consequences.”
His lips touch down again, making me swoon with emotion. “Well, at least we know that he can’t touch us here.”
I cuddle against him, feeling safe for the first time in months. “That’s because nothing bad ever happens in Italy. How can something bad happen in a country built on the foundations of love?”
The question lingers between us as we walk hand in hand toward the water, leaving all the dangers back home behind.
We know tomorrow is uncertain, but at least for tonight, we know we’re safe, clinging to hope that somehow, we’ll make it out of this together.
Love conquering all.