Chapter 19
Christiano
In less than forty-eight hours, everything is ready.
I told our parents that the Albanians were becoming a problem, and I was worried it might interfere with the wedding. They couldn’t argue because nothing is more important than the security of the five families.
Mom and Aunt Samantha took my credit card and planned the celebration at the speed of light.
As Uncle Franco smiles while he’s talking with Dad, I take my place by the priest.
We’re saying our vows in my parents’ backyard. There are black couches and side tables situated to our left, where everybody will be able to hangout once the ceremony is over.
Two rows of fairy lights and baby’s breath form an aisle, and as the five families take their seats, my heart begins to beat faster.
Today might not mean anything to Sienna, but it’s everything to me.
Uncle Franco disappears into the house, and when Aunt Samantha comes out, my eyes remain locked on the doors.
The song I’ve chosen for this moment starts to play. I’ll Be There by Giovanna Zou is my promise to Sienna.
When she appears on Uncle Franco’s arm, the air leaves my lungs. She’s wearing a simple white dress, allowing her beauty to shine like a blinding light.
Then it hits me so fucking hard, my body sways before I catch myself.
Sienna is walking down the aisle toward me, and in this moment, it doesn’t feel like a wedding.
It’s the end of the most important war of my life, which I almost lost.
I take a step forward and lock eyes with Uncle Franco.
“Thank you for trusting me with Sienna,” I say, my voice steady and filled with all the power I hold.
“I swear to you, I will protect her with every ounce of strength I possess. I will give her a life befitting a queen, built on loyalty, respect, and absolute devotion.”
Tugging me into a hug, he pats my back. “Thank you, son.”
When he lets go and I look at Sienna, she quickly wipes tears from her cheeks.
For a split second, I worry that Sienna really doesn’t want to marry me, but I shove the thought aside.
I know she loves me.
Taking her left hand, I close the distance between us and press a kiss to her forehead. I inhale her scent, letting it fill my lungs before I say, “You can proceed, Father.”
The priest guides us through our vows, and it’s the easiest ‘I do’ I’ve ever said in my life.
When it’s Sienna’s turn, my eyes lock with hers.
Please, princess. Say the words.
Her expression is sincere and very emotional, and it feels as if she actually means it when she clearly says, “I do.”
Relief pours hot and fast through me, and as the ceremony winds down to an end, I can’t tear my eyes away from the woman who owns my heart.
She’s finally mine.
As the priest begins to say that I can kiss my bride, I step forward and frame Sienna’s face with my hands. As I seal my mouth to hers and intertwine our fates together forever, overwhelming emotions well in my chest.
I’ve fought so long and hard for her, the relief makes a tear escape, and as I pull back, Sienna sees it.
As her own tears trail over her cheeks, she reaches up and gently brushes the drop from my skin,
I’m completely wrapped up in her as she whispers with a strained voice, “I do love you, Christiano.” Her expression turns poignant, and my heart overflows with happiness. “More than anything. Please, never forget that.”
“I won’t,” I promise. “And I’ll cherish it as my most treasured possession.” I take a step backward and let my eyes drift over every beautiful inch of her, then a smile stretches over my face, “My wife.”
An applause breaks out, and our loved ones cheer, drawing my attention to them.
Sienna turns her body into mine and hides her face behind my arm. When I hear a soft sob, I say, “Just give us a minute. This is a very overwhelming moment for us.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her a short distance away so I can hold her while she processes the emotions she’s battling with.
I press kisses to her hair that’s styled in soft curls, and rub and squeeze her arms, while whispering, “You did so well. Thank you. I will do everything in my power to make you as happy as you’ve made me today.”
She grips hold of my jacket’s lapels, her fingers twisting in the fabric while she gasps for air.
I engulf her against my chest and hold her fucking tight, and it finally has the desired effect as she calms down.
“There you go,” I murmur lovingly. “Deep breaths, baby.”
She nods, and when she pulls away, I dig tissues out of my pocket, which I brought in case something like this happened.
Leaning down, I wipe the tear tracks from her cheeks while smiling. “Only you can look so fucking beautiful after crying.”
She lets out a chuckle. “You’re being silly.”
“Better?”
She nods as she takes a tissue from the stack, and when she’s ready, I grip her hand in mine. Brushing my thumb over the wedding band and engagement ring, I lead her back to our loved ones.
When our parents come closer, I reluctantly let go of her so they can hug us.
For the next few minutes, we’re bombarded with well-wishes, then Mom calls out, “Everyone can move to the reception area.”
Augusto and Yuki hang back, and he says, “A quick wedding is much better than planning it for months.”
“Riccardo’s wedding almost killed us.” I chuckle. It cost a couple of million, and all the women drove Augusto and me up the damn wall.
Bianca and Lorenzo, who’s Augusto’s head of security, join us, and she says, “I’m the only unmarried Vitale left.”
“Don’t even think about it. At least give me a year to recover from all the weddings,” Augusto tells his sister.
“Oh, so you and Sienna can get married at the drop of a hat, and I have to wait?”
“Time for photos,” I say, leading Sienna away from her siblings just in case the conversation escalates.
Mom and Aunt Samantha boss everyone around for close to an hour while the poor photographer works his ass off. Only when they’re satisfied that we’ve posed in every position known to mankind do we get to relax a little.
Sienna and I take a seat on the couch across from Remo and Valentina, and I smile when Asher comes to stand beside me.
Brushing my hand over his head, I ask, “How are you doing, little man?”
“I’m hungry.”
I signal to one of the servers, and when he hurries over, I say, “Bring the children something to eat and drink.”
“Yes, sir.”
Taking hold of Asher, I lift him onto my lap. He leans back against my chest. “Mom says there’ll be cake.”
“She’s right.”
“Yay.” He grins up at me. “I want the biggest piece.”
“Okay.”
Sienna only sits for a minute, then she gets up again. My eyes track her as she walks to Aunt Samantha. They talk for a little while, and it looks like Aunt Samantha gives something to Sienna, but I can’t see what.
When my new mother-in-law’s expression turns serious, I move Asher to the couch, and getting up, I walk closer to the women.
“…it from him forever.” I hear Aunt Samantha say in a hushed tone, then she notices me, and her eyes widen as she grabs Sienna’s arm. “Christiano, I forgot to tell you how handsome you look today.”
Right.
Sienna’s head turns so fast that, for a second, I fear she might sprain something.
I place my hand on her lower back, and looking at mother and daughter, I say, “I’ll find out soon enough what the two of you are hiding from me.”
Aunt Samantha takes a quick sip of her champagne, then my father’s voice comes over the speakers. “Everyone, come closer.”
“Saved by the speeches.” I let out a chuckle and gesture for the women to walk ahead of me.
When we’re close enough for Dad’s liking, he smiles at me with pride in his eyes.
“Right before your twenty-second birthday, you came to tell me you love Sienna. Seeing how committed you’ve been to her fills me with pride.
” His eyes flick to Sienna. “Christiano chose you above all others, and that carries a lot of power in our world. Use it wisely.” Dad moves closer to her and does something I never, in a million years, expected to witness.
He leans down and kisses my wife’s cheeks, then says, “Welcome to the Falco family, Sienna.”
My heart swells with so much emotion as I watch my father show everyone he accepts Sienna as my queen.
When he walks to Mom’s side, I wrap my arm around Sienna and pull her closer to me. “Thank you, Dad.” I glance at all our guests before looking down at my beautiful bride. Seeing panic in her eyes, I say, “We can skip the rest of the speeches. I want to dance with my wife now.”
“You heard the man,” Remo calls out. “Put on the music.”
Chuckles and laughter erupt from everyone as I lead Sienna to the space where we said our vows. The chairs have been cleared out, and the fairy lights and baby’s breath flowers form a circle around the dance floor.
The same song that played when Sienna walked down the aisle begins to fill the air. I pull her into my arms and hold her tight.
Lowering my head, I ask, “How are you holding up?”
Her eyes meet mine, and even though I can see she’s struggling, she does her best to smile. “Your Dad’s speech was just a little intense.”
I press my mouth to her forehead as I slowly steer her around the circle. “I chose this song for you.”
“You did? I wasn’t listening!”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I call out, “Start the song over.”
The music stops instantly, and a second later, the opening notes sound up once more.
We begin to dance again, and her eyes sparkle up at me as she listens. Her chin starts to quiver, and when a tear spirals down her cheek, I whisper the words, “I’ll be the one who never lets go.”
She pushes up on her tiptoes and seals her mouth to mine, and not caring about who’s watching, I kiss her with everything she makes me feel.
Love. Obsession. Protectiveness.
And so much fucking light, that for a rare moment, there’s no darkness.
I’m just a man kissing the only woman who’s managed to bring him to his knees for close to a decade.
When I lift my head and my eyes meet Sienna’s again, I see how much she loves me. I savor it for the few seconds before her walls come back up between us.
One of these days, I’m going to break those damn walls down.
We dance for three more songs before I let go of Sienna so she can mingle with the guests.
I head back to the couches, and when I sit down, Remo and Enzo join me.
“You did it,” Remo says. “How does it feel to be married to Sienna?”
I brush my hand over the spot where my heart is. “Peaceful.” I let out a chuckle. “And fucking relieved.” I smile at my brother and friend. “I’m happy.”
“You deserve it,” Enzo says.
Rosie comes to sit beside me and asks, “What are we talking about?”
“How happy Christiano is,” Remo replies.
She grins at me. “Happy looks good on you.”
“Thanks.”
Her phone begins to beep like crazy, and she quickly digs it out of her handbag. Looking at the screen, a wide smile stretched over her face. “Yes! Got you.”
“Who?” I ask.
“Dragomir asked me to find a Colombian druglord for him.” She gestures at my brother. “Enzo cleared it.”
“The deal you brokered with him is bringing in good money,” Enzo mentions.
“I know.”
Georgi joins us, and grinning at Enzo and Remo, he asks, “Which of you fuckers are next to get married?”
Enzo quickly shakes his head. “Not me.”
“I have to wait a while,” Remo answers.
“Probably Bianca,” Rosie says as she looks at Sienna’s sister. “Things seem to be going well with her and Lorenzo.”
“Augusto already gave his blessing,” Georgi informs us.
The conversation turns back to work as Rosie says, “I want to upgrade my systems.”
“Christ,” I mutter. “That’s going to cost me an arm and a leg.”
She gives me a sweet smile. “And maybe a kidney or two.”
“Little shit,” I grumble.
“I need to maintain the layered surveillance, global data access, and shell companies to hide all your money.” She ticks each item off on her fingers.
“And then there’s protecting you all from law enforcement and our rivals, the facial recognition you love so much, and last but not least, keeping an eye on every single person employed by the Cosa Nostra. ”
“Fine.” I let out a sigh. “Just keep it under a hundred million.”
She gives me a bright smile as she darts to her feet. “Thank you! I’m heading back to work.”
“You just can’t wait to spend all that money,” Enzo says with a chuckle.
“There’s nothing as satisfying as building a new system,” she replies.
“I can think of a couple of things,” my brother throws her way with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Rosie stares at him for a moment, then spins around and hightails it toward the house. I watch as all her guards go after her.
“Should I add more men to Rosie’s detail?” I ask as I look at Enzo.
He gives me a look as if he’s doubting my sanity. “You already have ten watching her every fucking move.”
She’s the most guarded person in our entire organization. If the wrong person gets a hold of her, it will mean the end of the Cosa Nostra.
“Fuck that. Add five more guards to her detail,” I order Enzo. “Rather safe than sorry.”
“She’s going to lose her shit,” Georgi says, letting out a chuckle.
“I don’t care.” I stand up and, while I search for Sienna, I say, “I’m going home. Thanks for celebrating the day with Sienna and me.”
When I don’t see my wife, I walk into the house and head straight to the kitchen, where I find her packing away clean dishes.
I take the plate from her and set it down on the counter. “I see I have to start from scratch with you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re always in the kitchen during parties. You think too much about other people and never put yourself first.”
“Jesus, I’m just helping your mom,” she gasps, then her eyebrows draw together. “And you can be happy I don’t put myself first, or we wouldn’t be married right now.”
“My mother has an entire team coming in to clean the place tomorrow.” I pull Sienna out of the kitchen. “Say goodbye to everyone. I want to go home.”
“Whose home?” she asks.
“We’re going to the penthouse.”
As she walks toward the sliding doors that lead to the veranda, she says, “Just so you know, I’m not giving up my apartment.”
I let out a chuckle, too happy to care about what she does with her place.