Chapter 44
Axel
After almost losing Luca, my priorities had changed. While I loved hockey, I loved him more. The life we were going to build enchanted me, and today was the first step toward the happily-ever-after we both deserved.
When I returned home after what he thought was my morning skate, I’d showered and changed into much nicer clothing than my regular athletic wear. Luca took a look at me and whistled. “You look edible, Mr. Hughes. Are you dressing for the game now?”
I winked at him. “Yes.” That was a white lie. I wouldn’t return to the team until Monday. But I had something very special planned. “We have an appointment to see a property.” I looked at my watch. “In forty-five minutes.”
“For the foundation?”
“That would be the one. Its central location could be very useful.”
Luca’s face lit up. “Yeah, let me shower. I’ll be ready to go in twenty.”
While he changed, I made sure I had everything we needed and made a couple of calls.
When he strode out of the bedroom, dressed to the nines, all I could do was smile.
Climbing into my car, we made the short drive to downtown Brooklyn, where I found a parking spot two blocks away from our destination.
The wind coming off the East River was brutal, which allowed me to hold him close.
“Where are we going?
I pointed down the street. “The next block.”
We rounded the corner, then stopped in front of the building he knew well. “Why are we here? And why isn’t it open? The signs are gone.”
I looked up at the familiar spot where we’d met. “They closed right after Christmas. Seems the building got a new owner.”
Luca’s head whipped to the side. “Are you kidding? What happened? I bet Richard was furious. He used to crow about how this was his legacy.”
“Not anymore.”
Luca’s eyes burned into the side of my face as I tried not to show my glee. “You seem awfully smug. What did you do?” I didn’t miss the humor in his voice.
Shrugging, I couldn’t wait any longer. “I bought the building for you.” I reached into the inner pocket of my coat and pulled out an envelope. “Here you go, love. It’s all yours.”
Luca stared at the envelope before taking it from me. He opened the flap and pulled out the paper. “What is this?” he asked, looking up at me.
“It’s the deed to the building. In your name. No one can take it away from you.”
“Are you serious?” His eyes went from the paper to mine, seeking explanation.
“It’s yours, love, to do with as you see fit. If it doesn’t work for what you want to do, you can sell or do something else with it. The decision is yours.”
“Axel,” he breathed out. “Why would you do this?”
I pulled him close. “Because I love you. I want you to feel secure and to make your dreams come true.”
His eyes teared up right there on the street, the cold wind forgotten. “Don’t you understand that you are my dream come true? All I need is you. You didn’t have to buy me a building.” His eyes widened in horror. “What about the people who worked here? They lost their jobs.”
It was just like Luca to think of others. “No, they didn’t. You might have heard that we own a hotel chain. When I bought the building, I offered them opportunities with the Covington. You didn’t think I’d leave them without a job, did you?”
“Wait. We? I don’t own anything.”
I turned him in my arms. “You will when you marry me. And I’d like to do it, say…” I leaned in to speak into this ear. “Right now.”
Luca inhaled sharply as he leaned back to look at me with a shocked expression. “Right now?”
I grinned. “Yes, right now.” I point inside the building. “Inside there. The place we met last summer. You said you’d marry me anywhere but not near the dumpsters, so I’m taking you at your word.”
A laugh escaped him. “You can’t just get married on a whim. You have to have the right paperwork.”
“Oh, love,” I said. “Do you know me at all?”
His eyes bugged out as his mouth fell open. “You have it, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“But I wasn’t there. You couldn’t get it without me.”
I scoffed. “Au contraire. The clerk recognized me, and all I had to do was explain to her that you were the one trapped in the basement. I told her I couldn’t bear to live another day without you as my husband… and well, let’s say they were true romantics.”
Luca’s eyes sparkled. “You charmed the pants off them, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “I can be charming when I need to be, but your pants are the only ones I care to remove. I did invite them all to the wedding. To verify, of course.”
The sound of his laughter filled another crack in my heart. “Then I suppose we’d better go make it official.”
Pulling the door open, we entered to the delight of our waiting guests.
Our friends, including my father and brother, sat waiting for us.
The place no longer looked like the Midnight Market.
It had been transformed into a wedding venue with draped white tapestries, twinkling lights, and fancily dressed tables for our guests.
Luca’s surprise was all the thanks I needed. “How did you do this?” Before I could answer, he shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t need to know. It’s just who you are.”
We shrugged out of our coats as Edith approached. She was dressed in a pretty blue dress and wore a white rose corsage. She was playing the part of the mother of the groom. They both needed that. “Axel asked me if it was okay for him to marry you.”
Luca reached down and hugged her, then glanced at me. “And what did you say?”
A tear came to her eye. “Yes.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “He’s the best thing to ever happen to you, sweets. And you to him. Take care of each other.”
Luca nuzzled his cheek against mine. “We will.”
She took her seat as he turned to his two friends. He’d grown closer to John now that he was dating Caden. If things worked out as I planned, Caden would be a huge asset to both Luca and the foundation.
“Congratulations, buddy. We’re here if you need us to stand up with you,” Caden said. “If not, I have Axel’s ring for you.”
Luca looked at the floor, a bit overwhelmed. “Can you, uh…hold on to it until it’s time?” He reached out and hugged both of them. What happened last week had changed him as well. “Thanks for being here. And I’d really like you to stand up with me.”
Mason’s hand landed on my shoulder. He was here for twelve hours to stand by my side before flying home to San Diego. “Ready to get married, big brother?”
I hugged my brother. “I am.”
“So, I did something,” Mason said. “Please don’t be mad.”
I tilted my head. “What have you done?”
He handed me an iPad. I looked down at the screen, where our stepfather, Perry, and our mother peered back at me. “She wasn’t able to travel from London, but she’s here this way,” Mason said. “I thought you might want to introduce Luca to them.”
Tears filled my eyes as Luca slipped his arm around my waist and leaned into the camera. “Hi,” he said, waving at them. “I’m Luca. And I’m going to be your son-in-law.”
I was amazed at how easily those words came from him. “Hello, Luca,” she said. “I’m happy to meet you.”
His hand rubbed up and down my back. “We’re going to have someone hold the iPad so you can see the ceremony.”
John reached for the tablet. “I’ll be happy to do that.”
“We’ll talk more later, Mum,” I said.
Mason wrapped his arm over my shoulders. “You okay, big brother?”
I wiped my hand over my jaw. “I feel guilty that I didn’t think about them.”
He bumped my shoulder. “That’s what brothers are for.”
The officiant approached and held out a hand. “Mr. Hughes, are we ready to begin?”
I reached for Luca’s hand, making him turn toward me. When his brown eyes met my green ones, the parts of me that I thought were irrevocably broken now felt as if they might be revived because of him. “Ready, love?”
He took a deep breath and grinned. “Yes, let’s do it.”
I held out my hand, and together we followed the officiant to an archway decorated with a million flowers.
With Mason by my side, and Caden by Luca, we stared at one another as the officiant spoke. “Dearly beloved, we are here today to…”
As he spoke, I looked into the eyes of my future, lost in the thought of what we would be together.
We repeated our vows with a promise to love and cherish one another until death do us part.
After exchanging the platinum rings I’d purchased for us, I never imagined Luca would have more to say, but when he spoke, the world dropped away.
“I never thought I would find someone to love me as you do. The day we met on the sidewalk, I didn’t fathom that being fired would turn out to be the third-best day.
I still don’t understand why you came after me.
You wouldn’t accept that I didn’t need you, and you were right.
I did need you. I do need you. Every day.
The only reason I survived that day was that you refused to let me go.
I heard you begging me not to leave you.
Your strength and determination kept me alive. ”
Unshed tears slipped down his face, and I didn’t realize I was doing the same until he reached over and wiped mine away.
“And in case you haven’t figured it out, today is the best day, Axel, because I get to keep you forever. I might not have been looking for you, but I’m so happy you found me. I intend to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.”
I dropped my head to my chest as tears ran down my face.
Wiping them away, I tried to come up with something to say to him.
Clutching his hands in mine, I gained my composure.
“I think I fell in love with you that day on the sidewalk. I didn’t know what it was about you that drew me to you that day, but now I do.
It was your heart. You have survived the worst life could throw at you, and you’ve bloomed rather than wilted from the pressure.
You saved me from a life of misery and anger.
And it will be my utmost honor to spend the rest of my life loving you.
” Lifting our joined hands to my mouth, I kissed the ring on his left hand. The ring that officially made him mine.
“With the powers vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and husband. Mr. Hughes, you may kiss your husband.”
Taking his face in my hands, Luca reached for me as I kissed him for the first time all over again. The room erupted in applause and catcalls, making us smile. When he pulled back, I looked into his eyes. “I love you, Mr. Hughes.” If he wanted to hyphenate his name, I’d be okay with that.
Luca grinned. “And I love you, Mr. Hughes.”