Epilogue
Tatiana
The bell tolls in the tower, announcing it’s time.
Tears fill my eyes as I hand Jazz the colorful bouquet of wildflowers outside the church. “Look at you. You’re beautiful.”
She pulls at the skirt of her boho wedding dress. “Do you think he’ll like it?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Okay.” She takes a deep breath and faces the door. “Let’s do this.”
As I move around her, she puts a hand on my arm.
“Wait.”
I look at her.
“Tiana...” She bites her lip. “What if we’re making a mistake?”
I pause. “Does it feel like a mistake?”
“No.” She frowns. “But don’t all weddings feel right?”
My smile is wistful. No. When I married Dante, it didn’t feel right.
“I mean,” she continues, “when you’re in love, it seems to be the right thing to do. But it’s the aftermath that matters.”
“Can you picture yourself growing old with him?”
“Absolutely.” She turns her eyes toward the sky. “We’ll drive each other nuts in a good way.” She hurries to add, “But he only found out I can fix old car engines yesterday.”
I raise a brow. “Because you disconnected his spark plugs.”
She pouts. “He deserved it.”
“For suggesting you invite your mother?”
“I did,” she admits with averted eyes. “She preferred to sip margaritas with her new boyfriend in Mexico.”
“Oh, Jazz. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She looks back at me. “I didn’t expect her to come. It’s probably for the best. You know how we fight. She would’ve totally spoiled my day.” Picking up steam again, she rushes on. “But the point is, shouldn’t we know each other before taking such a big step?”
“I think you do know each other.” I fix a curl that escaped her updo. “You know everything that matters. If his actions are anything to go by, he definitely loves you.” I give her a soft smile. “Very much.”
“He is very supportive of my career,” she muses.
“That, he is.”
“He’s not meddling.”
“No, he’s not.”
Jazz got the leading role in Moulin Rouge on her own merit. Reviewers are raving about her talent. She’s just signed a contract for a role in a new musical that’s being written especially for her. There’s no higher accolade for a Broadway actress.
She nudges me. “I guess we’re famous.”
I grin. “I guess you could say that.”
The home organization business grew so much last year that I turned it into a franchise.
When a reality television show producer approached me, I decided to give it a go.
The show is doing well. It’s been breaking viewership records since the start of the first season.
People love to see a fresh look on a decluttered house.
My agent has just negotiated a multi-million dollar-deal for the coming year.
She shifts her feet. “I think I need a drink.”
“Jasper Everson, are you delaying because you’re having wedding jitters?”
Her expression sobers. “I’ll admit I’m a little scared.”
“That’s normal. We’re all scared of love.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Are we?”
“We’re scared of getting hurt. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know.”
She squares her shoulders. “You’re right. I’m being a coward. I’ve been running from commitment my whole life because I don’t want to end up like my parents.”
I put a hand on her shoulder. “Trust me, you won’t. I know your parents, and you’re nothing like them.”
Taking another deep breath, she faces the door. “I’m ready now.”
Just as I’m about to move forward, she twirls toward me. “No, wait.” Throwing her arms around my neck, she hugs me tightly. “I love you, Tiana. Thanks for always being there for me.”
“Love you too, Jazz.”
We laugh as my bump gets in the way. On cue, the baby kicks.
Her eyes widen. “I felt that. Was that…?”
“Yes.” Another laugh bubbles over my lips. “She’s very active this afternoon.”
Her blue eyes soften. “When our turn comes, he’ll be a good dad.”
“A great dad.”
“Do you think he survived Dante’s lecture?”
“Barely. Dante told him in detail how he’ll suffer if he doesn’t treat you right.” I motion at the door. “The wait won’t help his nerves.”
She wiggles her shoulders and tilts up her chin. Closing her eyes, she says, “Just give me a moment.”
While Jazz finds her composure, I take in the sight of the familiar church.
Using the profits from Teszner Agglomerate, I donated the money for the necessary renovations.
It seemed like the right thing to do. My mom would’ve wanted that.
Except for Dante, I never told a soul about the necklace my mom had hidden behind the altar.
I was surprised when Jazz said she wanted to get married here.
I suppose she likes the romantic feel of the small building that looks like something straight out of a fairy tale.
She came with me when I met with the bishop about the renovations and fell in love with the place.
She’s been an ardent follower of the restoration ever since.
“Right.” She opens her eyes and adopts a determined look. “Now I’m really ready.”
I open the door a crack and nod at the guard. When he pulls the heavy door open all the way, I follow Jazz inside.
Reino stands in front of the altar with Dante and Sav flanking him. If Jazz had any reservations about Reino’s feelings for her, she only has to look at his face. The way he’s staring at her leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s crazy about his bride.
I meet Dante’s eyes. He’s assessing me with so much unconcealed possession and heat that flames erupt over my cheeks. At the sharp arrow of untimely desire that pierces my belly, I have to look away quickly.
My heart swells as my gaze finds Noah where he stands in the front next to Emily. He’s wearing a miniature version of the two best man’s suits, looking just as handsome as his father.
As there are no pews, the guests are standing.
Spotting Anya, Sav’s wife, I shoot her a smile.
A tall, dark man a few paces behind her at the very fringe of the shadows catches my eye.
Despite his ruggedly handsome features, there’s a chilling quality in the coldness of his bold, dark gaze.
He makes a formidable impression in a silver-gray three-piece and a cravat pinned with a diamond.
Thick, graying hair is brushed back from his face.
Perfectly groomed, he appears cultured and worldly.
Yet the quiet way in which he carries himself leaves a far more impactful impression.
He seems like someone who always has control of a situation.
He appears fearless, and worse, indifferent.
Benson Bennett is even scarier in real life than in the photos I’ve seen.
I’ve heard he likes to make examples of his enemies by boiling them alive and returning their remains as canned soup to their families.
A beautiful woman with delicate features and glossy black hair that hangs to her waist stands next to him.
In a silver silk dress and stilettos, they form a striking pair.
He’s clasping her hand in the crook of his arm, the touch light but protective.
She stares straight ahead with a lifted chin, but the strain on her face says she’d rather be anywhere else than here.
She seems a lot younger than him. Maybe she’s his daughter.
But then my assumption is proven wrong when he bends down and brushes an intimate kiss over her temple.
She stiffens ever so slightly before their gazes lock in a dual.
Benson’s hold a challenge while hers sparks with defiance.
I resist looking over my shoulder as I pass them.
I didn’t know Reino had invited Benson. As far as I know, Sav isn’t a big fan of the business tycoon.
Dante told me Benson did him a favor, so perhaps Reino, as Dante’s right-hand man, extended an invitation as a show of respect.
Dante didn’t go into details, but I know Benson had a hand in Leander’s financial ruin.
At the thought of my late brother, a shiver runs through me.
His body was found hanging upside-down from a bridge.
The autopsy report stated he’d suffered from ruptured blood vessels and brain hemorrhages due to the blood that had pooled in his brain, but the cause of death was heart failure.
After hanging there for hours, his heart could no longer maintain his blood pressure.
It must’ve been a slow and painful death.
Dante and I never spoke about it. It’s better if I don’t know.
I push away the morbid thought because today is a day for happiness.
The ceremony continues without hiccups. Noah plays his role of ring bearer proudly.
I touch the ring Dante had put on my finger to replace the one he’d claimed was stolen in this very church.
The old ring is now lying on the bottom of the Hudson River.
The new ring is a lot daintier than the first one Dante had given me.
The diamond isn’t even a full carat. Yet it carries more value to me than all the money in the world.
Dante took the diamond from the center of the flower where I’d hidden a tracker chip in the stolen necklace. He had it set in white gold shaped like a snowflake, reminding me of the day that irreversibly changed our fates.
I’m still grateful he didn’t destroy the necklace to sell the diamonds.
It would’ve been a shame to ruin something so utterly perfect, even more so now that I know the history behind the necklace.
A king commissioned the necklace for his favorite mistress.
Betrothed to the daughter of an ally as part of a political strategy, the king couldn’t marry the woman he truly loved.
Instead, he gave her the necklace as a declaration of his undying love.
A direct descendant of the king’s mistress tried to reclaim the jewelry that was plundered from the family castle during a war invasion but failed.
The lady is a wealthy jewelry dealer herself.
She posted an amount on the dark net that far exceeded the value of the necklace, vouching to reward anyone who was able to retrieve it.