Chapter 70
seventy
Liana
I know something is happening.
Not because anyone has said it.
But because everything about today feels… deliberate.
The way Elijah watched me get dressed.
The way Zach lingered a little longer than usual when he kissed my shoulder before stepping back.
The way Jackson hasn’t stopped smiling like he knows something I don’t.
I smooth my hands down over my dress again as we step out of the apartment, the fabric sitting just a little differently than it would have a few weeks ago.
Not obvious.
Not to anyone else. But I feel it. The slight curve. The subtle change. The quiet reminder that everything is shifting, that everything is growing.
“Stop thinking,” Jackson murmurs, brushing his knuckles lightly over my jaw as he opens the car door for me.
“I’m not thinking,” I lie.
He grins.
“Liar.”
Zach chuckles softly as I slide into the car, Elijah following in beside me, his hand immediately settling on my thigh like it belongs there.
It does.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, glancing between them.
Jackson lifts a shoulder.
“No idea.”
Zach shakes his head.
“Elijah’s in charge tonight.”
My gaze shifts to him. He doesn’t look at me. Just keeps his eyes forward, his thumb brushing slow, absent circles against my skin.
“Trust me,” he says simply.
Something in my chest tightens with anticipation.
I nod.
“Okay.”
The drive feels longer than it probably is. Quiet. Heavy in a way that isn’t uncomfortable, just… expectant.
When the car finally slows, I lean slightly toward the window, and my breath catches. The gates alone are enough to take my breath away.
Tall.
Iron.
Security posted on either side. They open before we even stop, the car gliding through like we belong here, like this is ours. The driveway curves slowly, revealing more with every second, and then I see he house.
No. Not a house.
An estate.
Expansive.
Two-story.
Old-world elegance with modern precision layered over it, every light warm, every line intentional.
My mouth parts slightly.
“Whose house is this?” I whisper.
The car stops.
Before I can process anything further, Elijah is already out, walking around to my side, opening the door and offering me his hand.
I take it automatically, stepping out, still staring.
“This is ours,” he says.
I blink.
“What do you mean… ours?”
He watches me carefully.
“Bellandi property,” he says. “But this...” his hand tightens slightly around mine, grounding, anchoring “this is our home.”
Something inside me tilts.
“Elijah… what did you do?”
His expression doesn’t change.
“Our family is growing,” he says simply. “And that apartment isn’t built for what we are anymore. I wanted somewhere private. Secure.”
Jackson lets out a low whistle behind me.
“Fucking hell.”
Zach huffs a quiet laugh.
“Of course you did this.”
I’m still staring, still trying to catch up.
Before another voice cuts through.
“Do you like it?”
I turn and see Christian walking toward us with an amused expression.
“Did you have anything to do with this?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
He smiles faintly.
“Of course I did,” he says. “I couldn’t very well let my new sister-in-law go without a proper wedding gift.”
My throat tightens.
“It’s… incredible.”
His gaze softens just slightly.
“Everything’s set up outside.”
Elijah’s hand shifts to my lower back.
“I’ll show you the house later,” he murmurs. “First, come with me.”
The moment we round the back, I stop.
The space has been transformed into something from a romance novel
Soft lighting woven through trees and stone. Rows of chairs set neatly, filled with familiar faces.
A structure at the front, simple, elegant, an altar without being overly formal.
It’s… a wedding.
Not exactly. But close enough that my chest tightens.
“Holy shit,” Jackson breathes.
Zach goes quiet beside me.
And I don’t move.
Because suddenly it all makes sense. Evelyn is there. Emma. Killian. Michael. Lucian.
Faces I recognize. Faces that matter.
“Elijah.”
His hand tightens slightly at my back.
“I want you to meet someone first.”
He guides me forward, toward an older man standing near the front.
Power radiates from him.
“This is my uncle,” Elijah says. “Don Vittorio Bellandi.”
Everything inside me stills. This is the man. The one at the top. The one everything moves around.
His gaze settles on me, assessing, calculating, and then he smiles.
Warm.
Unexpected.
He takes my hands, lifting them gently, pressing a kiss to each cheek.
“It’s a pleasure,” he says. “To meet the woman who stole Elijah’s heart… and made him step into what he was always meant to be.”
My breath catches.
“Thank you,” I manage softly.
Jackson and Zach greet him next, respectful but steady and then Elijah turns me back toward the altar.
When we step into place, everything quiets.
The shift is immediate.
Palpable.
Elijah’s hand comes up, cupping my face, his mouth brushing mine in a soft, private kiss.
“I know you’re already my wife,” he murmurs against my lips. “But this… is for the world.”
My heart stutters.
“For all of us.”
I nod because I don’t trust myself to speak.
The officiant begins. But I barely hear him. Because everything narrows to them.
To us.
Jackson steps forward first.
“I knew,” he says, his voice steady, confident, completely certain. “From the first moment I saw you, in that bar, I knew you were going to be mine.”
A small ripple of laughter moves through the crowd. But he doesn’t break eye contact with me.
“I didn’t know how,” he continues. “Didn’t know what it would look like. But I knew I wasn’t walking away from you. Ever.”
My throat tightens.
“You’re mine,” he says softer now. “And I’m yours. And I’ll spend every day proving that to you.”
He slips a ring onto my finger.
My breath catches.
Then he steps back as Zach moves forward next.
His hand wraps around mine gently.
“I didn’t chase you,” he says quietly. “Because I knew… if you were meant for me, you’d come.”
My chest aches.
“I would have waited,” he continues. “As long as it took. Because you were always worth it.”
His thumb brushes my knuckles.
“You’re home,” he says. “For me, there is no better feeling than walking into the door knowing you are waiting for me. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you feel that.”
Another ring is slid onto my finger before Elijah steps forward. He steps in close, close enough that I feel his breath before he even speaks.
“You were always mine,” he says quietly.
No hesitation.
No apology.
“You just didn’t know it yet.”
A soft murmur of amusement moves through the crowd.
“You belong to me,” he continues, his hand sliding to my jaw. “And I belong to you.”
Something inside me cracks open.
“I never gave you an engagement ring,” he adds, softer now.
His fingers slide another ring into place beside the first.
“This is that.”
My vision blurs.
“And this...” his voice drops, rougher now “is me choosing you. Every time. In every way.”
I can’t speak.
I don’t need to.
Because they all see it.
The way I feel.
The way this means something.
I hold back the tears as I slide a ring onto each of their fingers, whispering I love you with each one. It’s not traditional, but ours and means everything to me.
And when it’s done, the applause breaks through.
Loud.
Warm.
Real.
People move toward us after. Congratulations. Touches. Voices, but it all feels slightly distant, like I’m floating just above it, until Elijah leans in beside me.
“Do you want to see the house?”
I laugh softly, breathless.
“Yes.”
Jackson immediately steps in.
“Obviously.”
Zach smiles.
“Lead the way.”
And just like that, we step away from everything. From everyone. From the noise.
Into something that is entirely ours.