Epilogue
Chiara
I watch myself in the full-length mirror.
The gown is gorgeous—the Chantilly lace hugs my curves like a second skin before pooling softly around my bare feet.
The sleeves and neckline are modest, almost demure, until I turn slightly to see the reflection of my bare back in the mirror.
My hair is cascading down my back in unrestrained waves.
Very unsuitable, Mother would’ve said.
And very me. I smirk. Then pause. Part of me is sad that she is not here with me. But the other part is relieved to be free. I look at my reflection, and all I see is determination to live my own life, write my own story.
Goodbye. Mamma, you’ll always be the only mother I ever had, and I’ll forever be your daughter. But I’m done being your victim.
A shadow passes behind me like an omen, making me freeze. But then I relax when I recognize the familiar tingle brushing down my spine.
“Lucas.” I gasp. “You shouldn’t be here!”
He glides his hand over my bare back, making me shiver. Then he presses his body to my back, trapping me between him and my reflection, his arms locking around me. He nuzzles the spot behind my ear, pressing himself flush against me.
“I needed to make sure you’re still here,” he whispers roughly against my neck, breathing me deeply in.
My heart stutters, then melts.
He grabs my chin to tilt my face up and looks down at me for a long beat. Then he leans in and kisses me, deep and claiming. When he pulls back, we’re both breathing hard, and whatever protest I meant to make has completely dissolved.
“You look like every man’s dream, cara mia,” he rasps hoarsely against my lips.
Then he leans back farther, gaze hardening and jaw tightening.
“But you’ll only be mine. Mine to hold, mine to kiss.
You’ll owe me all the dances. And when we’re alone again, I’m going to remind you again and again who you belong to. ”
This man… My throat goes dry and my heart slams against my chest.
He nuzzles my nape and drags his tongue over my neck to my ear and growls low into my ear-shell. “Remember love, you still owe me fourteen weeks.”
My breath stutters and heat is pooling low in my belly.
He smirks, when he sees what he does to me, turning my face toward his to claim my lips in another smoldering, possessive kiss. Then he retreats so suddenly I almost stumble.
“Don’t make me wait, cara mia,” he reminds me in a gravelly voice. And he is gone, leaving me with my heart ready to leap out of my throat.
When I step out of the room minutes later, Lily is waiting for me, barefoot too and clad in an aquamarine sundress. She greets me with a blinding smile and presses a kiss to my cheek. Then she sets a flower crown on my head and gives me a bouquet of fragrant pink peonies.
“You look beautiful, sis,” she whispers with a watery smile.
I manage a smile of my own, my throat too tight to trust my voice.
She slips her arm around mine and guides me through our cottage, down the familiar hallway and out of the door that leads onto the back gardens.
The moment we step outside, the world seems to still.
Everyone is standing, watching us. Soft music starts to play, drifting through the air.
Peonies in full bloom are lining the path, their scent drifts up when I pass and my breath catches.
Lucas had the entire garden replanted when I’d told him once that they were my favorite.
And now he had them lining the path leading to him.
We begin to walk. The grass is cool and soft beneath my bare feet, grounding me in the present.
The small gathering of friends and family lining the path, all wearing bright, breezy fabrics.
Their smiles are warm as we walk past them toward the back of the garden.
Erin gives me an excited squeal with a thumbs up that makes me chuckle. I smile back.
Then I see him.
Lucas stands at the altar, still as a statue, dressed in black slacks and a dark blue shirt that makes his azure eyes glint under the sun.
His sleeves are rolled up, and the sight of his forearms momentarily robs me of any sane thought.
A lock of his hair flops over his forehead, as if he’d been raking his fingers repeatedly through the strands and now they refused to stay in place.
The scar crossing his cheek to his jaw has faded into a silver slash, giving him a ruggedness that wasn’t there before.
His hands are clasped in front of him, his gaze locked on me with so much focus that I can feel the intensity brushing my skin like a touch.
When I reach him, Lily squeezes my hand before stepping away. Lucas turns to face me fully, and his expression softens, something akin to relief flooding his face.
He reaches his hand out to me as I take the final step toward him. “You’re here,” he murmurs quietly, his throat working.
“I’m here,” I whisper back, taking his outstretched hand.
He pulls me closer, gaze never leaving mine, as the officiant’s voice rises over the garden.
“We are gathered here today to celebrate Chiara and Lucas’ wedding—properly this time—and I am honored to preside over this ceremony…
again.” Judge Calloway’s smirk can be heard in his voice.
A snicker ripples through the guests. Lucas throws a warning glare over his shoulder, and the crowd bursts into laughter.
I squeeze his hand with a chuckle, and his face softens when he looks back at me.
Then he drops to his knees in front of me and my breath catches.
The garden, the people, everything fades away when he takes my hands again.
His eyes are fierce, unwavering. “Cara mia… I’m on my knees before you, before everyone here”—he pauses and clears his throat before going on in a rough voice—“to ask you. Please…be mine. I need you, I love you, more than words can hold.” His voice breaks, but he doesn’t look away.
“I know I forced you to marry me back then, but I am begging you on my knees now…choose me. Not out of duty, not because I gave you no choice.” His grip on my fingers tightens, and my throat constricts. “But because you want me.”
Tears spill down my cheeks before I can stop them. I nod, breathless. “Yes, Lucas,” I croak out. “Yes, I choose you. I love you and I want to be your wife, fully…freely.”
He bolts upright with a blinding grin on his face and pulls me into his arms. My heart stutters as his lips crash over mine, fierce, claiming, leaving me dizzy and undone.
Around us, cheers resound and applause swells, but I don’t hear any of it, it’s only him and me.
He leans back and gazes down at me, his azure gaze holding mine for an eternity. And I fall into the sky.
Then he wraps me in the sanctuary of his arms.
I’m home.