Epilogue
The next day…
The bridal suite buzzes with laughter. Or at least... everyone is doing their best to make it sound that way. No one has said Damiano's name all morning. Not once. It's like we're all pretending that if we don't acknowledge the empty space he's left behind... it somehow won't be real.
I offered to postpone the wedding. More than once. Alessio wouldn't hear of it. Damiano would kick my ass if I did. He tried to smile when he said it. He almost pulled it off. Almost.
I know he wanted Damiano standing beside him today. Not just as one of his fellow capos. As his best man. Instead... nobody has even seen the body yet. When they finally located where the shooting took place, his body was long gone.
Security is tighter than I've ever seen.
Twice as many guards patrol the grounds.
Every guest was searched before being allowed into the elevator.
Snipers watch the perimeter from neighboring rooftops.
Even the catering staff had to be vetted by Gabe's people.
Part of me wonders if it's because today's dangerous.
The other part knows the truth. They're expecting retaliation. Or hoping for a miracle. Neither one makes for a relaxing wedding day.
So everyone pretends. For me. For Alessio. And maybe... for themselves.
I return to being the bride-to-be when Jenna throws both hands into the air. "The flowers are crooked."
Audra doesn't even look up from fastening the bracelet around my wrist. "They're flowers."
"They're leaning."
"They're growing."
"They're judging me."
"They're definitely judging you." I laugh, shaking my head.
Somehow, somewhere between Vegas and today...
these women and I have become fast friends, almost sisters.
The kind who show up with coffee after nightmares.
Who text just to make sure I've eaten. Who never ask questions I’m not ready to answer.
Jenna walks over and smooths an imaginary wrinkle from my dress. "You look gorgeous."
"You have to say that." I retort.
Jenna snorts. "Actually, I don't. I could tell you your makeup makes you look like a raccoon."
Audra looks thoughtfully. "A very pretty raccoon."
I laugh. "Some friends you two are."
"The best kind," Jenna winks. "The ones who'll tell you when your mascara's running before you walk down the aisle."
I shake my head, smiling. My phone vibrates across the vanity. I glance at the screen absently. Unknown Number. Probably another vendor. Or one of the security guys.
I pick it up anyway.
The smile slips from my face.
Unknown Number
I'm sorry I couldn't make it. But I'll be thinking of you today.
Congratulations.
—Rach
I read it once. I read it twice. Then a third time.
"What is it?" Audra asks softly.
I realize I'm smiling. "I think..." My voice catches. "I think my sister might want to reconnect someday."
Jenna reaches over and squeezes my hand. Not hard. Just enough to qualify as a silent reminder. Careful.
I meet her eyes and nod. "I know."
I'm not planning tomorrow. Or next week. Today... today is enough. I set my phone aside. A few days ago, Charly quietly let something slip he wasn't supposed to. Alessio had flown back to Arizona after we came home. Alone. He'd gone to see Rachel one last time. Not to threaten her.
Simply to hand-deliver our wedding invitation.
She'd refused it.
He'd never mentioned it.
Probably never intended to. Because that's who he is.
He'd rather move mountains than take credit for carrying the first stone.
My chest tightens. He couldn't fix this.
God knows he'd tried. For years, I'd imagined Rachel standing beside me today.
Holding my bouquet. Telling me not to trip over my own feet.
Instead... life gave me Audra and Jenna.
Maybe family isn't always the people you share blood with.
Maybe sometimes...
It's the people who choose to stand beside you when they don't have to.
And somehow... that feels okay. The only other person I wished could be here today is Suze.
Telling her Rachel had died in Mexico was one of the hardest lies I've ever told.
She didn't question it. She simply wrapped me in a hug and whispered, "I figured. I'm so sorry. At least now you know."
I almost invited her. Almost. But this isn't the kind of wedding you invite people to unless they already knew exactly who Alessio Vitali is. And I couldn't do that to her.
My phone vibrates again. I don't even have to look. I know exactly who it is. Still... I unlock the screen. A laugh escapes before I can stop it. He changed his name. Again.
Congratulations. You're Stuck With Me.
I swear it wasn't that this morning. The man has apparently discovered emojis. Specifically... hearts. Who knew the Ice King had a sentimental streak hiding somewhere beneath all that murder and mayhem? The message itself is painfully, wonderfully Alessio.
Congratulations. You're Stuck With Me.
I love you.
No flourish. No speech. Just three simple words. My heart melts anyway. I type back before I can overthink it.
Me:
Love you too.
As I hit send, I grin. He'd changed his name. Which means he'd almost certainly noticed what I'd changed mine to in his phone earlier.
Pain in the Ass Wife.
I wonder how long he stared at it before deciding whether to laugh... or ground me for life. Knowing Alessio... probably both. I tuck my phone away, warmth settling somewhere deep inside me.
Rachel's message gave me hope. Alessio's reminded me I already had certainty. No matter what happens tomorrow... or next week... or ten years from now... I'll never have to wonder where I belong again.
A knock interrupts my thoughts.
"Kiddo?"
Charly.
I blink back the sting in my eyes. "Come in."
The door opens. Charly stops in the doorway. For a long moment he just stares. Then he smiles. "Well..." He clears his throat. "Your mom would've been proud."
That one almost undoes me. He offers me his arm. "They're waiting."
I slip my hand through it.
"Ready?"
I take one last look at my reflection. At the woman staring back. Mechanic. Tow truck driver. Survivor. Soon... Mrs. Alessio Vitali. I smile. "More than ever."
Charly opens the door. Music drifts into the hallway. Guests rise as one. Charly offers me his arm, and I slip my hand through it. "Let's go."
The walk feels both impossibly long and over in the blink of an eye.
I don't notice the flowers. Or the guests.
There aren't many details. This isn't a big wedding.
Just Alessio's… what are they? Co-workers?
Friends? Affiliates? Brothers in Crime? And their wives.
It doesn't matter, because I only see him anyway.
Alessio. Standing at the end of the aisle in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo.
His hands are clasped in front of him, his expression as controlled as ever.
But I know him now. I catch the slight hitch in his breath.
The way his shoulders relax the instant our eyes meet.
The tiny smile he tries—and fails—to hide. He's nervous. My Ice King.
Nervous.
The realization almost makes me laugh. Instead, my heart swells. By the time Charly places my hand in Alessio's, I don't think either of us hears another word until the officiant begins speaking...
"You may exchange your vows..."
Alessio takes my hands. For a long moment, he simply looks at me. The chapel disappears. The guests. The flowers. Everything. Only those impossible blue eyes remain.
When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet. Steady. "I've never believed in forever."
A few soft chuckles ripple through the guests.
"They don't know you like I do," I whisper.
The corner of his mouth twitches. "No," he agrees. "They don't."
He draws a slow breath. "I've spent my life expecting people to leave. I learned early that the only person I could rely on... were my brothers and me." His thumb brushes over my knuckles. "And then... you showed up. In steel-toe boots. Covered in grease. Calling me an asshole."
Laughter breaks the tension. His eyes never leave mine.
"You looked at the worst parts of me... and stayed.
You never asked me to become someone else.
You never tried to fix me. You simply stood beside me.
Even when I didn't deserve it." My vision blurs.
"I've killed men. I've built casinos. I've made fortunes.
I've won wars." He shakes his head once.
"None of those things made me rich. You did. "
A tear slips down my cheek.
"You gave me something I never thought I'd have.
A home." His own voice roughens. "Not a house.
Not this city. You. You became the place I stopped looking over my shoulder.
The place I finally rested." He swallows.
"I can't promise you an easy life. I can't promise there won't be blood.
Or enemies. Or nights when I have to leave.
I can only promise this." His fingers tighten around mine.
"If the world comes for you... it comes through me first. If you're afraid...
you'll never be afraid alone again. If you fall...
I'll be there before you hit the ground.
" His smile is almost shy. "And if, fifty years from now...
you're still calling me a rich asshole... I'll know I did something right."
The room laughs through tears.
"I don't promise to make you happy every day. I promise to choose you every day. In every room. In every fight. In every lifetime I get." He lifts my hand to his lips. "I am yours."
"My heart. My loyalty. My name. My life. They've all been yours for a long time. I just didn't know how to say it." He smiles. "I do now. I love you, Becca Morgan. Today. Tomorrow. And every day I'm lucky enough to breathe beside you."
I take both of his hands. They're warm. Strong. Steady. Just like the man holding them. I smile through the tears threatening to spill.
"You know..." A tiny laugh escapes me. "When my tow truck was called to pick up a broken-down car in the middle of nowhere, I definitely didn't expect to end up marrying the rich spoiled asshole standing in front of it."
Soft laughter ripples through the chapel.
"You were rude." His eyebrow lifts. "You were bossy.
You scared me. I annoyed you. You called me Grease Monkey.
You stole my favorite panties. And somewhere between arguing over a broken Shelby and pretending not to be your girlfriend, you became my favorite place.
" The smile slowly fades from my face. I take a slow breath.
"You know... I used to think finding Rachel was the purpose of my life." I smile at him. "It was my quest. My finish line. The thing that got me out of bed every morning. You looked at me one day and said: pretend to be my girlfriend, and I'll find your sister."
"So I did. And you did. We found her." I pause. "But somewhere along the way I realized finding Rachel wasn't the greatest thing that happened to me. It was finding you."
His eyes soften.
"I spent years believing that if I could just find my sister, everything would finally be okay.
I was wrong. Because you can't find someone who doesn't want to be found.
" The words sting. But they're true. I squeeze his hands.
"You taught me something I never expected.
There are thousands of sisters out there.
Thousands of daughters. Thousands of women waiting for someone to refuse to give up on them.
" My voice catches. "And because of you, I get to help find them too.
" A tear slips down my cheek. "You gave me more than the love of my life.
You gave me a purpose bigger than my pain. "
He blinks rapidly.
"You challenged me. You infuriated me. You stole my phone...
" I grin. "More times than I can count." More laughter echoes through the chapel.
"And somehow between all the teasing and all the chaos, you taught me what love actually looks like.
" I swallow. "I'd been without it for so long, I'd forgotten. "
"So I promise I'll keep reminding you there's more to life than business. I'll keep hiding things in your pockets. I'll keep changing your contact name." The corner of his mouth lifts. "And I'll keep believing in the goodness I know you pretend isn't there."
I lift his hands to my lips. "Loving you was never pretend. I love you, Alessio. Today. Tomorrow. And every day after that."
The officiant clears his throat. "The rings."
Alessio slides a hand into the inside pocket of his jacket.
I watch him carefully, working hard to hide my grin.
He frowns. His hand stays there a second longer than it should.
I know that look. Oh, do I know the look as the truth is dawning on him.
My lips twitch. Slowly. Very slowly. His eyes lift to mine.
Suspicious. Accusing. I bite the inside of my cheek. He found them.
This morning, while he was downstairs pretending not to be nervous, I slipped my lace bridal panties into the same pocket he'd carefully tucked the ring box into.
Because... well... he'd started it when he stole my favorite pair.
His expression says he's working things out.
Like if my panties are in his pocket then…
I'm definitely not wearing them. His jaw tightens.
The tiniest shake of his head. I can't help it.
I grin. The corner of his mouth betrays him.
Just enough. He fishes the velvet box out of his pocket.
Along with a tiny scrap of white lace. It catches on the edge for the briefest second before he calmly pushes it back inside with one finger.
No one notices. Except me. And judging by the warning in his eyes... I'm going to pay for that later. I beam at him. Best. Wedding. Ever.
THE END of book 3 in Empire of Sin