Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
ROISIN
M orning arrives in a flurry of activity. My mother fusses over my hair and makeup while Lizzie and Sienna flutter about with last-minute details. Through it all, I feel a sense of calm I haven't experienced in weeks. The snowball of anxiety has melted away, replaced by a warmth that spreads through my chest.
As I slip into my wedding dress, I no longer feel like an imposter. The woman in the mirror is radiant, glowing with more than just the flush of pregnancy. For the first time in this entire preparation, I feel excited.
The love I feel for Dominic, the life growing inside me, the joy of this day–it’s all bursting out of me.
"Oh, Roisin," my mother gasps, her eyes welling with tears. "You look absolutely stunning."
I smile, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Thank you, Ma."
Lizzie, my future mother-in-law, appears at my side, holding a small velvet box. “Dominic asked me to give you this.”
My heart flutters as I take the box, fingers trembling slightly as I carefully pry it open, gasping at what I find inside.
“Something old," she says, as a delicate necklace of natural freshwater pearls is revealed. "It was his great-grandmother's."
As she fastens it around my neck, I touch the slightly uneven pearls gently, feeling a connection to generations of strong women. They are imperfectly perfect, just like everything about our relationship has been.
Sienna steps forward next, holding out my bouquet of peach roses, baby's breath, and trailing ivy.
"It's almost time," she says softly, beautiful herself in the matching peach dresses she and Emylyah are wearing.
“I have something for you before we go,” my best friend tells me, holding out a much larger box. “This is your something blue,” she says with a wink.
Opening the box, I find a blue garter and laugh as Emylyah drops to her knees and battles with the layers of my skirt to draw it up my thigh.
The mothers hurry out to take their seats and my father fills the doorway.
"Ready, sweetheart?" he asks, his voice gruff with emotion. He’s been surprisingly restrained in his opinion about the situation, apart from letting me know he thought it was a good match, one that benefited our family. But that’s fine. He’s a hard, old-fashioned kind of man, and not one who’s prone to showing his feelings.
I take a deep breath, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of my dress. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life, Da."
He offers his arm and I take it, feeling the strength and stability he's always provided.
“Wait! You don’t have something borrowed,” Sienna remarks. “You nearly jinxed the whole thing.” The horror in her voice sounds real.
“I don’t have anything new, either,” I remind her wryly.
She waves her hand. “Pfft. Everything is new. Your dress, your shoes, your tiara. But none of it is borrowed.” That said, she pulls a bracelet off her wrist and hands it to me. “For the best luck,” she whispers, fastening it around my own wrist, and that’s when I know I’m gaining a sister along with a husband.
Finally, we’re all ready.
As we make our way down the hallway, Sienna in front of me, and Emylyah, as my Matron of Honor, behind, I can hear the soft murmur of voices from our guests. The processional melody begins to play, Pachelbel’s Canon in D, music that makes my heart soar.
My pulse begins to race, but not from fear. It's anticipation, excitement, and love all rolled into one. As we arrive at the entrance of the church, I can hardly contain my eagerness to see Dominic and become his wife in every sense of the word.
The feelings build with each step, and as we pause at the doors leading to my future, the music swells, then the doors open and I catch a glimpse of Dominic standing at the altar, looking impossibly handsome in his tuxedo, waiting for me at the end of the aisle.
Our eyes meet for just a moment, and the love I see reflected there nearly takes my breath away.
A hush falls over the crowd as my father and I begin our walk down the aisle. I drink in every detail. The way the late afternoon sun casts a golden glow over everything. The sweet scent of flowers mingling with freshly cut grass from the churchyard. The faces of our friends and family, all beaming with joy. I want to commit it all to memory.
But most of all, I can't take my eyes off Dominic. With each step, I see his expression shift from awe to tenderness to pure, unbridled happiness. The corners of his eyes crinkle with his smile, and I feel an answering grin spread across my own face.
As we reach the altar, my father places my hand in Dominic's. His fingers are warm and strong, steadying me. I hand my bouquet to Sienna as Emylyah moves the veil from my face, since my father declared he wasn’t handling such a thing. and I turn to face the man I love, the father of my child, my soon-to-be husband.
"You look absolutely breathtaking," Dominic whispers, his voice thick with emotion.
"So do you," I manage to reply, my own voice barely above a whisper.
The officiant begins the ceremony, but I'm only half-listening. I'm lost in Dominic's eyes, in the gentle way he's stroking my hand with his thumb, in the overwhelming feeling of rightness that has settled over me.
When it comes time for our vows, Dominic surprises me by clearing his throat and it becomes clear he’s written his own. Something I never expected and wasn’t prepared for. "Roisin, from the moment I met you, I knew you were special. You challenged me, you made me laugh, and you saw the real me behind all the walls I'd built. Our journey hasn't been easy or conventional, but it's been ours. And I wouldn't change a single moment of it. You've given me a family, a future, and a love I never thought I'd find. I promise to cherish you, to support you, and to love you fiercely every day for the rest of our lives. I promise to be the best husband and father I can be, to always be honest with you, and to face whatever challenges life brings us together. You are my heart, my home, and my happily ever after."
Tears spring to my eyes and I blink rapidly to keep them from falling. I haven't prepared anything nearly as eloquent, believing we’d stick to the traditional Catholic service, but as I look into Dominic's eyes, the words come naturally.
"Dominic, you came into my life unexpectedly, but you've become my everything. You've shown me what true partnership and love really mean. You make me feel safe, cherished, and understood. I promise to stand by your side through all of life's ups and downs, to be your biggest supporter and your most honest critic. I promise to love you and our child with everything I have. I promise to always be open with you, to share my joys and my fears, and to build a life filled with laughter, love, and adventure. You are my friend, my lover, and my soulmate. I can't wait to see what our future holds."
When I finish, Dominic's eyes are glassy, and I can feel my own tears threatening to spill over. We exchange rings, simple gold bands that feel weighty with promise as we slide them onto the other’s finger.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest declares. "You may kiss the bride."
Dominic cups my face in his hands, his touch infinitely gentle. As our lips meet, I pour all of my love, all of my hopes and dreams for our future, into the kiss. The church erupts in cheers and applause, but I barely hear it. In this moment, it's just Dominic and me, starting our new life together.
We turn to face our guests, hands clasped tightly. As we make our way back down the aisle, I catch glimpses of our loved ones' faces – my parents beaming with pride, Lizzie dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, Sienna grinning from ear to ear. The love and support surrounding us is palpable.
As we step out of the church into the warm afternoon sun, a shower of rose petals rains down on us. Laughter bubbles up from deep inside me, and I turn to see Dominic's face lit up with joy. He pulls me close and kisses me again, more deeply this time, as our guests continue to cheer.
"I love you, Mrs. Romano," he murmurs against my lips.
"I love you too, Mr. Romano," I reply, savoring the way my new title rolls from his tongue.
We make our way to the waiting car, waving to the members of our combined organizations and family. As we settle into the backseat, I finally let out a long breath, feeling a mix of elation and relief.
"We did it," I say, squeezing Dominic's hand.
He brings our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "We did. And it was perfect."
As the car pulls away, taking us to the reception venue, I lean my head on Dominic's shoulder, savoring this moment of quiet intimacy before the whirlwind of the reception begins. His arm wraps around me, pulling me close, and I breathe in his familiar scent.
"Are you okay?" he asks softly, his breath warm against my hair.
Deciding our marriage needs to start as I want it to go on, I’m honest with him. “I missed you the last ten days. You didn’t even come for my appointment, and it led to all sorts of things running through my head…”
Dominic's arm tightens around me, and I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm sorry, my love. I know I was distant, and I hate that it caused you worry. The truth is, I was struggling with some things myself."
I lift my head to look at him, concern furrowing my brow. "What do you mean?"
He takes a deep breath, his eyes serious as they meet mine. "I've been thinking a lot about our future, about the kind of life I want to give you and our child. I've been... reevaluating some things."
My heart quickens, a mix of curiosity and apprehension flooding through me. "What kind of things?"
Dominic's hand finds mine, his fingers intertwining with my own. “The world we both live in is a dangerous one. I’ve always accepted that, but with a wife and child, it’s made me realize just how vulnerable it makes me. How much of a target it makes you and our baby…”
Straightening, I lift a finger to his lips. “Honey, I’ve been a target since the day I was born. It’s not like I’m not aware…”
“But with ties to both the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia, that risk doubles,” he argues, pressing a kiss to my finger.
I raise an eyebrow. “Or does it halve it? I mean surely I have one less organization as a potential enemy.”
He gazes at me and shakes his head. “There are always others waiting in the wings, ready to make their mark.”
“And lucky for me, I now have La Cosa Nostra to protect me, as well as my brothers and the Bratva.”
“The Bratva…”
“Don’t say it,” I warn. “Emylyah has been my friend for a long time. Surely the wedding proved that, if nothing else.”
Dominic sighs. There wasn’t the same Bratva turnout as the rest, but Nikolai and his brother Darian were both present, since Emylyah was in the wedding party, and the one thing I wouldn’t allow was for anyone to argue her role. I was determined gangland politics should have no place at our wedding, no matter what the circumstances of our union.
“Still,” he says, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead that makes me melt inside. “I took it upon myself to talk to Mika–one might say I have ideas above my station, but the fact that I’m family goes some way to mitigate that.”
“And that took two weeks?” I ask, teasing just a little.
“Not exactly,” Dominic admits. “But you saw for yourself how fractured things within La Cosa Nostra had become. In aligning myself with Mika, and his vision for the future, there were loose ends to tie up to ensure Vito’s warped ideas weren’t being harbored by anyone still in positions of power.”
I nod slowly, understanding the gravity of what Dominic is telling me. "And now?"
He takes a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine with intensity. "We're on the cusp of a new era. Mika has plans to legitimize more of our operations, to move away from some of the more... unsavory aspects of our business. Apparently, he’s been heading that way for a while, but has been hampered by the old guard. Since I was a capo under Vito’s command, I wasn’t privy to a lot of this information, but I needed to talk frankly to Mika and tell him where my head is. It's still going to be a gradual process, things won’t change overnight, but it's a step in the right direction. Something I hope shows you I'm committed to building a safer, more stable future for our family."
My heart swells with a mixture of pride and hope. "That's wonderful, Dominic. But why didn't you just tell me what was going on?"
He brushes a stray curl from my face, his touch gentle. "I’m sad to say, there are still dangers. People who aren’t so committed to the vision Mika has. Some of those had to be… neutralized, shall we say, so the only people privy to the plans were myself, Ares, Mika and Kaiden. We needed to keep it that way in order to prevent word getting out."
“I would never have said anything…” I argue, feeling a little aggrieved at his lack of trust.
Dominic's eyes soften as he cups my cheek. "I know you wouldn't, my love. It wasn't about not trusting you. It was about protecting you. The less you knew, the safer you were. If anyone had tried to get information from you, you could honestly say you didn't know anything."
I lean into his touch, understanding dawning. "I see. That makes sense, I suppose. Though I hope in the future you'll find a way to let me know when something big is happening, even if you can't tell me the details."
He nods, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "I promise. No more secrets between us. We're partners now, in every sense of the word."
The car slows as we approach the reception venue, and I can hear the muffled sounds of music and laughter. Dominic gives my hand a squeeze.
"Are you ready to face our guests, Mrs. Romano?" he asks, a mischievous glint in his eye.
I grin, feeling a surge of excitement. "More than ready, Mr. Romano. Let's go celebrate this new beginning."