I smiled and nodded and held on to his arm a little more firmly.
Before I knew it, all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen had made their way inside, and the music designated specifically for my entrance began to play. Daddy and I slowly moved forward, making it to the entrance.
All of our guests stood, and all eyes were on us. On me…
I swallowed, and Daddy and I began to march inside.
People oohed and ahhed. Cameras flashed left and right. And in my periphery, I could see the hired professional photographer trailing our every step, documenting it with the camera.
It was astounding that such a beautiful setup had been created in such a short amount of time.
Feeling the butterflies in my stomach growing, I decided to let everything fade into the background. That’s when my eyes finally landed on Giovanni.
He had been handsome from the moment I first laid eyes on him, but nothing could compare to how breathtaking he looked standing at the altar in his tuxedo, waiting for me to step by his side. His hair was sleek and shiny, and hung in a low-slung ponytail. His facial hair was trimmed to perfection. And his amber eyes sparkled as those deep dimples of his slowly came forward with the smile that came over his face when our eyes locked.
As a child, I had never quite seen the face of my future husband when I imagined my wedding. Yet, one look at Giovanni Romano let me know that he was the man of my dreams all along.
When we reached the end of the aisle, the priest smiled. “Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?” he asked.
“I do,” my father said. He then leaned down, kissing each of my cheeks just as my mother had. Then he parted ways, to stand at my mother’s side in the front row.
I took my rightful place beside Giovanni, who gripped my hand and interlaced his fingers through mine.
The priest spoke some more, but I could hardly pay attention to his words, for I was too focused on the feeling of Giovanni’s hand in mine.
I thought back to when we first met, and he saved me from that guy at the nightclub. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be marrying him not long afterward. Fate was certainly funny sometimes.
My thoughts were interrupted when finally, it was time for Gio and me to take our vows.
The priest cleared his throat dramatically and then spoke loud and clear. “Do you, Giovanni Romano, take Arianna Marino, for your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?”
Giovanni smiled and gazed into my eyes. “I do.”
“And do you, Arianna Marino, take Giovanni Romano, for your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?”
“I do,” I said. With the utterance of those two words, it suddenly felt like the biggest weight had been lifted off my shoulders. All the turbulence Giovanni and I had experienced leading up to this day no longer mattered. All of the doubts and mistrust I’d felt disappeared. We were married, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
We exchanged rings, which were a beautiful set that had once belonged to Giovanni’s grandparents.
“By the power vested in me,” the priest said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Giovanni, you may kiss your bride.”
Giovanni and I turned to face one another. He leaned down, kissing me delicately, but drawing it out as the church erupted into cheers and applause. When we finally separated, both of us were smiling, laughing, and shedding tears of joy.
EPILOGUE
Giovanni
1 year later
Be careful what you wish for, and even more careful what you ask for.
Speeding down the highway, I had officially learned that lesson. After the wedding, my father and I had managed to make up with one another. He had apologized for the way he’d been treating me and the hateful words he’d said to me, claiming that he had just been angry and in the heat of the moment, had said a lot of things he hadn’t meant. It took a while, but I eventually forgave him, although my forgiveness had been aided by the fact that he had finally given me a higher position in the family business.
I’d been flattered by getting a higher ‘job title’ that involved more than being just the capo, which was a duty my younger brothers now shared. However, I quickly learned that having a higher role in the business also meant having more responsibility than I’d expected. I had adapted fairly quickly though and had no desire to complain.
Or at least I hadn’t intended on complaining until now.
I knew it was partially my fault though. I shouldn’t have agreed to work overtime while it was so close to Arianna’s due date. Everyone in the family knew that she could go into labor at any second. But like an idiot, I’d been convinced that I had time to take care of a little business before returning home, where I had anticipated finding Arianna sleeping peacefully.