Gone was the man bent on revenge, the very one that thought he could accomplish everything by marrying Sveta.
This man truly loved me, he truly cared about me, and he was going to be a great husband.
When he reached for my hand, I handed off my bouquet to a crying Ilsa and allowed Gavril to grasp it, rubbing my thumb over the numerous scars that dotted his skin. While I could never erase the scars on his body, I could erase those that covered his heart and felt like I was doing that little by little already.
After all, he had healed the pain that was in mine.
“The rings?”
Ilsa pushed the black circle toward me and Gavril reached for my ring from Oleg, who was actually grinning. Oleg was an easy choice for Gavril’s best man, though I knew he would have liked to have Anatoly back or even Ivan to stand beside him on this day. While the day was meant to be celebrated, there was a sense of loss for those that couldn’t be there and the ones that we would always miss.
I held out my finger and Gavril slipped the intertwining diamond ring on my hand, much like the one on my necklace. “I, Gavril,” he said in his deeply sensual voice that sent shivers down my spine. “Take you, Naomi, as my lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold until death do us part.”
Ugh. I was going to cry. Sniffling, I took his hand, positioning the ring over his finger. Gavril hadn’t even balked at the idea of wearing a real wedding band, telling me that he wanted everyone to know of his love for me and what he was willing to do to keep it. “I, Naomi,” I said softly, every word imprinting on my heart. “Take you, Gavril, as my lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold until death do us part.”