Page 93 of Relentless Sinner
I nod. “Every bride is supposed to be nervous, right?” I try to sound as lighthearted as I can, but fail. Instead there’s a noticeable quiver in my voice.
“Every single one. Even the ones who proposed to their husbands-to-be.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Like my cousin. It’s a crazy story. I’ll tell you about it someday.” She chuckles and walks toward me, extending her hands to take both of mine. “You look absolutely beautiful. And there is nothing to worry about.”
“You think so?” My question goes deeper than the surface of this day and she knows it.
She nods and gives my hands a reassuring squeeze. “I know so. Regardless of how you came to be, Jaxon is lucky to have you. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
I’m surprised by her openness and honesty. She’s the kind of person who’s always and ever professional. Sometimes I imagine that she’s loyal to a fault, so it’s good to hear her say something out of character that feels so meaningful.
“I appreciate that.” I give her a grateful smile.
“I know.”
When she releases me I look back at myself one last time before we leave.
Moments later I join Cora at the main hall door and three of my little cousins from my mother’s side of the family. I chose them to be my bridesmaids.
Cora gives me an encouraging smile as the doors open and theWedding Marchstarts playing.
My gaze lands on Jaxon standing at the altar between the priest, Micah, and Eric.
He looks more handsome than I’ve ever seen him in his black tux, his beard trimmed and his hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.
The hall is packed, brimming with people and beauty, but all I see is him waiting for me. I don’t even pay attention to my father, who is casting daggers at me.
I haven’t seen Jaxon in a day over a week and something inside me warms at the sight of him. Something I don’t want to be there but sense I have no control over.
People say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I think they’re right.
It’s just a shame I feel this way about a man I’d be foolish to fall for.
The man who will become my husband in a matter of minutes.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gabriella
Jaxon finishes his vows, his voice low but resonant, his eyes burning into mine. He’s giving me that look, the kind where it seems he’s trying to reach past the layers of my mind and peek inside my soul.
I feel the weight of his potent stare and his vows to love and honor me until death do us part but, like shackles, the same words bind me tighter than the rings we’ve just exchanged.
The priest smiles, looks at us with a gentle warmth, then says, “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Time stops as I hear those words and my heart stills.
We’re married.
I’mmarried. I marriedhim. I’m no longer Gabriella De Costa. I’m Gabriella Bortsov. Wife to the soon-to-be Pakhan of the Vysotsky Bratva.
My new normal crashes around in my mind like ships on a tempestuous sea, and I try to process it without bursting out of my skin.
Jaxon steps closer, leans in and presses his lips to mine to give me a slow, intimate kiss that binds my fretful fears and restless thoughts.
Suddenly there’s the sound of our cheering guests and everything in my mind fades from around us. Then all I feel is that deep stirring in my soul that wakes every time he touches me.