Page 78 of The Fixer

My friends are here, sitting on the chairs arranged in front of me. We’ve eschewed the typical bride and groom’s seating, and instead, everyone sits together. Annalisa sits next to Elaine, Ben, and Hugh. Antonio and Lucia are talking to Alina, while Tomas is doing his best not to stare at her. Dante and Valentina are smiling at a story that Angelica istelling them. Joao and Daniel are both glued to their phones.

Then, the music begins, and everyone turns to the bride.

Rosa walks down the aisle, a vision in white. She holds my gaze as she makes her way toward me, a smile on her lips. She’s wearing her hair down, and as she nears me, the wind blows a strand of her hair into her face, a familiar gesture that makes my heart swell.

I take a step toward her and tuck it behind her ear.

I thought I would be afraid today. Afraid of the past, afraid of what might happen. I thought I’d be on edge, waiting for someone to burst upon us and start shooting.

But when I see Rosa, all I feel is joy.

I take her hand, and we step up to the altar together. We exchange the wedding vows we wrote, and then I’m kissing her, pouring all the love I feel for her into my kiss.

We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together. She’s going to call me her teddy bear to make me laugh, and I’ll retaliate by calling her principessa. We’re going to share a bed and come together in passion. We’ll lie on the beach, stare atthe waves, and spend hours talking about our present, our future, and everything under the sun. And I hope that one day, when it’s time, we’ll build a family together.

The future stretches in front of me, bright and filled with promise. I take Rosa’s hand in mine, and we step forward into it. Together.

Thank you for readingThe Fixer.

More Leo & Rosa?!I’ve put together some bonus content exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. There’s a great deleted scene where Leo visits a button store with Rosawith disastrous results!Plus Rosa’s Milan Fashion Week debut & Leo & Rosa’s wedding vows!Sign up to read it.

Want more Venice mafia?

Lucia and Antonio fall in love in The Thief, which kicks off with Lucia stealing a painting from Antonio. Read this mafia hero+art thief heroine romance with second chance vibes today!

Valentina and Dante banter, hack, and stab their way to love in The Broker. Enemies-to-lovers, with a mafia hero and a single mom hacker heroine? Yes please.