Page 105 of Beautiful Vows

A gentle breeze caresses my cheek, carrying with it the faintest hint of a scent I can't quite place, but it’s something familiar.

For a moment, I swear I hear a whisper in the wind. I turn on my knees again, but it's gone before I can be sure.

Dante, Rafe, and Cade are at a respectful distance, and our bodyguards blend into the background. Dante notices my sudden demeanor and strides ahead.

Again, my fingertips follow the curves and lines of each letter.

Sadness washes over me as I read her birth date and date of her death. A single tear rolls down my cheek, knowing it’s real.

My heart sinks.

I close my eyes as Dante kneels next to me, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“Is she dead?” It seems stupid, but right now, she feels so alive.

Is this what it feels like to be close to her?

Even in death, is my mother watching over me?

“Yes.” Dante presses a kiss on my temple.

I blink hard and when I open my eyes; the sensation of being watched fades, but a warmth remains in my chest.

My mother may be gone, but a part of her lives on—in me, in this place, in the very air around us.

Rafe and Cade hold a hand out each for me to take.

I stand, brushing off my knees.

My three men hold me in the middle of them, peppering kisses on my head, my cheek, my lips, and I fall in love with them just a little harder.

When I wake in the middle of the night, I push off the bed in silence. The cool wooden floors creak softly under my bare feet as I pad through the silent house.

Outside, the crisp night air carries the faint gurgle of the stream at the bottom of the garden, and in the distance, the silhouettes of the Swiss mountains loom against the star-speckled sky.

My childhood memories have awoken. It’s funny what the mind remembers.

This place, for instance, I remember the stream that runs through the bottom of the garden. The rolling Swiss mountains in the distance. And I remember playing here as a child.

But I don’t remember her.

And that saddens me to my very core.

My foot falters when I see Rafe's figure outlined by the moonlight ahead. He sits on the bench, lost in thought. My brows furrow as I approach, the dewy grass tickling my toes.

"Are you okay?" I ask. My breath forms mist in the chilly air.

"Perfect, baby." He brushes a thumb over my lips. My eyelids flutter closed at how divine his touch feels.

"Why are you out here?"

"Because I know you've been coming out here the past few mornings. I wanted to be here for you."

Tears coat my eyes as I rest my head on his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent of sandalwood and musk. "Thank you."

"You wanted to find her here, didn't you?"

I nod, my cheek rubbing against the soft fabric of his shirt. "Antonio spoke of her like she was alive. I just hoped..."

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