Page 61 of Angel's Forever

He placed one of his hands on my stomach before placing the other on all three of our hands. “You have all made my life and soul complete. I never knew what was missing from my life until you all came into mine. Nico, you have always been there for me whenever I needed you. Then when Gaby joined us, I thought my life was complete. Then, to my surprise, the one person who I thought could tear us apart brought us closer together: Gino. And now we have a complete family on the way with our child. I don’t want this life to end. So I would love to commit myself to you.” He looked at Gino as he said the last words. “All of you.”

I had my answer. They had all agreed, and to my surprise all to each other. It couldn’t be more perfect.

“I guess I’m planning a commitment ceremony, then.”

Epilogue

GABRIELLA-ROSE

A YEAR HAD PASSED since the day we had found out that Vincent was gone from our lives. So much in our lives had changed, and so much remained the same. We were all still madly in love with each other. We had our differences now and then, but somehow, we managed to work through them together. We all had our moments when we needed to be alone, and each one of us respected that. Then there were times when we craved each other’s company. I had to say that I was the luckiest woman alive to have such a loving family around me.

The biggest change in our lives was the birth of our son, Hayden. It turned out that Nico was right. I had a healthy baby boy, and it was Hudson’s. Fate had also decided that he would be born on May tenth, a year to the day since Hudson purchased me for the weekend at Club Lust’s Night to Remember auction. I could definitely say that auction had lived up to its name because not only had it been a night to remember, but a whole year and probably a lifetime to remember.

However, today was going to be the biggest day of my life. It was our commitment ceremony. I would never be the blushing bride, but this was as close as I could get with the three men I loved. Although we wouldn’t be pronounced man and wife at the end of it, my thoughts on the day were the same. Today, we would all be committing our lives to each other.

I had chosen a relatively plain ivory mermaid dress that hugged my curves and then went out into a train. Even though this wasn’t a wedding, I still wanted to feel like the blushing bride as I walked down toward my men. I had also asked Viktor if he would walk me down to them. I didn’t know my father, and Viktor was the closest I had. I couldn’t think of anyone better to do it. I was just finishing my makeup when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Viktor walked in. I thought he was going to burst into tears when he saw me.

“Malyshka, you look beautiful. A true princess. I think it’s time for me to take you to your princes, don’t you?”

I nodded my head, and we made our way down the stairs and out into the back garden to head toward the marquee where we were getting married. I was just about to start my journey toward my men through the marquee entrance when Viktor stopped me.

“Just before we go in there, I have someone who wants to meet you.”

From around the corner, a tall man wearing a hood walked over to us. I didn’t need to be told who it was. I knew instantly that this had to be TD, the Shadow Devil.

He stood in front of me and took my hand, raising it to his lips, and pressed a kiss to it. I couldn’t see his face very clearly, but the hardness seemed to fade when he pressed his lips to my skin. His thick Russian accent, although harsh in sound, was caring as he spoke.

“You look even more beautiful than Viktor described you. I am guessing you know who I am. If not, my friends call me TD, and I would like you to count yourself among them. I won’t take up much of your time, and I will not stay for long. I’m sure you can understand why.”

I wanted to say so much to this man standing in front of me. By finding me, he had saved both my life and Hayden’s. I really couldn’t thank him enough.

“I just wanted to stop by today and wish you all the best for the future. I only arrived back from Russia this morning, so as I said, I cannot stay long. But I am sure that Viktor can arrange for us to meet again, somewhere more private so we can talk. I can see why this gruff bratva boss has fallen for you, though.”

He was about to go when I stopped him. I leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. I was sure I saw a slight blush, but I guessed a man like him didn’t get many signs of affection.

“Thank you, TD. Thank you for everything. I would love to spend some time with you and welcome you to my family. Because you belong as a part of it.”

A slight smile formed on his hard, chiseled face and he slipped away around the side of the building. I didn’t know if he would stay to watch the ceremony or just leave. However, if I never saw him again, at least I had a chance to thank him.

“Come on. They will be worried you have run away. Shall we?”

I walked along the path to where we were holding the ceremony and up between the rows of our friends and family to my knights, standing at the end in all their glory. Once I had arrived, Trent, who we had asked to be the officiant for today, started the ceremony.

“Welcome to all our beloved guests. We’re gathered here today to celebrate Hudson, Domenico, Gino, and Gabriella-Rose as they make their promise of love and commitment to one another.

“What a gift it is to find someone with whom to spend our life! Committing to share our brightest days and weather our darkest nights with someone is no small thing and cannot be done lightly.

“Commitment is about trust. It’s about patience, forgiveness, devotion, and hope. It’s what happens when a relationship becomes a home — a place of safety and love — to which each partner can return again and again.”

I listened to the words; every one of them was true. We had been through so much already, and I knew that there would be more difficult times ahead of us. I also knew there would be more joyous times ahead as we welcomed more lives into our family. For that, I was truly grateful. Trent first turned to Hudson.

“Do you, Hudson, promise to spend your life with Domenico, Gino, and Gabriella-Rose, meeting each new joy and sorrow together, continuing to deepen your understanding of them, treating them with kindness and compassion, and welcoming each new chapter of life together with a spirit of curiosity and patience?”

Hudson looked at us all and smiled. “I do.”

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