Page 102 of A Seed Of Peril

“That’s so pretty,” Katrina admired.

“This is yours,” I reminded Bianca.

She shook her head. “You wear it. Please.”

Smiling, I nodded.

“Take my silver bracelet, too, honey. That can be the old.”

“What about blue and new?” Katrina asked.

Bianca and I shared a knowing look.

“I already have the new,” I cryptically said. Katrina brought her eyebrows together. I brushed my hand across her cheek. “I’ll explain after the ceremony.” I swept some of her hair over her shoulder, tucking it behind her ear. “Maybe they have a blue flower here somewhere.”

“I’ll go check!” she said, but Bianca stopped her before she could leave.

“Let’s finish getting ready. We still need to get Lilith into her dress.”

Show time.

* * *

“Just takeit one step at a time,” Bianca advised. With my arm hooked around hers, I squeezed her arm tight, like if I let go, it would all fall apart.

“I’m really regretting that bottle of water.”

My gut twisted in unforgiving knots as the processional boomed through the speakers. I stared down at my open-toed flats, my mouth becoming dry at the idea of being the center of attention. Cold feet. I knew it was ridiculous. I loved this man. I would’ve taken a million bullets for him. Jumped in front of a moving train. So, why was the thought of repeating vows of love and honor the scariest thing in the world right now?

I heard his professions of love for me. Read his letter, which I kept secured in my journal. I saw how much he came out of his shell and knocked down his walls, how entering his life made him search deep within himself to see the man that was there all along just beneath the surface of the monster he swore to be. That he swore I should’ve run from. Joke was on him… I never saw a monster. I was never afraid—well, once it was establishedwhyhe snatched me out of New York. He could’ve skipped the sedative, but that was neither here nor there.

I saw a man in pain from the beatings of life and the absence of endearment. He had a hard time seeing the truths outside of that morally corrupt bubble, and when he had to face how I felt about him and how I saw him, he also had to face the bullshit fed to him by those with agendas against his best interests.

That saving grace was also mine.

Sunlight that any photographer would’ve killed to score on such a special occasion brought out the beauty of Versailles Gardens on Paradise Island. We agreed on marrying in the Bahamas, though not without worry of just having an outdoor wedding. I didn’t want to exchange vows in a church. That would’ve felt more insincere than me wearing a white dress… But I couldn’t ignore the strapless ivory, satin, Maggie Sottero gown when I saw it. With a crisscross bodice, it was to die for. The thigh-length slit on the left side was the perfect touch of naughtiness for my taste. I chose what was described as a garden-inspired, chapel-length veil to go with my dress, the floral lace fitting. I threw in a pair of satin, fingerless, ivory gloves for extra flare.

A staff member signaled that it was my turn to walk the aisle, and my heart could’ve exploded from my chest then and there. My pulse raced. My temperature rose. I started to quake like I was cold.

“Please don’t let me fall.”

Bianca gently squeezed my hand. We looked at each other, her reassuring eyes a comfort.

“I’ve got you. Just hold on to me, and you’ll be okay. There's nothing to be afraid of.” We took our first steps forward, sights ahead, when she added, “Not today.”

We passed many tiers of eye-popping gardens and more manicured landscape. The lush grass and gardens stretched out through the piece of property where the ceremony was being held. The tropical trees and flowers gave it a nice, pleasing twist.

Just ahead stood a decorated, flower-drenched, giant, stone archway. Ancient stone statues were scattered about, adding to the glorious backdrop. Various lily ponds gave the grounds an added oomph.

When we rounded the corner, all the guests, ranging from our entire staff and their families to the other two families of New Jersey, stood up from their chairs.

But the only beautiful sight I could focus on—that stole my breath—was Dominic. Wearing a black suit with thin, red pinstripes, a rose in his lapel, he stood watching me with his hands clasped together at his waist. His hair was gelled back, and the closer I got to the platform, the more it looked like he was about to cry.

His brothers, starting with Dino as his best man, stood in formation behind him. They looked strapping in their tuxedos, all of them inevitablystrappedas well. Bianca stood on the bride’s side as my maid of honor, alongside Katrina, who accepted the role of both my bridesmaid and flower girl. To some, the inadequacy of how many were in my party versus Dominic’s was off-putting, but I didn’t want to just throw anyone into those sacred roles. If I had an uneven number, then so be it.

The guests smiled and awed over me and my mother-in-law as we trekked further down the red-carpeted aisle. Pink, white, and red rose petals decorated the aisle runner and the stone archway I would soon be standing beneath.

My son behaved in my hold, his arms around my neck, looking out at the crowd.

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