Page 104 of A Seed Of Peril

I lowered my head, fighting to find more courage. Dominic slipped his fingers beneath my chin and tilted my head back so I had to look at him.

“Don’t be nervous. Just focus on me.” He then lowered his arm.

Blowing out a breath, I did the best I could.

“Dominic, I’ve never heard such sweeter words in my life other than when you tell me you love me. You make me smile every second of every day. When I first saw you… I was just aweebit freaked out, but when I got to know you… The real you… I saw the side I know most rarely get to see, if at all. And that’s a man of integrity, honor, and quite the romantic, if I do say so myself.”

Our guests got a kick out of that last line.

“Your love knows no bounds. You bend over backward for those you love, and even though you run a successful business, you always have time for me, Vincenzo,” I placed my other hand on my belly, revealing my surprise, “and for our soon-to-be bundle of joy.”

As the crowd gasped and erupted into cheers and clapping, Dino freaking out like a kid on Christmas morning. Dominic’s mouth fell open in shock, his eyes lit with joy.

Once the crowd quieted, I finished up.

“You are my soulmate. You and our children are my reason for waking up in the morning. My reason for putting my best foot forward every day. My reason for living. I didn’t fall in love with you; Iwalkedinto love with you. Well, okay, maybe we didn’t see eye to eye atfirst,”—we chuckled at my inside joke—“but I believe in fate and destiny, and what I believe the most is that we’re fated to do the things we choose, no matter what. And I’d choose you in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, and in any version of reality. I constantly choose you again and again when I wake up and when I fall asleep. I happily choose you to succeed with and to fight and make up with and to love and grow old with.

“I promise to love and cherish you, to stand by you through thick and thin, and every bleepin’ thing in between. I promise to be your one and only, your lover and your friend, to endure until the end. I promise to listen to you and nurture you, to share and never ever give up on you, to fulfill your every need the best I can, and walk beside you hand in hand. I promise to help you continue to succeed, to give you your room to grow, and to tend to you when you’re sick. I’ll build you up when you’re low.” I took a breath and gathered my final thoughts. “Dominic Matteo Rosini, you are my rock. You are my lover. You are my best friend. You are an amazing father. You are truly heaven sent. I love you so much and always will. And I promise to always give you the last burnt pieces of bacon whenever I make it.”

Laughter filled the air.

As Janet reined in her own fit of laughter, she said a few more words and then announced the most beautiful words of all.

“Family, friends, and everyone here today, I now pronounce Dominic and Lilith husband and wife. Mr. Rossini, you may kiss your bride.”

Cheers broke out along with a standing ovation as Dominic placed his palm on the small of my back and dipped me, passionately kissing me, cradling my belly with his other hand.

“I love you, Dominic Matteo,” I said, playfully taking his lip between my teeth.

“And I love you, Mrs. Rosini.”

Our tongues danced a slow version of the tango. “You’re absolutely stunning, by the way,” he added, devouring me with his eyes. He cockily lifted his brow, hinting at a night I may never forget.

“Mommy!”

Vincenzo raced over to us, running into my legs and grabbing on. His daddy picked him up and kissed his cheek.

“Awe,” I gushed when our son snuggled up to Dominic like he did with me earlier, resting his face against Dominic’s shoulder.

As we strolled in wedded bliss past the various gardens, I couldn’t help but experience butterflies. I watched my husband smile with a newfound pride as he stared straight ahead, his boy in his arm.

He was the man I loved.

The man I still dreamed about to this day.

The man I now got to officially call my husband.

My heart skipped a beat, knowing I would truly get to spend the rest of my life with Dominic. That I would get to watch the grass grow out on the patio as we grew old together.

Dominic looked at me with adoration. “Io e te per sempre?” he crooned, smiling that sweet, sexy smile that still, to this day, made me weak in the knees.

“You and me forever, baby.”

Fate was a beautiful thing.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

“Excuse me,”Dominic said to me, taking his freshly-lit Marlboro and glass of Johnnie Walker with him outside to answer a phone call.

---