Page 117 of Love Without Control

To my surprise, Dane dipped his fingertips in the holy water font and crossed himself before pulling me forward into the nave. The church was stunning in shades of white with dark wood pews and huge arches near the ceiling, which was so tall, I had to crane my neck to see the top. My gaze roamed slowly, taking in the beautiful side altars and landing on a majestic painting in an intricate stucco frame above the altar.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“Indeed.” Dane kissed the top of my head and said, “Wait here for a minute,” before he headed up the center aisle. When he got to the front, he turned to face me and nodded.

Okaaay, I guess we were getting married. As soon as I started walking up the aisle, he held up his phone, and I heard “Here Comes the Bride” from his speakers. I felt a little silly and reckless, walking in off the street and traipsing down the aisle of an ancient church to marry the man who I already called my husband. But I loved the spontaneity of the moment, so I went with it.

Dane’s grin was wide and boyish, and I found myself striding more quickly, not staying in time with the slow tune at all. When I reached him, he took both of my hands, and we stared at each other with goofy grins until the music ended.

“Benvenuto,” a scratchy voice said, and we both startled slightly as we turned our heads to find a very old priest standing in front of the altar, only a couple feet away. We’d apparently been so lost in each other, we hadn’t heard his approach. He had deep wrinkles on either side of his mouth that indicated he smiled a lot, and two furrows between his brows told me he probably scrunched them together while in prayer.

I dipped my head respectfully toward the man, allowing Dane to do the talking since his Italian was way better than mine.

“Ciao, padre.” He said a few more things I didn’t catch, but I assumed he was telling the priest we were already married because he held up our hands so he could see our rings.

“Ah, continua,” the old man said before handing Dane a pristine white rose with a trimmed stem and giving him a wink. My husband took the flower and tucked it behind my ear.

“He wants us to continue.” He smiled nervously and said, “Maybe I didn’t think this all the way through. I would have prepared something brilliant and romantic to say.”

I laughed and rubbed my thumb over his wedding band. “I’ll go first. I’m pretty good at talking, though I’m not making any promises that it will blow your drawers off.”

“You do have the gift of gab, Wildcat.”

He wasn’t lying. “Okay, here goes.” I swallowed hard and began. “We didn’t have the typical beginning to a romance. There was no meet-cute where we bumped into each other in a coffee shop and I spilled my coffee on your suit just before you had an important business meeting.”

Dane chuckled. “Accurate.”

“I thought you were my poison, but it turns out… you’re my perfect antidote. You healed me, Dane. Every single day, you made me better. Every single day, you were there. You never let me feel alone, and I’m so happy and proud to be your wife. I love you, Dane Osbourne.” I lifted his left hand and kissed his wedding ring before saying the words he had inscribed on the inside of mine. “In the light and in the darkness… I choose you.”

“Wow, babe,” he said, his eyes shiny with emotion. “Not sure how to follow that. I’m going to sound like a bumbling idiot.”

A giggle escaped me, and I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Newsflash: I’ll love you anyway.”

His shoulders straightened, and he closed the rest of the distance between us, resting his hands on my waist. “I think I started falling for you the first time I saw you. It was a video that turned my stomach, but then I saw two blue eyes, a stubborn, pretty little mouth, and two middle fingers. You had me then, Eden. You captured my heart, and I don’t ever want it back.”

His voice clogged a little and I rested my hands on his chest, my right one directly over his heart. It was beating a rapid tempo beneath my palm. “Good, because it’s mine now, and you’re not getting it back.”

“You are my everything, Eden Osbourne, and I love all your sides. Soft and strong. Sweet and sassy. I never knew how lonely my life was until I found your love. You fill me up, and I will always choose you.” Then, like I had done to him, he took my hand and lifted it to kiss my ring before repeating the inscription in perfect Italian. “Nella luce e nell’oscurità, scelgo te.”

We stared at each other for a long while, a single tear escaping down my cheek as its mirror twin slid down Dane’s. Then another hand closed over ours, and we both swiveled our heads to look into the sweet face of the priest.

“Il matrimonio è un'alleanza. Invoco su di voi le benedizioni di Dio. Puoi baciare la tua sposa,” he intoned, his voice quiet but strong.

My Italian may have been a little rusty, but I recognized that last part. He’d told Dane to kiss his bride. And he did. With a sweep of his arm beneath my lower back, my husband dipped me low and kissed me with a passion that was probably a bit scandalous, given the setting.

His other hand cradled the back of my head, making me feel safe and loved, even though I was bent backward almost in half. Our tongues tangled, and I wove my hands into his slightly damp hair until he finally pulled back with a soft peck and lifted me upright.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been kissing, but there was no sign of the priest. Before I could think too much on it, my husband scooped me into his arms—bridal style, of course—and ran up the aisle. We were both laughing like maniacs, even when we made it outside the beautiful church to find that the evening sky had opened up and was dumping its contents all over Treviso.

“Put me down, and let’s run together in the rain,” I ordered, and Dane dropped me to my feet, grasping my hand in his. It felt warm compared to the coolness of the rain, and we ran back to the hotel, laughing like little kids on an adventure. When we reached the columned portico at the front, we shook the wetness from our hair as the uniformed doorman looked on with an indulgent smile.

“Buona sera, Signore e Signora Osbourne,” he said, handing us two plush white towels from a rack beside the gold and glass double doors.Talk about service…

We returned his greeting and graciously accepted the cloths before doing our best to pat off the worst of the soaking we’d endured. “Come on, Wildcat,” Dane said, tossing our towels in the wicker hamper provided outside the entrance. “Let’s go consummate our marriage.”

“You realize we’ve slept together many times, right? Or have you forgotten?” I teased quietly as our feet squished over the fine Carrara marble floor.

We entered the lift and the elevator operator pressed the button for our floor without us having to tell him. Dane’s breath was warm against my chilled skin when he bent to whisper, “I remember every second I’ve ever been inside your perfect pussy, wife. The feel of you wrapped around me will be the last thought in my head before I die, but I want to give you the wedding night you deserve.” His words only induced more chills, and it had nothing to do with the cool air hitting my damp skin.

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