Page 96 of Luka

“Mila, it’s fine. We’re already married.”

“Not in my family’s eyes,” she says, real worry filtering into her voice.

By “family,” she means her mother. Leo isn’t coming. He does seem to be doing okay if Mila is to be believed, but understandably, he isn’t speaking to Luka. Even if he was coming, though, Mila would still only be talking about her mother.

In the three months that we’ve been back, Mila and I have grown close, and frankly, she’s been a godsend. She helped plan this entire wedding, plus took me dress shopping for the wedding we had in Mexico and went to it despite the obvious discomfort she must’ve felt being aroundmyfamily. She and Vitaly have been incredible.

Her mother, however, is still her mother. We’ve seen her once since getting back to Vegas, and it was as strained and tense an interaction as I could have imagined. I’m almost glad for it with how cold my father is to Luka. It’s safe to say our parents are not our biggest supporters… Yet. Maybe someday they’ll come around. But if not, our siblings are truly the only family we need anyway.

Well …almost.

I sigh and look toward the hall as if Luka will appear, but I know he won’t. Not yet.

“I’m just going to check on him.” I start toward the hall.

“What?” Mila asks, following my gaze as if I could be talking about anyone else. “You can’t. You’re in your dress.”

I look back at her. “It’s fine. I’ll tell him to close his eyes.” She starts to say something, but I leave before it can register and find the guest room assigned for him to get ready in. I give the door a gentle knock before opening it.

Luka has his phone pressed to his ear, but after a pause, he yanks it down and redials. He brings it to his ear and tries to smile at me, but it’s so forced that it looks sad.

“Hey, Peach. I’m just going to be another minute, all right? I promise. I’ll be right there.”

I frown. “Still no luck?”

He shakes his head and lowers his phone, redials, then puts it to his ear. I go to him and place my hand on his wrist. At my touch, he lowers the phone.

“I love you. You know that, right?” I ask, running my hands up his arm then over his chest.

He forces a chuckle. “Well, we’re here, aren’t we?”

“Right. And I’ve known you, what,four months? Arseni has loved you for years. That doesn’t just go away. Even if he isn’t here today, he’ll come around. Youhaveto give him space … and time.”

“It’s been three months.”

“You don’t get to decide how long someone hurts. Whether it’s three days, three months, or threeyears, you don’t get to tell him when it’s been long enough.”

Luka pauses for several seconds, as if considering it, but finally, he nods. “You’re right… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Iloveyou… Now let me marry you again.”

He smiles tightly and kisses me on the lips, a mistake considering how much lipstick I’m wearing. When he pulls away, I rub the maroon color off his lips and press myself against him.

He’s happy. I know he’s happy. He laughs more than I ever would’ve thought capable, and not just when he’s being cruel.He fucks me with passion that he swears he never knew possible until me.

And when we lay tangled together at night, he jokes with me, he talks to me, and sometimes, he tells me all his deepest fears, his darkest secrets. It’s those times when I feel closest to him. When I feel like he’s my best friend, and I’m his closest confidant. He is my exhilarating high, and I am his safe place.

But it’s also these times that I feel the pain of his loss, and I see no matter how good of a friend I am to him, no matter how much teasing I tolerate or sometimes enjoy… I’ll never be Arseni. I’ll never be his best friend the same way he is mine.

I didn’t think I would be capable of missing the slimy, psychopathic bastard, but for my husband’s sake, I wish he’d come around. Even if it’s just for this wedding. Sometimes I even wish Luka and Arseni were still guards just so the two men would be forced to be in the same vicinity. Vitaly has taken Luka under his wing these last few months while Nikita, the previous Pakhan, seems to have needed Arseni more and more. At Arseni’s request, I’m sure. It’s created an even greater rift between his and Luka’s worlds.

Luka leaves the house to head for the lake as the sky darkens, and I wait another few minutes before I follow after.

I smile at two of my sisters, free from the compound for a short while, as I walk the aisle on red colored rose petals. I’m happy they get to be away, if for only a day. I’m not sure if me leaving softened my father or made him even more protective of my sisters. But he let the eldest two come, knowing it means the world to me.

As my feet kick up a pedal that kisses my toes, I wonder if the flowers came from the infamous garden. I wish I could’ve shown it to Maria, my botany-loving sister. I almost asked if we could hold the wedding there, but it felt too awkward to broach the subject. Mila has done an incredible job here anyway. I can feelher love in every detail, every ribbon-adorned chair, every flower filling the arch.

When I step up to Luka, I take his hand and smile as the minister begins his speech. My smile slips as I spot people in the distance walking this way. I move my gaze to them, and even from here, even with the darkening sky, I can tell one of the men is Arseni. He walks with a bounce in his step, a sharp contrast to the man next to him walking with a cane.

---