Page 149 of Massimo

I slip my arm through his, my heart swelling with more love and gratitude to have him beside me. As we walk out of the room, I ask, “Do you think the cake will be okay?”

He and I made it—well, mostly Jerome did, but I helped. I've discovered that I love cooking and baking, even if I’m nowhere near great at it.

He chuckles. “I’ve already caught Vito and Creed trying to sneak pieces from it.”

A giggle escapes me. “Well, I guess it's got the formal stamp of Santoro approval.”

We step out of the room and into the wide, expansive hallway, lined with paintings and sculptures. The home is elegant and luxurious, but it's warm and welcoming. It's not a display of wealth or power—it's a home filled with love.

As we pass a gilded mirror, I catch our reflection and gently squeeze Jerome’s arm. “Thank you for walking me down the aisle.”

“Nathaniel would’ve been happy to,” Jerome says, glancing down at me.

Nathaniel and I have been getting to know each other, but he’s not quite family yet—not part of the found family I have with the Santoros.

“It was you or no one.”

My words make the old man beam.

We walk in silence, the low murmur of guests drifting in through the open windows. The crystal chandelier catches the sunlight, and I'm struck with the similarity to my life now. It's filled with so much light—so much possibility—where before it was only a dark prison.

Laughter from outside reminds me of our purpose here, and with each step, my heart pounds faster. If Massimo wasn’t waiting for me at the end of this aisle, I’d run at the thought of being in front of all these people, at the center of attention.

For years, I was put on display by my father as the Mancini Princess, and it's a harsh reminder of his brutal lessons and all the ways he conditioned and controlled me.

Jerome pats my hand, and I realize my nails are digging into his forearm. “Just focus on Massimo, Nova.”

I take a deep breath and ease my grip as we step through the terrace doors.

The quartet shifts the song to play a soft, melodic tune.

Everyone outside rises and turns to look at us.

But all I see is Massimo.

He stands at the end of the aisle, tall and broad, impossibly handsome, and radiating power. He wears a custom-cut black tuxedo that hugs his frame perfectly, with a crisp white shirt and a black silk tie. His dark hair is neatly smoothed back—which I will gladly mess up later—and his deep brown eyes devour me. Within them, there's that insatiable hunger, but deeper than that is the well of reverence and love that he always looks at me with.

The crowd falls away as I walk to Massimo.

Some moments, I still struggle to believe this is my life now. That I've found a man who loves me so fiercely and who continues to help me heal. A monster and a beast who protects me from all others. And right now is one of those times—it feels surreal, almost unfathomable, and like it's a dream that I'll be cruelly woken up from.

But as I focus on Massimo and the love radiating from him, it grounds me, reminding me that this is real, and he is mine.

Once Jerome and I reach the end of the aisle, before he hands me off to my husband, Creed steps forward. I glance at Massimo in question, and he dips his chin with a smile—first at me, then at his brother.

Creed's light crystal-blue eyes are warm as he smiles at me. “In our family, it’s tradition for one of us to give a gift of our family's crest to our brother's chosen one. However, that wasn’t possible at your first wedding ceremony.”

He holds up a pendant on a delicate chain made with rose gold and platinum twisted together. The pendant is of their family crest—a shield divided into four quadrants: a tree with deep roots, interlocking rings, a rose entwined with olive branches, and a lion’s head.

“May I?” Creed asks.

Tears mist my eyes, and I nod. Massimo steps forward, lifting my hair off my shoulders, and Creed fastens the necklace around my neck.

“Welcome to the family, Nova.”

“Thank you, Creed,” I whisper.

Massimo takes his place again at the front, then holds out his hand, ready for Jerome to 'give me away' to him. Jerome embraces me, then passes me off to Massimo.

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