Page 145 of Dangerous King
She looks like a goddess walking toward me. My goddess. My queen.
"Breathe, man. Breathe." Toni mutters beside me.
I do, but it's ragged. Shaky. I feel like the air is too thick, too full of her.
She doesn't smile yet. Her lips are soft and serious, but her eyes are locked on mine, and in them I see everything: her love, her fear, her strength, her hope. That look says more than any vow ever could.
I fight the urge to run to her, to sweep her up, veil and all, and claim her with a kiss that would make this entire crowd blush. Every step she takes is a hammer to my self-control. My heart isn't beating—it's roaring. When she finally reaches me, her father presses a kiss to her temple and murmurs something I can't hear. I don't care. She's here. She's mine. Her hand slides into mine, and I swear, for a second, everything else disappears. No guests. No officiant. No enemies. Just her. Just us.
"Hi," she whispers.
I stare at her for a heartbeat too long before I manage to croak, "You look like sin in silk."
She blushes and laughs softly, a sound I want to wrap around myself and keep forever.
The officiant begins to speak, but I barely hear him. His voice is a blur in the distance, washed out by the thunder of my pulse, the sound of Cat's breath, the quiet rustle of her dress. My whole body is tense. Not with nerves, but with awe. With the weight of what this means. What she means.
The officiate saying my name brings me back to the present. He signals it's time for the vows. I nod slowly, turning fully to her, taking both her hands in mine. I didn't write anything down. I couldn't. Paper wouldn't survive what I feel for her.
I take a breath. The air is thick. The crowd is silent. And then I speak.
"Catalina," her name alone tastes like a vow. "I didn't know what I was missing until you jumped out of a tree and into my life. I thought I had everything I needed: plans, loyalty, and purpose. But you showed me what I didn't have. What I didn't even know was missing."
She's already blinking back tears. I squeeze her fingers gently. "You make me better. Stronger. You see the worst in me, yet you still choose to stay. Still look at me like I'm worth something more."
I pause, swallowing the knot in my throat. "I promise always to see you too. To listen. To grow. To be the man who deserves the fire and grace that is you."
She's trembling, and I catch the smile shining through her tears. "I can't promise we'll never fight. But I promise never to walk away. I can't promise a quiet life, but I promise you'll never face it alone. I will be beside you, every day, every night, for the rest of our lives."
I lift her hand and press a kiss to her knuckles. "You are my heart, Cat. My compass. My greatest pride. And today, I give you everything I am, freely and forever."
The world could end right here, and I'd be at peace because she's mine.
Cat lifts her eyes, and just like that, I can't breathe. She starts speaking, soft but steady, and the entire world falls away. "Enrico."
My name on her lips… it doesn't sound like a name. It sounds like a promise I don't deserve to hear. "When we met, I didn't know what safety could feel like. Not really. I didn't know what it meant to beseen, or how powerful it could be to be chosen. By you."
I blink hard. My throat locks. God, if she only knew… if she only knew what it does to me to beseenby her.
"You've shown me what loyalty looks like. What devotion means. You've protected me when I needed protecting the most. And you never—not once—asked me to be anyone but myself."
My chest cracks wide open. Right there in front of everyone. She's saying these things like I'mgood.Like I'm worthy. Like I'm not just a man who's killed and bled and clawed his way through a world of shadows.
"I promise to never take that for granted. I promise to walk beside you, to hold your hand when it's hard, and to be your peace when the world is in turmoil. I promise to choose you every day, even on the days when life tries to pull us apart."
My jaw tightens. My grip on her hand turns possessive. My heart? Shredded.
"I promise to love you not because you're perfect, but because you'rereal.You're the first man who ever made me feel like I was more than just someone surviving. You made me feel… like I could bewhole.And with you, I am."
Whole.
Christ. She's talking aboutmelike I'm the miracle in this story. Like I'm the one who saved her. But I know the truth. It's the other way around.
"I'm proud to be yours, Enrico Sartori. Today. Tomorrow. And every day after."
She smiles at me through glossy eyes, and I swear to God, if I even try to speak right now, I'll break. Right here. In front of the entire family.How do I deserve this?How do I deserveher?
The answer hits like thunder behind my ribs. I don't.
