Page 141 of 7+Us Makes Nine

I’d been so busy getting myself together, I hadn’t had time to actually observe how the rest of my bridal party looked. I hadn’t even been around to help them pick out the bridesmaid dresses, but Angela had been in charge of that, and from the looks of it, she’d done an excellent job. Her dress was beautiful, and I could tell that it was the kind of dress that was figure-flattering for anyone who wore it.

“That dress is lovely, Angela. Thanks for helping get the bridesmaids together.”

“No problem, darling. The rest of the girls should be here any minute.”

“All our guests are here too. So, it’ll be time for things to get started shortly,” Daddy said, checking his watch.

Even though I was looking forward to it, butterflies began to float through my stomach.

Just as Angela had predicted, the rest of the bridesmaids—which included Jessica, Maria, and three of my cousins, began to make their way over. Within moments of their arrival, the room filled with excited chatter and Daddy drifted off to take a seat in the corner. Clearly, there was too much estrogen in the room for him.

When it was time to line up and get ready to enter for the ceremony, Mama showed up.

She looked stunning, having found the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress. It was a royal purple tea-length number with spaghetti straps and an elegant shawl that hung over her shoulders. She stopped before me, clearly trying not to cry. Wordlessly, she gently grabbed my face and kissed each side of my cheeks. And then she turned to my father, giving him a quick smooch on the lips before exiting to be escorted into the ceremony alongside with Giovanni’s parents.

I had expected to take in each detail of the ceremony, but as the bridesmaids and groomsmen began to march in, everything began to go by in a blur.

“You’re shaking, sweetie. Are you all right?” Daddy said.

I smiled and nodded and held on to his arm a little more firmly.

Before I knew it, all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen had made their way inside, and the music designated specifically for my entrance began to play. Daddy and I slowly moved forward, making it to the entrance.

All of our guests stood, and all eyes were on us. On me…

I swallowed, and Daddy and I began to march inside.

People oohed and ahhed. Cameras flashed left and right. And in my periphery, I could see the hired professional photographer trailing our every step, documenting it with the camera.

It was astounding that such a beautiful setup had been created in such a short amount of time.

Feeling the butterflies in my stomach growing, I decided to let everything fade into the background. That’s when my eyes finally landed on Giovanni.

He had been handsome from the moment I first laid eyes on him, but nothing could compare to how breathtaking he looked standing at the altar in his tuxedo, waiting for me to step by his side. His hair was sleek and shiny, and hung in a low-slung ponytail. His facial hair was trimmed to perfection. And his amber eyes sparkled as those deep dimples of his slowly came forward with the smile that came over his face when our eyes locked.

As a child, I had never quite seen the face of my future husband when I imagined my wedding. Yet, one look at Giovanni Romano let me know that he was the man of my dreams all along.

When we reached the end of the aisle, the priest smiled. “Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?” he asked.

“I do,” my father said. He then leaned down, kissing each of my cheeks just as my mother had. Then he parted ways, to stand at my mother’s side in the front row.

I took my rightful place beside Giovanni, who gripped my hand and interlaced his fingers through mine.

The priest spoke some more, but I could hardly pay attention to his words, for I was too focused on the feeling of Giovanni’s hand in mine.

I thought back to when we first met, and he saved me from that guy at the nightclub. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be marrying him not long afterward. Fate was certainly funny sometimes.

My thoughts were interrupted when finally, it was time for Gio and me to take our vows.

The priest cleared his throat dramatically and then spoke loud and clear. “Do you, Giovanni Romano, take Arianna Marino, for your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?”

Giovanni smiled and gazed into my eyes. “I do.”

“And do you, Arianna Marino, take Giovanni Romano, for your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?”

“I do,” I said. With the utterance of those two words, it suddenly felt like the biggest weight had been lifted off my shoulders. All the turbulence Giovanni and I had experienced leading up to this day no longer mattered. All of the doubts and mistrust I’d felt disappeared. We were married, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

We exchanged rings, which were a beautiful set that had once belonged to Giovanni’s grandparents.

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