Page 64 of Bratva Bride

My bedroom door opened once again and this time Aleksandr and Nikolai walked through. They were dressed in similar tuxedos to Lukyan, the only difference being the colour. Aleksandr's was dark blue with a black bow tie, and Nikolai's was light grey but he chose to forgo the bow tie, preferring the open collared look. Their eyes landed on me and they both gave me a broad smile, helping quell some of my nerves.

Aleksandr stepped forward first, stretching his arms out and embracing me in a tight hug. "You look beautiful, little sister," he whispered into my hair.

I leaned my head against his massive chest and breathed in his comforting scent. Nikolai and Lukyan moved to hug me as well, all three of them encasing me in one big bear hug.

"Thank you. All of you." I raised my head and looked at my three older brothers.

There truly wasn’t a stronger bond in a family than siblings. Brothers were a gift from the heart, a friend to the spirit, and a protector of all.

"Are you ready?" Nikolai asked as I stepped back and looked into the mirror once more.

I smiled, trying to banish the last little bit of nerves running through my body. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Aleksandr and Nikolai both offered me an arm, and I looped one arm through each of theirs and let them lead me out of the room with Lukyan following close behind.

An assortment of beautiful coloured flower petals covered the ground as I made my way downstairs. An array of floral decorations adorned the house as we walked through, the entire floor devoid of any other living soul apart from us.

With each step I took, I could feel my nerves coming back. Could feel my body start to shake and sweat roll down my back.

Relax. Breathe. You're going to be fine.

We entered the kitchen to find my father standing tall and proud next to the double glass sliding door that led to the patio outside. A large black curtain covered the entire length and width of the door, obscuring the view outside.

My father’s eyes snapped to me as we walked in and he froze. For a terrifying second, I feared he was angry I chose to wear my mother's dress. But as he walked towards me, I could see the emotion on his face. Something he always tried so hard to hide.

A single tear escaped his eyes and ran down his cheek as he stood in front of me. He raised a hand, softly tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "You look so much like your mother," he whispered, sadness lacing his thick Russian accent.

I smiled, trying to speak but all that came out was a whimper. "I wish she was here."

His chin trembled slightly, his eyes moistening as he looked at me. "Me too." He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. For a moment we all stood in silence, remembering the amazing woman that influenced us all.

After a few seconds, he stepped back and cleared his throat. "Here we go. You ready,moja doch'?"He offered me his arm and I looped my own arm through his, smiling.

"Ready."

Aleksandr and Nikolai moved to the glass sliding doors in unison. As Aleksandr reached for the handle, his arctic blue eyes shot to me for one last confirmation, and I nodded.

He simultaneously opened the door and pulled back the curtain, revealing our large outdoor patio that was filled with people. I tried to ignore them all, my eyes honing in on the handsome figure at the end of the aisle. He stood beneath a tall floral arch, with Vincenzo at his side.

The theme for my wedding was clearly floral. Flowers of all different types were decorating every piece of furniture you could see. The ground was littered with rose petals of all different colours and the beauty of it took my breath away, even though I wasn’t an overly big flower girl. Tatiana did an amazing job. No wonder she kept asking me to pick fucking flowers.

A makeshift aisle was made leading directly from the door to where Arturo stood. Beautiful white chairs were placed on either side, each one occupied with a member of our families. I caught a glimpse of the twins, dressed in sharp, black suits and Lorenzo on the groom’s side. Christian and Luca both gave me a thumbs up while Lorenzo smiled reassuringly.

'Ocean Eyes' by Billie Eilish started to play, and everyone who was seated immediately rose to their feet.

My father gripped my arm tightly and began leading me down the aisle.

As we got closer, I took in Arturo’s appearance.

Dear God, how is one man this fucking handsome?!

He wore a stunning dark red Brioni suit with a black tie. It was tailored to fit his build perfectly, accentuating those hard-earned muscles and broad shoulders. His dark hair was kept short and styled neatly. When we locked eyes, his lips curved into that sly, sexy smirk that made me weak in the knees. His gorgeous multi-coloured eyes sparkled, his emerald green eye and electric blue eye drawing me in instantly. I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to.

My heart was beating a million miles a minute. If it wasn't for the fact my father was holding my arm, I knew my legs would have given out by now.

He just looked so, damn, fiiiiiiiiiiine. The edges of his tattoos peaked out of his suit, giving off that 'dangerous, bad boy' vibe that made me so fucking wet. What I wouldn’t give to rip that suit off his body and fuck him right now.

Turns out being turned on helped quell my nerves. Who knew?

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