Page 10 of Their Forever

Marco had sacrificed for our family so many times, and those days were behind us. I wouldn’t allow him to put himself last ever again.

Joseph seemed to have the same thing in mind. “No, you should marry her, Marco. You deserve this.”

Yes, my fierce protector deserved love and acceptance. Not everyone would understand our relationship, but if they couldn’t accept all of us, then I didn’t care what they thought.

Not even if it was my dad.

I tossed my hair over my shoulder in staunch refusal of their offers and squeezed their hands in gentle reprimand. “We don’t need a piece of paper to prove our love,” I announced. “I won’t choose between you. Jayme is going to be the officiant at our wedding ceremony, and that’s what matters. All that matters is our love for one another.”

I looked at my father on the last, beseeching. I craved for him to understand, but if he chose to walk away, my men would hold me while I cried over the loss. With their support, I could endure anything.

My father blew out a long sigh. “In my line of work, I’ve seen enough unhealthy relationships. I know it when I see a good one.” His bright gaze held mine, and my heart twisted with tentative longing. “I wasn’t expecting this,” he said gruffly. “I can’t say that this is the life I thought my daughter would have. But I love you, Ashlyn. If this is what makes you happy—if they make you happy—then I want to be here for you.” His attention swept my men. “I want to know you. Both of you.”

“Will you…” I barely dared to ask the question. “So you’ll come to the wedding?”

His chest puffed up, affronted. “I’m walking you down the aisle. I’m your father, aren’t I? That’s my job.”

“Oh!” My chest hitched on a soft sob as relief flooded me. “Thank you. You don’t know what that means to me.”

My dad was accepting me, my life choices. He might not ever fully understand me, and I definitely wasn’t living the life he’d planned for me. But he loved me. He was choosing to let go of his vision for my future and be part of my unconventional life.

He blinked hard, clearing away his own tears. “And I’ll give your mom a call. I know you don’t speak much, but she should be at the wedding too. I’ll explain the situation to her and will ask her to get in touch with you.”

“Really?” I breathed, hardly daring to believe his promise. I hadn’t decided if I could muster up the courage to explain everything to my distant mother.

He offered me a watery smile. “Really. I love you, Ashlyn. I would do anything for you. I hope you know that.”

“I…” I hadn’t known that. I’d only ever focused on his high expectations for me, only seen my shortcomings in his eyes. But maybe I’d been keeping him in the dark about my hopes and dreams because I’d been scared of his disapproval. Maybe I hadn’t allowed him to truly know me as an adult because I’d been worried about him rejecting me.

“I love you, Dad,” I promised. “Will you stay for dinner?”

He’d said he wanted to get to know Marco and Joseph, but I could let him get to know me too; the real me. Not the sunny, distant version of myself I usually offered him.

Warmth glowed in my chest, filling my heart with nearly painfully bright intensity. This was the start of a new chapter in my life, a new beginning for my family. I would marry the men I loved, and my father would walk me down the aisle. Everything was like a wonderful, impossible dream.

I’d never been happier in my life.

ChapterFive

ASHLYN

Two Months Later

“Ican’t believe you’re getting married in two days!” Jayme exclaimed, clicking her prosecco glass against mine.

Kelsey, my new friend from my job at the gallery, mirrored her action. “To the bride and grooms!” The flashing lights from the nearby dancefloor shined on her pale pink hair, making her seem to glow like a fairy.

“I’m so glad you could come to the wedding.” I slung my arm around her shoulders in a quick hug. We hadn’t known one another long, but Kelsey was fully supportive of my relationship, and we loved nerding out over art together.

“I wasn’t going to miss it.” She beamed at me. “Getting to see my friend marry two hot menanda trip to Italy? Heck yes!”

The wedding would be small, especially since we were having the ceremony abroad, but I didn’t need a huge gathering to witness our union. Sorrento was the perfect place to get married—the place where we’d survived so much and come out stronger than ever.

A server arrived and placed a fresh bottle of prosecco on our small table, removing the one we’d emptied.

“Oh, we didn’t order another one,” Jayme said, even though she eyed the bottle with interest. “We were about to go back to our hotel.”

“It’s from them,” the server explained with a nod to our right.

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