The door opened and Mrs. Mitchell wore a wide grin. "You look stunning, Ms. Rossi."
"Gabi, please call me Gabi."
She nodded then handed me a beautiful bouquet of white and red roses. The smell immediately hit me.
"Charity," I whispered. This was her small way of having a piece of her with me. Roses were her favorite.
"Did you need a few moments or are you ready to make your way down to the beach?"
I gulped. "Nic?"
"He's already down there."
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. "Of course he is. He was probably here at six thirty."
Mrs. Mitchell chuckled. "He was. I had to give him a shot of whiskey to calm his nerves."
My hand landed on my stomach as I tried to calm my own set of nerves. It felt like every nerve ending was tingling.
Lifting her brows, she asked, "Ready?"
I nodded. "Never been more."
My head was spinning. This was crazy! Insane! Twenty-four hours ago we were making love and now we're getting married. I couldn't stop the giggle if I had wanted to.
"Is that a nervous chuckle?"
Holding onto my bouquet of flowers tightly, I slowly shook my head. "No. It's a joyful chuckle. I don't think I'll ever be this happy again."
Mrs. Mitchell smiled wide and then she winked. "Trust me, you will be, if not more."
I chewed on my lip.
A baby.
Following Mrs. Mitchell down to the beach, I was totally lost in thought. Nic wanted a baby. I'd dreamed for years of being a mom. Teaching a little girl how to bake and cook like my mother and grandmother did for me.
Katerina popped into my head and I couldn't help but smile. After the family had found out about Dante and that whole mess, I thought for sure they would tell Nic to drop me like a hot plate. But they didn't. It was the opposite. I was welcomed into the family with such love and affection. Sure. They drove me crazy, but I loved their kind of crazy. Even Kilyn loved it . . . as much as she pretended not to.
The music started and my breath caught in my throat.
"It's time," Mrs. Mitchell said.
With a nod, I took in a deep, long breath and pushed it out. "Let's do this."
SHE WAS THE most beautiful sight I'd ever seen.
Gabi appeared to be floating on a cloud as she walked down the white carpet to where I was standing on the beach. My eyes took in every ounce of her perfection.
The dress was captivating, and as amazing as it looked on her, all I could do was picture me taking it off of her.
As she drew closer, I could see the tears in her eyes. She was nibbling on that lower lip, causing my dick to twitch in my pants.
"She's stunning," the pastor said.
I agreed. "Yes, she is. Incredibly stunning."
When she finally came to a stop in front of me, I let my eyes soak her up.
"You. Look. Beautiful."
Her cheeks turned the same shade as the pink lipstick she wore.
Leaning closer, I pressed my lips against her ear. "I can't wait to slowly take this dress off of you."
She giggled. "Charity had one more surprise. It's under the dress."
I swallowed hard and almost had to reach down and adjust my dick as I took a step back. The pastor cleared his throat and began to talk.
Gabi's blue eyes picked up the color from the lake and I was totally captivated by them. The color of the setting sun against her skin was a picture I never wanted to forget. She smiled and cried as she repeated her vows. My voice shook, and I fought like hell not to shed a tear, to which I lost the battle when I said the last vow.
When it came time for the kiss, I moved slowly. The need to burn this memory into my mind was strong. My hand lightly landed on the side of her face while the other hand brushed a curl back from her face. The reds, pinks, and yellows in the sky cast the most alluring light around us. It was magical.
"I love you, Gabi."
Her shaking hand covered mine. "I love you, Nic."
"You may kiss your bride," the preacher said with a chuckle.
And kiss her I did. It was slow and sweet. Gabi wrapped her arms around my neck as I picked her up and held her tightly against me. When our lips parted, her eyes captured mine.
"You're mine now."
The sparkle in those baby blues was a fucking turn on, but what she said next left me utterly breathless.
"I've always been yours."
After what seemed like a thousand photos, the photographer finally let us go. We headed to the hotel bar where we ordered a drink and five other people bought us drinks. By the time we made it back up to the room, Gabi was buzzing and I was fighting a painful hard-on.
When the door shut, Gabi slowly walked backward away from me. A come hither look in her eyes.
"That's a beautiful dress, prinkipissa."
Her eyes lit up and she licked her lips.