Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“What can I say?” she teases. “He likes me better.”
“I don’t blame him,” I say, and I mean it.
He fits against me easily, his tiny fingers grabbing the chain around my neck. I kiss the top of his head and breathe in his baby smell. He’s so perfect and growing up so fast. I already know I want more babies. Lots more. But we need to get through the ceremony before that happens.
Mari quickly changes into her bridal robe and grabs her phone, heading out to get glammed up for the day. Yuri comes in a moment later, looking almost respectable.
“Is the wedding still happening today, or did Mari finally wise up?”
I roll my eyes and flip him off behind Alex’s back. Of course, the moment he hears his uncle Yuri’s voice, my boy turns and reaches for him. For some unknown reason, he loves Yuri. That makes one of us right now.
“I have to get dressed.” I sigh, passing Alex to him.
“He better not spit up on this suit,” Yuri jokes. “I killed a guy for it.”
“And that makes it different from any other suit, how?” I shoot back, heading into my closet to pull out the freshly pressed tux hanging there.
It takes a while to put on, and I’m surprised by how nervous I feel. This isn’t my first wedding. I was just as nervous the first time, I suppose. I shake it off and work through the tux piece by piece, slowly tying the bow tie and fiddling with it until it’s perfectly straight.
I go back out to the bedroom where Yuri and Alex are waiting. The moment he sees me, Alex laughs. Hopefully that isn’t a sign the tux is overkill.
The ceremony is small by Bratva standards but still fairly extravagant. I’ve managed to keep it out of the press at Mari’s request. After everything she went through, she wants to keep our lives much quieter and low-key. She’s become the financial guru for both Levcon and the Bratva, but she wants our personal lives to remain personal, and I can’t blame her for that.
When she walks down the aisle, I forget anyone else exists. She’s a vision in white, almost floating. Next to her, Susie holds her arm, since she has no family left to be here.
Her dress is simple yet elegant, silk that clings to her like it was made for her alone. She radiates confidence, grace, and strength. The sun catches her hair, and it’s like she’s an angel coming to me. In a way, she is. She’s saved me in a lot of ways, and today we commit to saving each other for the rest of time.
Yuri stands as my best man, smirking because he knows I never expected to be doing this again. Susie sits near the front after she gives Mari away. During the ceremony, I catch her watching Yuri more than the vows. And he’s staring back just as much.
Our vows are simple. Neither of us is a poet. When I speak, I keep it real.
“I’ve done a lot of terrible things in my life,” I tell her, my voice rougher than I’d like. “But you’ve accepted every part of me. I never expected to find someone who loves me unconditionally, even when I’m not the man I wish I were. I promise to love you with that same loyalty, to protect you always, to put you and Alex first so that you never have to wonder where my priorities lie.”
She’s crying by the time I finish.
When it’s her turn, her voice trembles at first, then steadies.
“You say you don’t love easily. But you do, Lev. You just love in ways no one else could understand. You protect, you fight, you endure. And that’s what I love about you. It’s such an honor to be loved by you, to see the way your eyes light up when you see me and Alex, to be let into every part of your life. I will never take it for granted.”
I kiss her before the officiant finishes the sentence.
Yuri hoots, Susie cheers, and Alex babbles like he’s part of the celebration. For the first time in my life, everything feels right.
The reception stretches long into the evening. There’s laughter, music, and more toasts than I can count. Even the most hardened men in my organization soften when they look at Mari holding our son.
She’s wearing a different dress now, lighter and easier to move in. She dances with Yuri at one point, and he spins her like they’ve known each other forever. I’m not sure when exactly that happened, but they’ve become close friends. Most days I think he likes her more than he likes me, and that’s saying a lot. I cut in just to remind him that she’s my wife.
“She’s glowing,” Yuri says, leaning in just enough for me to hear. “You’re a lucky man.”