Mafia Legacy

Chapter Thirty Eight-Charlotte

It was all I could do to make it down the aisle without crying. To have everyone I loved in such a beautiful place, and to have the opportunity to marry Luca all over again, was almost more than I could bear.

When I got to the end of the aisle, both Angelo and Marco kissed my cheek and Marco sat down. Angelo walked around the back of us and stood as the officiant. Luca grabbed my hands and leaned forward, whispering into my ear. "It's about time I got you officially down an aisle, isn't it?"

She smiled, kissing his cheek. "This is perfect."

"Ladies and gentle, we are so thrilled to have you here today to celebrate the love that Charlotte and Luca have shared. I know I am, and I even got promoted to officiant this time. Last time I wasn't even invited."

"I was!" Marco laughed, raising his hand. Hailey hit his shoulder playfully.

"Luca and Charlotte share a magical type of love that you only hear about in the movies or read about in stories. The way they understand each other and can read each other is incredible, and the fact that they found each other in a world that was stacked against them at every turn is remarkable. Also, because there aren't two other people in the entire world who would put up with each other's bullshit the way these two do for each other."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"They are two of the most stubborn and passionate people you will ever meet in the world, and their love for others is unmatched. I have had the privilege of knowing Luca since we were about 5 years old. I knew Charlotte then too, but we don't have nearly enough time to get into all of that."

Luca rolled his eyes and laughed, elbowing Angelo to get on with it.

"Anyway, like I was saying. I have known them both for a very long time and as incredible as they are on their own, they are even better together. Charlotte is the calm to Luca's storm, he is the wild to her serenity, and together they are a lethal combination. I could go on and on about the love I have for them and how much I admire their relationship, but Luca has a few things he would like to say to Charlotte."

Luca grinned, taking my hand again. I expected him to take out a piece of paper, but instead, he started to speak without any notes. "For the last twenty years, I have thought about this moment. I have thought about what I would say if I was ever given the chance to do this the traditional way and ask you to be my wife and marry you in front of all of our family and friends. How I would tell you that I would move heaven and earth for you. That I would protect you at all costs, and destroy anyone who tried to threaten what we had. That my world began and ended with you. That you were every star in my sky, and the very breath inside of my lungs. All of that is true, but honestly, there is nothing about us that has ever been traditional. The way we started, every day that's led us here... We've put each other through more than any couple should have to go through, but somehow we've always come out on the bright side of things. We've always ended with putting each other above any and everything else, and our love has won. We have had to battle every day of our lives to get here, and through each moment, no matter how trying or horrific, there is no one I would rather have at my side. You changed everything about me, Charlotte. When you came long, I was stubborn and set in my ways..."

"Still is." Marco said.

"Maybe I still am." Luca chuckled. "But you bring such a beautiful to my otherwise dark world, and I never could have anticipated the way you would intertwine yourself into my very soul. I don't know who I am without you anymore, Charlotte, and there is nothing in the world that makes me happier. The life we have built together, the family that we share... it was something I only dreamed about before. I never imagined it was something I could have for myself, and you changed all of that. You make me a better father, a better friend, a better boss. You make me a better person simply by existing. You and your standards are what I measure everything to. Every decision I make, I wonder if it is something that would make you proud. All I want in life now is to make you happy, and I promise to spend the rest of my life doing that."

I wiped a few tears off of my cheek, turning away for a second to try to compose myself. How was I supposed to follow that up?

"I don't think there is anything I could say to tell you how much I love you. I knew it from the beginning and it terrified me, because I had never given anyone that kind of power over me before. But I quickly realized that you were the safest person that I could ever give my heart to. You have fought for us and protected us and given me everything I ever could have dreamed of." I glanced over at the kids. "The life we've created together is full of such adventure and love and it makes every single hardship worth it. And even though I know I'll pay later for telling everyone this, you are the most selfless and caring person I have ever met. You're kind and gentle and the way you are a father to our children is the most beautiful thing to watch. I have been so proud to stand beside you as your wife all of these years, and I can't wait to see what the future looks like."

Angelo smiled, taking the rings from Marco. He handed them to us and we slid them onto each other's fingers.

"By the power invested in me by some shady website on the internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife!" Angelo announced, throwing his hands into the air. "You can kiss the bride!"

At that moment, everything around us stopped. Our friends and family disappeared, and the cheers were quiet and all that was left on that beach was Luca and I.

Luca's eyes were locked on mine as his smile grew. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into him as I put my hands to his cheeks. Our lips touched and a pulse of electricity shot through us both. There was such passion and hunger between us as we held each other close, kissing as if it was the last time we would ever have the opportunity.

There was something different in the surrounding air. Something new and fresh and promising. I had no idea what the next few years, or even months, would bring, but I was confident and ready to face it with Luca by my side.

I'd grown to love the mafia, and especially the people it brought into our lives, and I wasn't sure either Luca or I were ready to give that up. Maybe we would, maybe we wouldn't. But despite everything we'd faced, this was my favorite version of happily ever after.