Third Person POV:
"WHERE ARE MY FUCKING ROSES?" Hope yells out in a panic as she paces the dressing room, searching for her belongings for the ceremony taking place in twenty minutes.
"Hope, calm down, drink a glass of wine and change into your dress" Elisa places her hand gently on Hope's shoulder as she hands her a glass full of white wine and guides her to a couch. "I CAN'T JUST DRINK A GLASS OF WINE" Hope replies worriedly as she places the filled glass down on the table in front of her. She stands as she pulls the hem of her white, silk robe down to straighten it. "What if I trip?" She turns to Elisa, now holding a horrified expression on her face. Elisa shakes her head as she laughs humorously to the ground, "you won't" she replies after a moment.
Hope opens her mouth to let out another ridiculous question before her mother opens the door wide, "Hope, you're not ready yet?" She questions as she rushes up to Hope and pushes her gently towards the changing room. Hope enters the changing room and begins to slide the long dress on, her mother stands behind her and zips the dress up, closing it completely.
Hope turns around with a worried expression, "what if I make a mistake, mom?" She questions vulnerably. Her mother laughs as she scans Hope's attire, her eyes fill happily with tears as she pushes a strand of her daughters dark hair behind her ear. "Hope, I know what I said earlier but I was wrong about it. Dominic makes you happier than ever. Hell, even I can see that and I know for a fact that marrying him is the best thing you could possibly do for yourself. Its not a mistake" she whispers gently, "as for your own doubts" her mother turns around and lifts Hope's right heeled shoe off the ground, handing it to her, "you're just nervous to start a new chapter", her mother pats the heel in Hope's hand before turning and leaving.
Hope's heart is heavy as she looks down at the heel, examining it as her mind fills with questions, thoughts about the future, and worries. She notices something on the red sole of the shoes that wasn't there before, she turns the clean sole over and begins to read the lettering made in thick black marker.
I can't wait to marry you, I love you - D
Her heart fills with pure love for the man behind the note as she holds to newly purchased heel close to her chest. Her eyes fill with happy tears as she picture the incredible future she's going to share with Dominic and her future children.
After a moment of standing silently, Hope strides towards the other white heel and slides the right shoe on first before continuing with the left. She examines her outfit over once more in the full length mirror, she loves everything about it. Starting from her waist length curled hair, to the dark-ish makeup, to her white silky dress, her white heels, and finally, to the blue sapphire she wore around her neck.
She smiles gently at herself before turning and walking out of the changing room. The second she opens the door, the room fills with gasps. She scans over the people in the crowd in front of her. Elisa and Iliana stand in their blue bridesmaids dresses gaping at her. Kyle and Cole somehow managed to find their way into the room while she was changing with her mother. Her heart fills with love as she stares at the people surrounding her, though it falls a bit when she remembers Cheryl isn't there to spend the day with her. Kyle's eyes instantly soften as he walks over to his little sister, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "You deserve this, Hope. I'm happy for you" Kyle whispers into her ear before pulling away and adjusting her hair slightly.
The second Kyle walks away; Elisa, Anna, and Iliana crowd her with compliments. She speaks to them for a while before noticing Cole's eyes haven't left her. She excuses herself before approaching Cole.
Cole gives Hope a one-armed hug as she comes closer to him, before he pulls away and gazes softly into her gray eyes. For the first time since he entered the room, he pulls his hand left hand from out of his pocket. His fists are clutched around an object as Hope lowers her eyes to his hand held in front of her.
His fingers slide open to reveal a beautiful diamond bracelet sitting on the palm of his hand. Hope's eyes widen as she takes in the beauty of the bracelet, before lifting back up to Cole's pained face.
"This was Cheryl's" he announces, "she would have wanted you to have this". Cole swallows back his tears threatening to form as he unhooks the bracelet and wraps it around Hope's wrist, right next to the Cartier bracelet. Hope's eyes fill with tears as she looks back up at Cole. She doesn't say anything but leaps forwards and wraps her arms around Cole. This time, Cole wraps both hands around her waist as she whispers a "thank you".
Her eyes rise to the ceiling as she blinks back the tears and smiles once more. She glances back at Cole who's fingers are now twiddling with his and Cheryl's wedding rings which rests on a chain around his neck, connected. Cheryl's diamond ring hooks through his white gold ring, his ring sits on the platinum chain. His eyes are clouded over, as if he's re-living a memory. Perhaps his own wedding.
Meanwhile, Dominic and Carter remain in their dressing room readying themselves for the ceremony. "Did you put her heel back?" Dominic turns to Carter and asks him, Carter replies with the shake of his head indicating 'yes' as he tightens his black tie around his collar.
Dominic takes a deep breath in as he examines his tuxedo once more, preparing himself for the happiest day of his life. Deep down, he feels a hint of fear. Fear that this would be a repetition of Cole's wedding, he wouldn't be able to live without Hope in his life. His fear quickly diminishes once he remembers the immense amount of security surrounding the venue, and the simple fact that Matteo Santiago is six feet under.
He glances around the room quickly as he realises Kyle and Cole are no longer in their presence. "Where are Kyle and Cole?" He asks Carter, Carter simply shrugs his shoulders before his brain begins to work again and he quickly remembers that he does know where they are. "They went to check on Hope" he informs Dominic. Dominic nods his head in response while readjusting the white flowers in his front pocket.
The door opens wide to reveal Luca and Hope's father. Luca is first to acknowledge his son, he strides towards him and places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, son. Treat her well", Dominic smiles in response and nods his head professionally at his father. His main goal in life is to make her happy. Luca pulls Dominic towards him by his shoulder and gives his son a warm hug.
Once he pulls away, Hope's father makes his way towards Dominic. Luca walks off towards Carter while the father of the woman he loves also rests a hand on his shoulder. Her father brings his face uncomfortably close to Dominic's as he lowers his voice, "if you hurt her, I will kill you" he says threateningly. Dominic swallows the lump in his throat before nodding. Her father pulls back his head and returns to smiling. He pulls his son-in-law towards him and repeats the hug Luca gave to him, though he pats Dominic's back harshly.
Dominic winces as he pulls away from his father-in-laws grasp, "it's time" Carter nods towards Dominic. Luca shouts a good luck to the groom as him and Carter make their way out the door.
Kyle and a distant looking Cole let themselves out of the ladies dressing room and join Carter and the groom. "Is she okay?" Dominic asks, slightly nervous as to what his fiancé's current frame of mind is. Cole nods his head, acknowledging the men for the first time since he left the room, "she's sure about this" he comforts his friend. Dominic's worry leaves his body as they continue their journey to the alter.
Dominic stands first, next to him is Kyle, behind Kyle is Carter and Cole. They all face the direction of the aisle. Dominic's heart rate picks up as the piano in the corner begins the chorus to 'here comes to the bride'.
The guests all stand from their seats and turn towards the direction of the large double doors. Turning a corner, appears Hope. She grabs her father's arm and they continue their way down the aisle.
Hope's heart pounds against her chest as she watches her steps carefully, ensuring she doesn't fall. Dominic's eyes begin to water as he watches the love of his life approaching him from the red carpeted aisle. He had never felt so happy in his life.
She looks up at him for the first time since entering the room and smiles to her hearts content at the tall green-eyed groom. He returns the smile as she stops at the end of the aisle, turning to her father. He places a light kiss on her cheek.
"I love you, baby girl" he chokes on his words as he kisses his daughters temple again, his eyes tearing up as he turns to take a seat next to his beloved wife. His wife wraps an arm around his as they stare intensely at their daughter.
Hope cautiously steps up to the alter and stands in front of her groom, maintaining strong eye contact as she grips onto his hands.
The pope begins, "I believe you each have your own vows you would like to speak?" He announces. Hope's eyes leave Dominic's for a moment as she turns to face the pope while giving him a strong nod.
"The groom begins first"
Hope waits expectantly, wondering if his vows could possibly ever top his proposal.
Dominic takes a deep breath in before clearing his throat, he stares into his whole world's glossy gray eyes.
"Hope Emelia Ficci, you're my best friend, the love of my life, my companion in life, and my confidante. You make me happier than I could have ever imagined and you make me a better person than I could have ever imagined to be. Every piece of me, from my heart, to my soul, to my body, belongs to you and only you. You are my one true love, you taught me what love is. You brought me back to life when I felt like I was dead. Despite the fact that I have always been yours, today I promise you my deepest love, and my full devotion. I promise to love, and honour you each and everyday without condition. I promise to always be faithful to you. You are the strongest woman I have ever met and life without you would be impossible. I choose you for life, because I love every little thing about you, and I always will. You make me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to."
Dominic and Hope both wipe the tears strolling down their faces once Dominic finishes his vows. The pope looks towards Hope's direction, "now the bride" he gestures a hand towards her.
Hope looks towards the ceiling and blinks back more tears before clearing her throat.
"Wow" she gasps in disbelief, "I don't think I'll ever be able to top that but here we go" she giggles as the rest of the room chuckles with Dominic.
"Dominic, you are the reason I laugh, the reason I smile, and the reason I continue to breath everyday. Love is a simple word with a complicated meaning behind it. Everyone thinks they know what it is and even I thought I knew love, before I met you. I could describe it word for word when asked about it, I could describe how it felt and how it didn't feel. But when I met you, that all changed. Love is the most powerful emotion, it's an emotion that makes you feel things that you aren't able to describe. It's supposed to feel foreign, but familiar at the same time. It's supposed to confuse you and Dominic, you confuse me so much" everybody chuckles as Hope looks down to the ground, attempting to regain herself.
"You showed me what love is, and you gave me a reason to live. Love isn't supposed to be perfect, despite what everybody says, it's not a fairytale or a story. We've had a lot of ups and downs in our relationship, but never once did I lose my trust in you, my faith in you, or even the tiniest bit of love for you. I mean, I literally forgot my memories and still fell in love with you all over again" she chuckles once more, Dominic chuckles too as he lifts his grasp from her hands to her arms.
"I promise to give you my all, I promise to be there for you at any moment, whether you need me or not. I promise to always love you no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in. I promise to always forgive you, to always be faithful to you, and to never lose my faith in you. Dominico Moretti, sei tutto il mio cuore, tutto il mio mondo e tutta la mia vita."
Translation: you are my whole heart, my whole world, and my whole life.
Hope lifts both her hands and places it on either side of Dominic's face, she brings her thumbs forwards and wipes the tears strolling down her face.
Kyle pops up from behind Dominic, as Elisa comes from behind Hope. They both pass their friends a black velvet box. Dominic takes the platinum wedding band out first and slides it on the fourth finger of Hope's hand, where her diamond ring rests. Hope is next, she takes out the platinum ring from the box and slides it on Dominic's ring finger on his left hand.
"I now pronounce you husband, and wife. You may now kiss the bride" the pope announces. Dominic doesn't hesitate to grab his new wife by the waist and kiss her gently as the guest stand and clap. Kyle feels a stray tear flow down his cheek, though he quickly wipes it off. Elisa sheds a few tears of her own as she claps her hands together. Hope's mother and Anna are sobbing as they watch their children experience the happiest moment of their life together while Luca and Hope's father try their best to hold back the tears threatening to fall.
Elijah sit on the second row, applauding for the happy new couple as he smiles and turns his head towards Iliana, who has a couple tears flowing down her cheek as she stands behind Elisa and Hope.
Hope and Dominic make their way to a white Rolls Royce at the doors to the building, hand in hand. Hope throws the bouquet of roses over her shoulder as they land smoothly in Elisa's hands. She gets into the car with Dominic following closely behind.
They arrive at the venue and make their way inside, it's a grand and large room with lots of white cushioned chairs and tables with silk cloths hanging over them. There's a bouquet of roses on the centre of each table. In the far corner sits a rectangular table with lots of food and a large white cake. In the middle of the room is a dance floor.
The guests arrive and once it's time for the first dance, the song 'let it go' by James Bay blasts through the speakers. Hope and Dominic wanted to have some part of Cheryl present at their wedding, so they chose her favourite song to dance to.
After a couple hours, Dominic and Hope stand at the end of a table in the middle of the room, a large crowd surrounds them as they sign their wedding papers publicly.
Cole stands on edge, his hand placed gently on his gun behind him to ensure if any unwanted guests enter through the white doors, everyone would be safe.
Hope and Dominic both hold onto the end of a knife and position it over the white cake, just as they're about to push, Hope turns to Dominic.
"I'm pregnant" she whispers as they push down to cut the cake. Dominic's eyes fills with shock and joyful tears once again as he turns back to his wife. He instantly lets go of the knife and scoops her with his arms, holding her tight.
He takes this moment to promise himself, the love of his life, and his baby that they will come to no harm, they will always be safe as long as blood flows through his body. He is determined to keep that promise until his last, dying breath.
***
By the end of the night, everyone begins to head home. Hope and Dominic fly to their honeymoon the next morning. However, a few of the guests decide to go to a club instead. Carter freely joins in as he has no other plans.
They arrive at the club and Carter instantly trails over to the bar with one of Dominic's trusted men. He takes a seat and orders his regular whiskey.
As he brings the glass up to his lips for the third time, his chair is pushed and results in the fine whiskey being spilled all over his pricey trousers. Carter jumps up from his seat, "excuse me" he barks, clearly annoyed. Though he stops and his mood instantly changes once he turns around to see who hit his chair.
In front of him is a girl, easily the most beautiful girl Carter had laid his eyes on.
She stands at 5'7, with her 4 inch heels on, her hair is long and a shade of light brown. Her eyes are hazel with gold flakes floating in them while her skin is a gorgeous naturally tan shade which seems to sparkle under the lights.
"Hi" she slurs over her words.
"Hey".
- - - - -
hennyyy_23 for more Elijah and Iliana.