Today is a shitshow.
Romeo raises an eyebrow as soon as he walks into my dressing room. "Matteo?"
"They gave me the wrong damn suit." I slouch, looking at the white suit in the mirror, with a pink tie.
This is stupid. The ceremony starts in 2 hours.
He takes his phone out of his pocket, beginning to speak to someone. "Okay, thank you." He hangs up. "I'll be back in 20 minutes with a new suit. Fix your hair at least." He walks away.
I take this all off, sitting in my boxers as I look at the scotch the church had provided for us.
I look away.
The door opens and dad walks in. "You're not changed?"
"They gave me the wrong suit. Romeo is going to pick one up for me now." I crack my knuckles. "Have you seen Xena?"
"No. But the hall is packed. With all our family and men combined, everything is packed."
"Her mom flew her family out from Ghana." I smile. "I'm nervous."
"Why are you nervous?" He asks.
"I don't even know. She won't say no." I wipe my hand down my face. "Does mama look pretty?"
"Your mom always looks gorgeous." He walks over. He crouched down in front of me, taking a coin out of his pocket.
His sober chip.
I haven't gotten mine yet.
In three days, I can get my 90 day one.
I started recovery as soon as I came out of the hospital. Relapsed countless times in 6 months before I finally started again, and it's been 87 days since then.
"You can get this soon." He smiles. "And I'm so proud of you for it."
"I'm always scared if things get tough and I relapse again, putting her through all the bullshit again." I take a breath.
I remember.
I remember waking up in the hospital with her crying over me. She wouldn't speak to me for a couple of hours and when she did, she was so broken.
I had promised to stay sober for her, and broke that promise numerous times.
I held her hand and promised her this was the last time. I knew she didn't believe me. But she begged me. Said I need to get better because everything is changing.
I don't ever want to disappoint her again.
"You've gotten sober before, kid. And if there's one thing I know, it's that she's going to keep you in check." He smiles softly. "Every time you get that urge. I want you to picture her laying over your body crying."
My eyes flick to the scotch, then the picture of me waking up to her distraught pops into my brain.
"I think i'm scared that if I relapse again, she's gonna leave." I spit out. "She's gonna get sick of me and just... leave. I've already put her through too much, the fuck would she wanna marry me?"
He sighs. "Why'd your mom marry me?"
"What?"
"I was an addict when I met her. I relapsed when I was dating her. Hell, I relapsed when you were born. Why did she stay with me?" He stands up.
When I'm quiet, he clears his throat. "She married Roman but we all took the vows. Through sickness and health, till death do us part."
I just close my eyes. "I'm being dramatic."
"No. You're thinking like a rational person, Matteo. And that in itself is a good sign." He messes up my hair. "Sort your hair out. I'll bring some food in."
I stay in my boxers, fixing my hair so that it's a lot more presentable.
Dad walks in with some food. I only eat a bit of it.
Romeo then walks in with the suit. "Go, mom wants pictures of us."
I change in the bathroom, splash my face with water and when I walk out, my entire family was here.
They all had a very fond smile on their face.
Knowing Ilaria was one of Xena's bridesmaids, I smile when I see her dress.
Xena has four bridesmaids, and each bridesmaid has a partner standing behind me at the altar. We sort of mixed the traditions of an Italian and a Brazilian wedding.
The wedding colors are dark blue and gold. All the bridesmaid dresses are dark blue. Xena let them pick them out themselves, so they're all different.
For the first time in her life, Ilaria isn't the centre of attention. She knows when to be respectful when she wants to be.
At Romeo and Delilah's wedding, it was completely different. Delilah picked the bridesmaid dresses and wanted Ilaria to take some of the spotlight off her because she was scared.
That was only a couple of months ago.
It's actually not that clever of Xena and I to get married so soon after Delilah and Romeo.
Marriage calls for an heir, and enemies watch that.
But she said she didn't want to wait any longer and I would stop time to make her happy, so we're doing it now.
The photographer gets us all the stand around and then takes pictures of us. He takes an array of pictures from just me standing alone, to me and my siblings, to me and my dads, to me and my mom.
Finally, he leaves.
Romeo's phone pings and he looks down at it. "Okay, everyone's ready and seated."
I smile, looking at myself in the mirror one last time.
"Okay." I take a breath.
Dad hands me a mint and I laugh as I take it, then make sure I have everything before walking away.
The double doors were closed and I could hear people talking.
Mom walks in first, the twins follow after them; then Roman and Luca.
Dad is walking beside me.
I look behind me to make sure everyone's there. Romeo. Asahi. Leo and one of my other men who's dating one of Xena's friends, Alex.
I take a breath, and start walking.
The hall was packed. It was quiet as I walked down the aisle but chit chat was happening.
I pay no mind, stopping at one side of the altar as all the men stand behind me.
Luca walks up as the officiant and smiles. "Your zippers down, son."
I look, turn and zip it back up, then face the crowd again.
They all laughed.
I smile. "No one thought to tell me, no?" I whisper back.
"I did." He stands there. "Her cars on the way. Literally 5 minutes away."
I take a breath.
I scan the room. I made sure everyone in this room presented their invitations to the bouncers. I didn't want no enemies here, word will spread that another Reign is married and that will be hell in itself, but for tonight. I want it special with just my girl.
A couple minutes later, the music starts blasting and her mom walks down the aisle with Mattio.
I had to smile when I seen him, he was shoving his hands in his pockets and pulling out flower petals, then he complains that his legs were hurting and she carried him the rest of the way.
Xavier walks on his lonesome after, holding the rings on a cushion. "Matty." He shouts, starts running and face plants into the floor.
I tried not to laugh.
Pamala helps him up though and he found it funny, giving me the rings.
I put them with Luca, pinching his cheek.
I look up to see the bridesmaids making their way in.
Neves was first, holding a single rose. She winks when she sees me. Then it was Ilaria, who looked so full of love. Delilah waddles up next, her stomach swollen with a child, they're having a boy and I only pray he turns out nothing like Romeo. Finally, Prisha walks up.
They take the stand at the altar and I look down.
I look up again when I hear the chairs moving and everyone standing up.
My goodness.
I feel my knees go weak. Her beauty is breathtaking.
Romeo grabs my waist. "If you fall, I'll let you." He steadies me a little. "She looks beautiful."
She is.
She's wearing a puffy dress. She always said she wanted to feel like a princess when she got married. Her hair is out natural and flowing, the top part of the dress was sheer but covered her boobs.
My mothers bracelet was hanging around her wrist and that alone bought more tears to my eyes.
Her father was beside her, eyes glossed with tears too.
When she gets to the stage, I help her up, her skin soft.
I blink my tears away as I look at her. "I'm so lucky."
She smiles, so bright it lit up the room. "So am I, you look hot."
I laugh a little, then Luca begins the ceremony.
He does the usual stuff of embarassing me from stories of how obsessed I was with Xena at one point, but ends it on a good note.
We read our vows, just the traditional ones.
Exchange rings.
Then Luca clears his throat. "You may now kiss the bride."
I do.
I kiss her long and deep as the crowd cheers. She keeps smiling into the kiss which let me know how much she enjoyed it, but she pulls away. "Gonna ruin my lipstick."
I steal a few more kisses from her before dad and her dad are ushering us out of the church, as everyone makes their way to the hall down the road, in front of the beach.
We get into the limousine that she requested.
Just us in, she straddles me.
"Already?" I kiss her.
"Shush. I'm so excited." She squeals.
Her excitement made me fall more in love.
She rants about how difficult it was not seeing me today for the entire drive. Then when we're out and joining everyone, she runs off to someone else.
I laugh, walking with her mom. "My family approve of you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Rich and attractive. All they wanted for Xena."
I laugh, walking her to her table before walking myself to mine. Xena was already at the sweet table.
I let her be.
Finally, she walks back to me. "I've been craving these for so long." She puts a piece of chewy candy in her mouth, then slouches back and groans. "So fucking good."
I smile at her, stealing a piece of candy.
But food is served, people do toasts and Xena's family play a whole slideshow of embarrassing videos of her from birth to recently.
It was adorable.
She went bright red.
We eat. Everyone dances. I steal a few kisses from her before the slow song starts to play and she drags me onto the stage. "We haven't practiced." I look at her.
"Who cares." She wraps her arms around my neck.
I hold her waist. "I love your dress."
"This is a different suit."
"They sent me the wrong one." I slow dance with her.
More people start gathering around us.
"It's nice." She looks up at me with a pretty smile. "Husband." Her nose scrunches.
"At least you don't need a green card now." Her sister walks over. "Mine expires soon."
I burst out laughing.
Xena shakes her head, and Neves steals a dance.
I interrupt my mom and Luca dancing. "May I?" I ask.
She takes my arm. "She looks stunning." Mom says, eyes wide as she looks at Xena.
"She is stunning." I kiss moms cheek. "2/5 are married, how do you feel?"
"Old." She smiles, she's timeless. She looks the exact same she did when she gave birth to us.
"Forever youthful, mama." I spin her under my arm, but then Alessio wants to dance with her so I let him.
After we dance, and Xena gets completely shit faced drunk. We say our goodbyes and I put her in the back of the car.
She laughs, her pretty laugh. "I fucked up the afterparty."
"You can get as drunk as you wish, baby. Your wedding." I laugh, telling the driver the location.
She lays across the back seats with her head in my lap. "I know we was supposed to fuck tonight but I am too far gone."
"We have the rest of our lives to fuck." I pinch her nipple through the dress. "When we get in, get some rest."
"What if I wake you up at 3AM?" She asks.
"Then we'll fuck at 3AM."
And we do exactly that.
It hits me after round three that I actually do get to do that for the rest of my life.
And nothing made me happier.
THE END
slay
super sad i love this book
want the epilogue today or another day ?