Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find
You and I collide
~~
|Sebastian|
|8 Months Later|
I stepped into the apartment. Our cat Bree greeted me, rubbing against my leg and showing her affectation by purring loudly.
We'd found her six months ago, merely two weeks old, abandoned, and shivering behind a dumpster. Angelica had immediately fallen in love. We had adopted her then and there.
"Hey there handsome." Angelica greeted me, leaning against the bedroom doorframe, still wearing her white chef's jacket.
I scooped Bree up in my arms before walking over and giving her a lingering kiss.
Her eyes darkened. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look in your uniform?" She breathed.
I eyed the plain navy loose-fitting paramedic uniform I was wearing and shook my head. How she found me attractive in this ghastly garment was beyond me but I was thankful for it all the same.
Her lips brushed against the hollow of my throat making me groan. Her fingers toyed with the first button of my shirt. "Want me to take it off, Sebastian?" She whispered.
My whole body shuddered and I nearly dropped Bree.
Legally my name was Vincenzo now and that's what she called me in public but at home I was Sebastian. I would always be Sebastian to her.
I quickly placed the feline on the floor and she scurried away.
"It pretty much kills me to say this but my sister-in-law will kill us if we're late." I sighed.
Angelica pouted sullenly and I was tempted to say 'screw it' and carry her inside our bedroom myself but she quickly recovered and her expression brightened.
"You're right Nora will murder us if we don't make it on time and it's not like we won't have plenty of time once we get back." She gave me a wink just as her phone started ringing.
It had taken a lot of getting used to, to start calling Ellie, Nora and Adrian, Rayan but I'd finally gotten there.
"It's Nora, she's probably here to pick me up," Angelica announced.
"We're going to the same place, we could have gone in the same car." I gave her an incredulous look.
She was about to respond but suddenly the front door burst open and Nora sauntered in, her hands on her hips, eyebrows narrowed.
"What's taking you so long?" She demanded, her glare trained on Angelica.
"Remind me again why we've given her the spare key to our apartment?" I asked Angelica not bothering to cover up my amusement.
Angelica bit her lip to contain her smile. "She'd probably break in if we didn't."
"She is right here." Nora snapped and then she pointed to Angelica. "We are leaving. Go get your dress." She demanded making Angelica scramble inside our room.
"You didn't have to come pick her up. She could have just come with me in our car. We're going to the same place." I said pointedly.
Nora rolled her eyes.
"The groom isn't supposed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding!"
Angelica stepped out carrying the box that contained her dress. Which, much to Nora's dismay, she'd already shown me.
Angelica raised to the tips of her toes and gave me a sweet kiss. "I've laid out your tux and bowtie on the bed, go get ready. I can't wait to call you my husband."
~~
The lavender field was in full bloom blanketing the ground with purple flowers. Delicate white cherry blossom petals drifted down from the single cherry blossom tree in the center of the field, like snowfall in spring. A narrow path in the field led up to the tree.
There was a small pond at the back, with water lilies floating on the surface. In the distance, the sun was just starting to set.
Everything seemed ethereal.
It had been love at first sight. We'd decided to get married here, under the cherry blossom tree, the minute we'd seen this place.
"Ciao, old friend." A familiar voice had me swiveling in surprise.
My lips split into a grin.
"Warren."
He still looked the same. Large and brooding.
"I got your email. Congratulations." He said gruffly.
"I didn't expect you to come," I admitted. "I am a criminal who's presumed dead. You shouldn't really be here."
His expression softened. "I couldn't miss a brother's wedding, could I?" His lips broke into a grin. "And like I told Angelica once, some things should be done even when we aren't supposed to do them." He shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, who else would have been your best man?"
I laughed and clasped his shoulder with my hand affectionately. "It is good to have you here, fratello."
My expression sobered. "How is Lucian? Did you visit him like I asked?"
Warren nodded. "He's alright. As good as anyone can be in prison I suppose. He doesn't talk much but physically he seems to be fine."
A lump lodged itself in my throat. "Do you think he knows . . . about me?" I finally asked.
Warren shook his head. "He doesn't. I've worked hard to make sure no one knows about you." His expression became serious. "No one can know that you are alive Sebastian. Especially Lucian. You can never see him or let him know. Do you understand?"
"I understand"
My heart felt heavy.
Lucian had made some terrible choices. He had done things that were unforgivable and I hated him for it. But he was still my brother. My blood.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had been merely a child when Matteo and our father died, Lorenzo had been the one to raise him. He had never known true kindness or love and he never would.
"All set?" Nora's voice called out from behind us. Her face softened into a smile at the sight of me.
Her eyes suddenly turned alert, focusing on Warren. "And who might you be handsome?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
I guffawed when I saw the tips of Warren's ears turn beet red.
"Owen Harris, ma'am." My friend answered shuffling his feet awkwardly.
Never in the years that I'd known this big brute had I ever heard his voice so soft.
When Nora still looked confused I decided to intervene.
"This is Warren," I told her. "Warren, this is my sister-in-law Ellie, or Nora as we call her."
Warren gave her an awkward nod and I tried to cover my laugh by pretending to cough.
"You never told me that Warren was so cute!" Nora said in mock anger. "I wouldn't have gone so many years without meeting him if I knew." She winked at Warren playfully.
The man nearly tripped over himself.
"I sh-should go meet Angelica," Warren said hurriedly as he practically ran away.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I burst out laughing.
Only Nora could turn someone like Warren into a mumbling idiot.
"You're just cruel," I said.
"What?" She shrugged innocently.
Her expression suddenly softened.
"You look so handsome." She fussed over the lapels of my tux.
"You look beautiful yourself," I told her truthfully as I pulled her into a tight hug.
She sniffled. "I wish Matteo were here to see this. He would have been so happy." She pulled back from me, her eyes shining with tears. "He would have loved Angelica, you know?"
I gave her a smile. "I know."
"Mom, the priest's here." My nephew Rayan came hurrying towards us.
The kid looked so much like his father, that it even startled me sometimes.
"Okay, it's time to get your auntie," Nora told him.
Rayan nodded.
"Wait," I told him. "Your bowtie is just a little crooked," I said as I straightened it for him.
I loved the kid like my own son. He was mine in a way. His whole life, I'd been the only father he knew.
He grinned up at me. We were almost the same height now. "This is it, old man. Your big day." He teased.
I pulled him into a tight hug. "Yeah, this is it."
Angelica and I had talked about having kids. We had both come to the conclusion that maybe someday in the future we would be ready to be parents but right now we were both still healing from our pasts, growing, learning to live.
We had our careers to focus on, and we had each other.
And for now, that was more than enough.
~~
There are some moments in your life when you know everything is going to change forever.
Turning points, people call them.
I stood beneath the cherry blossom tree. Warren and Nora stood beside me.
My heart was beating a mile a minute. My eyes searching,
And then it happened.
She came into view.
She walked towards me, her arm locked with Rayan's as he walked her through the narrow path in the field.
It was like I was looking at an angel. Dressed in a delicate white dress, walking through a field of purple, while the sun set in the background.
It took me a moment to register the wetness on my cheeks.
I was crying.
I smiled through my tears. My eyes didn't leave Angelica for a second.
The only time in my life I had cried was when Matteo had died. It had been the worst day of my life. This time, it was tears of joy on the best day of my life.
Astounding, how drastically a person's life can change. It's a miracle in itself how a person can go from being alone and hopeless to being completely content and happy.
Finally, she reached me, her thumb wiped at my cheek gently. Her own cheeks were wet with tears.
Everything was perfect.
I looked into her eyes and smiled.
"My brother once told me that true love is supposed to teach you the true meaning of life. And you gave me that, you taught me what life is supposed to be like, you taught me that even though we don't get to choose the life we are given, the choices we make in this life are our own and that life, however terrible it may seem, always gives you a chance to pave your own path."
Her eyes softened. "And you showed me that just because you are in a bad place doesn't mean that you have to be a bad person and that no matter how dark life gets, kindness, compassion, and love will always shine through."
I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to me as I brushed my lips against hers softly.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
When I pulled away, she tilted her head up to look at me. A beautiful smile etched across her face.
For a moment I lost my breath because of how beautiful she was.
And for the first time in my life, I actually felt worthy of something beautiful.
"I love you," I whispered as I touched my forehead to hers.
"I love you." She breathed.
~~
Sorry for the long wait. Hope you guys liked it! ♥️
So this journey has officially come to an End!
And what a beautiful journey it has been.