Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
I smirk at the thought. Rya’s such a badass. But why do I feel like she’d laugh if I did the same to her son?
I focus on my breathing as I wait outside the doors. I can hear the commotion on the other side as Craig clears his throat. “I don’t like the little arrogant asshole, but if he really makes you happy, this is where I want to be.”
I turn to him, and there are so many things I want to say and thank him for. We’ve never been the kind to share feelings or gratitude, so instead, I hug him. Craig seems surprised, and he awkwardly hugs me back. I still don’t enjoy touching people, but I think a small part of Rya is rubbing off on me.
“Thank you for being here today, Craig, and for everything you’ve done for me. You’re my family and are always welcome here.”
Craig clears his throat, and I’m pretty sure he looks away to wipe a tear. “Your father would be proud of you. You’ve turned out to be such a beautiful woman. Though, I don’t know how he’d feel about handing you over to Eli Monti.”
I laugh and agree with him. But I also consider how he could fault my soon-to-be husband, who would move heaven and earth to get to me.
The wedding planner grabs our attention and counts us down. I try to clear my throat and roll back my shoulders.
“Why do the moments before pulling a trigger on someone feel easier than this?” I ask nervously to Craig. The wedding planner looks horrified as Craig laughs and puts his hand over mine.
“Make no mistake; you’ll give them hell just as much as you do when you shoot.”
The doors open, and I can’t smile, my gaze dances along the colossal number of people. Most of whom I don’t know.
But at the end of the aisle is a man I do know.
The man I love.
The man I hate.
The man who calls to my dark soul and feeds it instead of shuns it.
I take my first step. And that’s when I spot the other familiar faces.
His parents. Hawke and Ford. Dutton and Billie. Hope and Ivy. Sage.
Even the rest of the Ivanov family are here.
My heart is pounding, but I use Eli as the anchor he is, allowing my feet to take me home. To take me to him.
Eli’s gaze devours me, and heat rises up my neck. Suddenly, it feels like it’s only us again. Just him and me in that small room the night of the masquerade. Him looking like a monster coming out from the shadows, and me holding a dagger. He was my target. My enemy. And now he’s my everything.
Craig slides my hand into Eli’s, and all the tension and fear I felt evaporates because I realize this wedding means nothing. Because it’s only Eli and me.
His fingers curl around mine as he leans in. “You’re so beautiful. It’s a crime, really, and I can’t wait to rip this dress off you just like I did the last one.”
My core throbs as I think about the last time he ripped apart a wedding dress I wore.
“Are you ready for this, Mrs. Monti?” he asks as he leans back. Dutton, Hawke, and Ford are his groomsmen. Sage, Hope, and Ivy stand as my bridesmaids. I’m not that close with these women yet, but have a feeling that I will be soon.
“I was ready for you the day your name came across my desk, Mr. Monti,” I say with a smile. And I once again lean into the man that my world was always going to collide with. And now I’m sure as hell going to make his life go up in flames and enjoy every moment of it.
CHAPTER 57
Eli
Ididn't think I would ever wait at the end of the aisle to marry for the right reason. But I know I’ll enjoy my life with Jewel. I lean in and breathe her in; she smells of so many possibilities, and I really can’t wait to see what the future holds. She doesn’t know it yet, but her wedding gift when we return home after our honeymoon is her father’s guns. The truth is, I always intended to give them to her; I just needed her to fall in love with me first.
The party has already begun, and everyone congratulates us. She awkwardly thanks people she doesn’t know, and I hate myself for somehow falling in love with her even more.
She pulls back when everyone heads for the dance floor, and I can see her searching for the only other person in this room she cares about. A part of me is jealous that I’m not the only one.
“His car is still here,” I tell her as she searches for Craig, probably afraid he’s already left. She nods and grips her dress before she walks off, and I watch as she goes.