Dark Heir by Faye Pierce
Epilogue
Midnight
“I found it!”
Valeria’s voice floats over the music playing from the built-in speakers in the bathroom. She swirls an item of blue lace around her finger as she moves closer to me, and I recognize it instantly. It’s the garter that she wore on her own wedding day. I’m surprised that she’s willing to part with it, even all these years later.
“Here, this can be your something borrowed, and your something blue. That’s two of the items already taken care of.”
“No, that’s all four then.” I correct her, ticking off the items on my fingers. “Something borrowed and blue, check. Then my dress is new, of course, and my ring is very old. Though, that garter isn’t exactly new either.” I laugh.
This is how it should have been the first time around. Not that I regret the small ceremony in Leo’s living room; it had been necessary at the time. Caspian has made it very clear in the months since the first wedding that had we not already been married he might have executed Leo for allowing harm to come to me in the first place.
The truce between the two of them is rocky at best. As to be expected, some days are better than others. Neither of them is willing to do the work needed to fully heal from the situation. Their betrayal of one another goes deep. There might be some day in the future where they might be able to forgive each other fully, but for now they have both agreed to keep their businesses and territories divided with one small exception: me.
I’m allowed to go where I want, fully protected on either side, of course. It’s more freedom than I know what to do with most days. At my request, they have both agreed that one night a month they both will endure a full truce where we have a family dinner. They haven’t managed to go a full evening without fighting yet, but I have faith that they will get there.
Today I’ve told them that whoever starts the fight on my wedding day will be thrown out by either Valeria or myself, and I don’t care which of them does it. I will celebrate my nuptials with Valeria alone if I have to. They have both promised to be on their very best behavior.
I support my thigh with my hands, lifting it high enough to allow Valeria to slid the garter up and around my thigh. My wedding dress is a thing of beauty, and Valeria helps me get into it. I’ve opted for a corseted bodice, similar to the one I wore the first time around. I’ve found that the added pressure on my spine is comforting. It makes me feel more stable with my injury, and I don’t want to fumble my way down the aisle. The skirt of my gown is shorter in the front and longer in the back, with a beautiful embroidered design. We’re getting married in a stunning garden, so I like that the flowers hand-stitched into my dress match. Tiny white flowers decorate my hair, and my makeup is simple. Caspian gave me a delicate golden chain that decorates my ankle, and I didn’t bother with shoes.
It’s far from a princess celebration, but it’s elegant, earthy, and beautiful. Caspian and Leo managed to import all of my favorite flowers from around the world, and the entire venue is perfumed. This is exactly how I dreamt it would be.
“You look...Midnight you look amazing.” Valeria beams, walking around me in a small circle to verify to herself that every bit of me is perfect before nodding. “Nervous?”
“Actually, no.” I turn in the mirror to see the full thing myself. It’s perfect. “I’ve been a DePonte for a while now. I’m ready to announce it to the world.”
“It’s not always glamorous, you know, being the wife of a mafia boss.” Valeria means well, but the warning is a little bit late. I’ve already been shot, kidnapped, beaten and tortured, but I now have the backing of two mafia bosses behind me.
“I know. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you here with me.”
“Always!” Valeria’s arms wrap around me, and we embrace.
“I’m just glad that Caspian gets to walk me down the aisle this time. I think that was the only thing I would have changed about the first time around, honestly. I wished he was there, that you all were there so that I could share that moment with my family.”
“We’re here for you now.”
I nod, and we leave the bathroom we’ve been getting ready in. Valeria is my maid of honor and the entirety of my bridal party. We have plenty of other guests in attendance, but I would have been just as happy with a smaller ceremony again. The idea that everybody is here to celebrate me is intimidating, but thrilling in the same aspect.
We move slowly to the opening to the garden, soft music playing as the sound of happy voices float just over it, adding to the ambiance. Caspian is dashing in his suit, and Valeria passes me from her arm to her husband’s. Their son is making his way up the aisle with his basket of flowers and the pillow with my ring on it. He insisted that he get to be the one to throw things, and I already have trouble telling him no.
“You can still say that you’re kidding, and I will take you so far from here…” Caspian whispers, watching his son move down the aisle in perfectly measured little steps, throwing rose petals with fervor.
“Cas…”
“I know, I know. I’m just saying.” Caspian glances at me shortly, and softens. “I’ve only wanted you happy. You know that?”
“I know.” I hug his arm and nod. “I am happy, brother. Leo makes me happy.”
“I know he does.” Caspian’s shoulders sag. “I just don’t want to give you away. I want to be the one to keep you safe.”
“You’ve always been there for me Cas, but this is what I want.”
Caspian smiles. For a moment I think that he might shed a tear, but he turns forward, and his posture straightens as it’s time to walk me down the aisle. All those in attendance rise to their feet and turn to watch me.
Normally crowds like this make me uncomfortable; normally I would want to be anywhere else. I would shrink away or hide, attempting to drop under Caspian’s arm and out of view, but today I can’t see any of them. I can’t see a single one of their faces. All I can see is Leo. The way he looks at me is magical. I can feel my stomach tighten, heat pushing to my cheeks as he looked at me in my dress, and he can’t bear to wait for me to make it all the way down the aisle.
Leo steps away from the podium and moves to me early. He walks me the rest of the way on the opposite side of Caspian. My brother doesn’t release me right away, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek, and I can feel how heavy the emotion is. He steps away after a long moment to the side to witness our official union.
Leo managed to get the same priest who married us before, and the man smiles at us brightly, leaning in to speak only to us. “Here we go again.”
We smile, and say our vows for the second time. How can any one person ever be this happy?
* * *
“Oh no, you don’t get to do that anymore!” I exclaim as Caspian lifts my champagne flute from my fingers. He likely is acting on muscle memory alone but this is my wedding, and I will drink if I want to.
Leo steps in and lifts the crystal from Caspian’s hand. He passes it back to me with a wink. I almost snort; I want to laugh so bad. The look on Caspian’s face is priceless. He looks as if he simultaneously wants to punch Leo in the face and chastise him for being so bold.
Thank goodness for the liquor that has the pair of them acting like friends again. The reception is in full swing around us, and Leo’s arm is wrapped protectively around my waist. I’ve exhausted him on the dance floor. I missed dancing so much more than I realized.
I’m not as graceful now as I used to be, and a good deal of the motions twinge the scarring in my back. My legs don’t want to work properly, and I’m more than certain that tomorrow morning I will not be able to get out of bed. However, tonight I am determined to live each of these moments to the fullest. Valeria and I might be making sure that the glasses in our husband’s hands never run empty, but it’s worth it.
There aren’t many people left here to celebrate with us, and I’ve long since stopped attempting to tell which of the families here belong to my husband and which belong to my brother because tonight it doesn’t matter. We are all united in this venue under pain of death. I made them promise. Since the ugliness with Angelo, there haven’t been any more issues on Leo’s side, and the DePonte family has risen easily now that they aren’t in direct competition with the Knight family.
It’s not super public knowledge that we have merged the families in some places, but it doesn’t need to be.
“We’re going to have to retire soon…” Valeria says to Caspian, who follows her gaze in the direction of their son in the arms of their nanny and nods.
“I think my wife is right; it’s time to take my son home to bed.”
Sadness sours my mood. “So early?”
“He is half asleep already, and at my age I have to sleep my hangover away, dear sister.”
Caspian teases, leaning forward and wrapping an arm around me, looking over my shoulder to Leo. “I will still be keeping a watchful eye on you, DePonte, so don’t get any ideas.”
“Oh, I have plenty of ideas already, don’t you worry about that.”
I know that tone, the way it darkens with intention and sends goosebumps down my spine.
Caspian’s eyes narrow, but Valeria links her arm through Caspian’s, pulling him away from the dance floor and toward their son. “Lunch sometime this week, Midnight?” I nod. “Good. This was an amazing ceremony. We love you so much.” Valeria looks to Leo with a teasing shrug. “You’re alright.” She hugs him goodbye anyway. “If you need anything, you know where to find us.”
“I do.” I hate to see them go, but I’m beyond happy they were here.
Caspian pauses, looking Leo up and down, as if sizing him up. I wait for him to say something that will break the happy bubble that we’ve been in all day. I wait for something combative. I think Leo holds his breath, expecting the same thing. I know it isn’t easy to push that much anger and hurt that deep inside of yourself. “Treat her right, Leo.” Caspian says finally.
Leo hugs me closer to him, but his tone is serious when he answers. “Until the day I die.”
Satisfied, Caspian scoops his son into his arms, and they retire for the evening.
“I thought they would never leave.” Leo mutters, and I hit his arm without force.
“Hey!”
“Well I could hardly touch you the way that I really want to with your brother watching you so closely, could I? I don’t think he will ever forgive me for daring to corrupt you in such delicious ways.”
I press my lips into a firm line, not wanting him to see how easily he affected me. “He doesn’t have to forgive you; you do terrible things.”
“Ahh, but you like those terrible things.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Besides, you would have kept attempting to please him the whole time the longer he was here, and I would like to dance with you properly.”
“Oh no, I can’t. My legs are about to fall off.”
Leo shakes his head. “Oh, not yet they aren’t. I promise that will come later.”
He’s my husband; he shouldn’t be making me blush like this, or at least not so easily. His lust is insatiable; every morning, every night, any time that he thinks that he can get away with it, his hands are on me. I love it. I love that he can’t seem to get enough of me. I love how desired he makes me feel.
Leo’s hands move to my hips, walking me further onto the dance floor, and we’re nearly the only two left here. “I’ve been thinking about how we’ve gotten a redo of our wedding night...and all of the ways that I would like to spend it.” He turns me so that my back is against his chest, and his arms wrap around me, swaying softly to the music.
“Our first wedding night was pretty good, already.”
“True, but I feel as if that’s set the standard for how many times my tongue can make you cum in one evening, and I am nothing if not competitive. Who better to challenge me than myself?”
I laugh, and Leo spins me away from him, and then back again. “So then your goal is to kill me. I thought we moved past this?” I tease.
“Oh, we have. The only death I wish for you is le petite mort...over and over again.” Leo dips me only a little, careful to support my back, and my heart warms. “Have I told you how breathtakingly beautiful you are in that dress? I can’t remember ever finding something I didn’t pick out for you that irresistible.”
Leo leans forward to kiss me, first on my lips and then on my chin and my cheeks. He pulls me closer. “I have at least three things that I want to do in this dress. I have been debating where to start, so you have to let me know the moment that you’re ready to leave and return to our suite, because I am dying to get you alone, my wife.”
Mrs. Leo DePonte.
I never want to be anyone else.