Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
I gulped when Tex made his way over to the gladiator part.
The guy looked ready to rip Andrei’s head off.
Great. Would nothing be normal with these people?
I just wanted to marry him, rush into Nixon’s huge house, and celebrate with everyone, mainly with Andrei.
Andrei locked eyes with me from the other side of the field. Even far away, he was beautiful, angry, lethal.
Mine.
I smiled brightly.
He blew me a kiss.
And I nearly died.
“Girl…” Mo elbowed me. “Anyone else proud of this one for taming the Russian beast?”
“Monster,” I corrected. “Each and every one of them are monsters in their own right. But I’d rather sleep with the monster, hold his heart close and keep it safe, than take my chances with the man.”
“Amen,” Trace agreed while the rest of the girls wiped away tears. “It’s not an easy life, but it’s so much more worth living when you realize how precious it really is.” She bent over and picked up her little girl Serena. She was our flower girl while Junior, Phoenix and Bee’s child, was our ring bearer.
Trace set Serena back down. She stuck out her tongue at Junior, whose eyes widened as he reached for one of her curls and tugged.
“Junior.” Bee pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Say sorry.”
“I not sorry!” Junior stomped his foot. “She mean!”
Trace exhaled. “Serena, don’t stick out your tongue and be nice to Junior, you’re stuck with him.”
I’d never seen a toddler’s eyes widen with so much horror in my entire life. And I wondered in that moment, if there would one day be a story there… between the two of them.
One could only hope.
“He’s starting!” Mo clapped her hands. “Man, the guys like a predator. Look at him run across that log.”
I sighed dreamily as he made his way across two obstacles.
Nixon and Chase heckled right along with Sergio and Phoenix. Dante stayed at the beginning with Vic. Tex raised his gladiator stick high.
Great, just great.
“He’ll be fine.” Mo winked. “Andrei and I have a plan.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Andrei
I was going to murder all of them for putting me through this. My wounds were barely healing as I jumped onto the rope and swung. That was going to hurt later.
Sharp stinging zinged my shoulder as a stitch popped.
Son of a bitch.
I finally made it to the last part with Nixon and Chase both booing their support.
Tex was standing on the last obstacle, a stupid looking gladiator stick twisting in his hands. “You ready for me, Russia?”
I rolled my eyes. “That depends…”
He hesitated; it was brief.
I flashed him a cocky smile. “Didn’t know your wife was pregnant with triplets!” I widened my eyes. “Look!”
Nixon and Chase both looked and gaped.
Then Tex turned just enough for me to slam my hands against him and throw him into the foam pit they’d constructed.
I hopped off in victory as Mo gave me a high five.
Her sign said. “Triplets! YAY US!” Then she flipped it over. “Gotcha.”
Tex was on his knees. “Shit, I nearly had a stroke. Three? Three at once?”
“I’m praying you have ten.” I patted him on the back. “Never underestimate manipulation or the fact that your wife wants this to happen because she planned the reception.”
Tex grumbled. “Touché.”
I looked up.
There she was.
My heaven.
Dripping in red.
Blood red.
My body tightened as I took purposeful steps toward her, pulled her into my arms, and stole kiss after kiss, ignoring the throat clearing around me.
“You did it.” She stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around me. “I like you in a tux.”
“I like you in red.” Our foreheads touched, she was so warm, so pretty and delicate, her hair was down past her shoulders, and a small silver crown rested on top.
The diamonds were real.
I would know.
Louis had them flown in earlier that week.
They were from my family line, the one that I thought had abandoned my mom, abandoned me. The one I never knew.
I was birthed into darkness.
Not knowing, I was truly a child of the light.
“I love you.” Alice clung to me tears glistening in her eyes.
“Dearly beloved…” Tex started and then snickered. “Seriously, though, is everyone ready for this?”
A throat cleared.
I glanced up as Luca made his way toward us with Frank, both of the men who had “retired” from the families yet watched us from afar like the perfect puppet masters in disguise.
They were both in black suits, fedoras, and wouldn’t you know, Frank had a red scarf wrapped around his neck.
Luca carried a bottle of wine, and Frank held the glasses.
“Hope we aren’t late.” Luca winked at me. “I couldn’t miss my protégé getting married.”
“He also couldn’t miss his tee time,” Frank added.
Luca just rolled his eyes. “It’s important to stay busy.”
“Andrei killed seven people in under ten seconds a few days ago,” Dante just had to point out. “Does that count?”
Luca snorted. “Boy, talk to me when you get it down to six.”