Tears still streaming down his face he nodded. “Although I didn’t consider us broken up. To me you were always mine.”
“Jared…”
He clasped her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. “I’ve dreamed of putting this on your finger. When I found you again I struggled every day not to rush you. To not beg you to marry me.”
“Will you really take my name?”
He grinned, scrubbing at his damp face with the back of his hand. “Yes, dolcezza. I will proudly become a Moreitti.”
With a cry she threw her arms around his neck, sobs raking her body. “I love you.”
His arms tightened around her. “And I love you, cara. Always.”
Epilogue
The church was packed with family and friends.
There was a crowd outside the church, all of them paparazzi. Since the announcement of their wedding the tabloids had been following Jared’s almost every move. After the way he had been portrayed the broken hearted ex-fiancé after Monica Andrews had married his brother, everyone wanted to see him get his happy ever after.
But that wasn’t the only reason for the overflowing crowd of paparazzi outside. Most of it was so that they could get a shot or ten of the rock stars that were in attendance. Axton Cage was the maid of honor’s date. The drummer of OtherWorld had also tagged along, as well as the frontrunner of Demon’s Wings who had brought a date. Alexis didn’t know what to think with those three rockers seated in the pews. But it was pretty exciting to have them there nonetheless.
Standing in her dress in the back of the church waiting for the music to begin so that she could meet her destiny she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She had a surprise for Jared, and feared that she would end up falling on her face. But she tried to keep calm and not think about it for the moment.
Carina stood behind her, adjusting her veil, while Melissa fixed a few of the flowers that had gotten squished in her bouquet on the limo ride over. Gabriella stood at the door, watching through the crack, giving commentary every so often on what certain family members were doing. Like the way Nonno kept giving Axton angry glares; or the way Vince’s mother was arguing with someone from the groom’s side.
“Well this should be interesting.” Gabriella murmured as she opened the door a little further to get a better look.
Alexis frowned. “What?”
“Nica and Ember are talking like they are old friends. God, I hate them both!”
She sighed. “Gabs, I got over Nica.” She had had a long talk with the other woman just a few days ago. It had been hard, but for the most part Alexis had forgiven Nica. “You don’t have a reason to hate her anymore…Wait, what? Who’s Ember?”
Gabriella shut the door and turned to face her. “She’s here with Nik Armstrong, the Demon’s Wings guy. She’s like their little pet or something. I hate her, she hates me. It’s a hate, hate thing.” She shrugged. “Axton has a thing for her, and she has a thing for Nik. So I let her think that…Well I told her that I hooked up with the rocker.”
Carina narrowed her eyes on her niece. “Why would you do that?”
“To make the bitch miserable.”
“Gabriella!” Carina glared. “Number one, this is a church. Watch your language, girl. And two, that was a horrible thing to do to that girl.”
“Whatever. She will get over it.”
Alexis sighed, shaking her head at her cousin. “I think you should tell her the truth. It could only cause more trouble down the road.”
Before Gabriella could reply the organ started and Max and Vince appeared from out of nowhere. “Here we go ladies.” Vince grinned as he stepped forward to offer an arm to Melissa and Carina.
The doors opened and he escorted them down the aisle. The butterflies were starting to swarm in her stomach, but she gathered her courage. She was not going to fall on her face!
Gabriella gave her a hug then turned to make her way down the aisle as well.
Max offered his arm and she took it, giving him a watery smile. “Ready?”
He shook his head. “Not even close. No father is ever ready to give his baby girl away.” He cleared his throat, his eyes growing bright. “But I will anyway. Because I know that he makes you happy.”
Alexis nodded. “He does, Daddy. He’s everything to me.”
Using a crutch in her right hand and holding on to her father with her left they stepped forward as the music changed to the wedding march, and began the slow walk down the aisle. She tried not to look at the front of the church, where Jared stood with his brother as his best man. She was scared that if she looked at him she wouldn’t be able to do what she had planned.
Everyone was murmuring at how beautiful she looked. She offered family members smiles as she passed. When she passed Axton Cage he bobbed his brows up and down suggestively and gave her a wink. She gave him grin and turned her head to finally take in her groom.
Jared looked amazing in his tux. But the expression on his face, in those eyes that she loved so much took her breath away. There were tears glazing his eyes, and a big happy grin on his handsome face. He mouthed the words ‘I love you’ and she felt her own eyes tear up.
Closer and closer they walked. Her fingers were trembling and she was scared to death. But when she was ten feet from Jared she stopped. Her father frowned down at her. “Okay?” He murmured low enough so that only she could hear.
She gave him a beaming smile and nodded. “Thank you for walking me down the aisle, Daddy. But…I need to take this step alone.”
His eyes grew huge. “Lex..?” A tear leaked from his eye but he nodded and stepped away.
Swallowing hard Alexis looked back at Jared. Something like fear darkened those eyes of his and she realized that he thought she was having second thoughts. Taking a deep breath she let go of her crutch…
She took one slow step, alone with no help from a crutch or a spotter or any other outside help. Jared’s eyes widened in shocked delight and the entire church seemed to gasp as one. Chin trembling she took another step. Another. She was shaky at first, but by the time she reaching him she was confident she wasn’t going to fall.
He took the last step forward that separated them and swung her into his arms. His face buried in her neck and she felt his tears on her skin. “I love you, Lexis.”
Reckless With Their Hearts Page 22