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"With all my heart," I breathe, the words a vow in themselves. "Forever and always, Nico Caruso."
The ceremony passes in a blur of laughter and tears, of heartfelt promises and soaring violin music. And then, at long last, the words I've been longing to hear...
"I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your groom."
Nico's hands cup my face, his dark eyes bright with unshed tears. "I love you," he rasps, his voice raw with emotion. "I love you, Eli Bloom. Forever and always."
"Forever and always," I echo, rising up on my toes to meet his lips in a searing kiss.
The world falls away, narrowing down to the two of us. To the perfect press of Nico's mouth against mine, the salt of our mingled tears, the thundering of our hearts beating in synchronicity.
In this moment, I feel invincible. Untouchable, unbreakable. Like nothing in this world or the next could ever tear me from Nico's arms, from the sheltering harbor of his love.
(NICO'S POV)
As I hold Eli in my arms, as I seal our union with a kiss that sears me to my very soul...I marvel at the winding path that brought us to this perfect, shining moment. The obstacles we overcame, the battles we fought, the scars we earned in the name of our love.
It wasn't easy, God knows. There were moments when I thought I'd lost him forever, when the darkness of my past threatened to swallow us both whole. But Eli...my beautiful, brave, impossibly stubborn Eli...he never gave up on me. On us.
He stood by my side through every challenge, every setback and heartbreak. He loved me fiercely, recklessly, with a devotion that humbled me to my knees. And in doing so, he taught me how to love in return. How to open my battered heart and let the light in, how to believe in the power of forever.
I never thought I'd have this. Never thought I'd find a love that could withstand the bloody legacy of my family, the violence and brutality that ran in my veins like poison. But Eli...he saw beyond the monster, beyond the killer and the criminal. He saw the man beneath, the one who yearned for something more than an early grave and a lifetime of regrets.
He saved me, in every way a person can be saved. And now, with his hand in mine and his ring on my finger...I know that I'll spend the rest of my life saving him right back. Loving him, cherishing him, building a future together that's filled with laughter and light and the kind of bone-deep happiness I never thought I'd get to feel.
As we turn to face our cheering loved ones, as Eli tucks himself against my side with a smile brighter than the sun...I feel a peace settle over me. A quiet certainty that this, right here...this is where I'm meant to be. Where I've always been meant to be.
By Eli's side, for better or worse. Through sickness and health, through every twist and turn of this wild, unpredictable life.
Forever and always, till death do us part.
(ELI'S POV)
The bell above the door jingles merrily as I step into the flower shop, the familiar scent of earth and greenery wrapping around me like a hug. It's been six months since Nico and I said our vows, six months of laughter and love and learning to navigate this new chapter together.
It hasn't been easy, adjusting to civilian life. Nico still wakes sometimes in the dead of night, his body shaking and his skin damp with cold sweat. The nightmares cling to him like cobwebs, remnants of a past he can never fully escape.
But I'm always there to hold him, to smooth his hair back from his brow and murmur soft words of comfort. To remind him that he's not that man anymore, that he's so much more than the sum of his sins.
Together, we're learning to heal. To pick up the broken pieces of our pasts and fashion them into something new, something stronger and more beautiful than before. And at the heart of that healing...is this little shop, with its riot of color and its shelves overflowing with vibrant blooms.
Nico took over the business shortly after we returned from our honeymoon, his eyes shining with a tentative hope as he signed the paperwork. "I want to build something," he told me, his voice rough with emotion. "Something good, something pure. Something that creates life instead of taking it away."
And oh, how he's thrived. Watching him work, his strong hands gentle as he coaxes stubborn blooms to unfurl...it takes my breath away. He pours his heart into every arrangement, every artfully sculpted display. And in doing so, he's slowly learned to tend to the garden of his own soul. To nurture the parts of himself that were once withered and barren, to coax them back to vibrant, thriving life.
My heart swells with pride as I watch him now, bent over a spray of delicate orchids with a look of fierce concentration on his handsome face. He's in his element here, surrounded by beauty and life and the kind of peace he never thought he'd get to feel.
And I...I get to witness it all, get to stand by his side and bask in the light of his hard-won happiness. Get to love him, support him, remind him every single day that he's worthy of this second chance, this beautiful new beginning.
It's a privilege and an honor, one I'll never take for granted. Not as long as I live.
(NICO'S POV)
I sense Eli's presence before I see him, a sudden warmth kindling to life in my chest. It's like my very soul recognizes him, reaches out to intertwine with his in an invisible embrace.
I straighten up from the orchids, a smile already tugging at my lips as I turn to face him. And there he is...my sunshine, my saving grace, the love of my fucking life. He's leaning against the counter, his blue eyes soft and warm as he watches me work.
"Hey there, handsome," he murmurs, his voice like honey and smoke. "Come here often?"
