Page 100 of Silver Sinner

I take a deep breath and tighten my grip on the bouquet in my hands, a collection of daisies that have spent the past few days soaking in dye so that each flower is a different color. Beyond my steps, a seashell-lined path creates an aisle down to the waterline, where a white trellis covered in thousands of roses waits on the beach. Pierce stands there, waiting patiently in a loose, crisp white shirt that catches in the wind and pulls against his muscular frame, and black slacks that nod to his unrelenting passion for formal wear.

Next to him stands his brother Adrian, and their heads bow in quiet conversation.

Then, music fills the air. A harpist sits off to my left, and she begins to play as Moses walks across the sand toward me. When I learned he'd nearly died the same night Pierce was shot, I couldn't be more thankful that he survived. Losing me and Moses in the same night might have sent Pierce over the edge, and I'm forever grateful he still has his best friend.

"Layla." Moses smiles as he reaches me. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you." Warmth rises in my cheeks. "You look so smart, too." I tuck one stray curl behind my ear after it tickles my cheek.

"I'm glad you think so, because I was hoping I could have the honor of walking you down the aisle."

My heart stops. "Are you serious?"

His smile remains. "Absolutely."

I'd been working up the courage to do it myself ever since Pierce popped the question a second time over a romantic, candlelight dinner under the stars, saying I deserved a magical proposal as well as a lustful one. He'd offered to reach out to my family, but as far as I'm concerned, they're dead to me. They didn't look for me when I ran away from home and they don't deserve to be in my life now. With everyone gone, Amy included—and to this day, the guilt of what happened to her eats away at me with the taunting voice that if I'd been more lenient, maybe she'd be alive—I had settled on walking myself down the aisle.

"I… yes. Yes, that would be so lovely." Tears immediately spring into the corner of my eyes as Moses offers me his elbow. "I… thank you."

"You didn't think we'd let you walk by yourself, did you?" Moses asks with a soft tease.

"Honestly, I just presumed I would be alone. Is that sad?"

"No," he replies. "But you have to remember you're not alone. Not anymore."

The music swells and Maddie rushes past me, laughing as she chases the puppy down the aisle. The swell of music prompts Pierce to turn toward us and the moment he spots me, his face melts into such open adoration that my heart nearly spears right out of my chest.

Every step grows in strength as I walk toward him, my toes sinking into the sand with each shift of my weight. Moses remains steadfast at my side and supports me every step of the way as I grow closer and closer to the man of my dreams.

His eyes sparkle in the setting sun as tears gather in the corners, and his shoulders lift as he takes a deep breath that inflates his chest and makes the hollow of his throat deepen for a brief moment. Adrian clutches his shoulders and steps back, taking up the best man position as I reach Pierce. Moses angles his elbow and my hand slides from his forearm into Pierce's warm, waiting hand.

"Wow," he breathes out with a slight crack in his voice. "You look… you look so beautiful."

"Like a princess!" Maddie yells with a laugh as Moses scoops her up into his arms. The puppy barks and tumbles between us, eager to follow Maddie as she's carried a few steps away and placed down next to Moses behind me. The puppy joins her by tripping over his ears once more and we all laugh, then my attention locks back onto Pierce.

He's the only one not looking at the puppy.

He's looking at me with such warm adoration that it's a little difficult to accept that all of that love is for me. He runs his thumb over my knuckles, and then glances down at the bouquet of daisies in my other hand.

"You remembered." Pierce's smile widens.

"I remembered," I reply.

The humanist minister Pierce acquired for the wedding gently clears his throat and, after gaining permission from a glance from Pierce, launches into a short, sweet speech about the beauty of two troubled souls overcoming hardship to find peace with one another.

It's perfect for us. These last three months have been a whirlwind of getting a new apartment for all of us and furnishing it, while attending classes to learn hand-to-hand self-defense and how to handle various weapons. Pierce replaced a few teachers at Maddie's school with his own people so she would receive round-the-clock protection, and bought out the diner where I work because I'm not quite ready to give up a job that I've enjoyed for so long.

But this? Standing here on an beautiful, exotic island with the man I love, my daughter, and our friends? This is the start of something new. And more than that, it's an extra layer of protection, because no matter who is out there in the world with anger toward Maddie because of who her father is, Pierce is in the process of adopting her. That will further secure her safety under the Murphy name.

I blink and suddenly Pierce is talking, drawing me from my nervous tumble of thoughts. My heart lurches in my chest.

"I spent my years content to be in your presence. Three times a week eating food that pissed off Moses just so I could be near you. It was the only thing that was important in my life, the only time I could feel like a person, and to have that was a gift I never wanted to lose. The day you looked my way and then never looked away was the best day of my life. I've spent every day since in utter awe that a woman as strong as you, as protective and as intelligent as you, could ever find worth in a man like me. But you have. I love you, Layla. I love you so deeply that words won't ever feel like enough, but I hope that if I tell you every single day, from now until the end of our days, then they will come close to portraying my utter devotion to you."

I blink and warm tears roll down both my cheeks. Pierce immediately reaches for me and cups my cheek, sliding his thumb under my eye to catch the tears. I tilt my head into his palm and briefly close my eyes, just soaking up the contact for a long few minutes.

"Layla?" The minister asks gently. "Do you have anything you'd like to add?"

"This feels like a dream," I whisper when I open my eyes. "For the first time in my life, I don't have to run anymore. I don't have a shadow in the back of my mind that I pretend doesn't exist. I don't need to make myself small or keep quiet for fear of being found. For the first time in my life, I can look at someone, you, and see that you love me. There are no games attached, no rules or conditions I have to meet to earn that love. You're just here, loving me, and it's the most refreshing, surreal thing I've ever experienced. You've put yourself on the line for me countless times and never asked for anything in return. Even in the face of doubt, you never stopped treating me with kindness." My voice wavers. "That is a gift I will never take for granted. You've strengthened me in ways I never imagined, shown me exactly what unconditional love is, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life giving the same to you, showing you that you are the most wonderful, decent, kindest, most sincere man I have e-ever met in my life."