You would think I'd given Dmitri the moon.
From our bedroom balcony, I watched him showing off his ring to his groomsmen--Maksim, Aleks, Pete, and Benji--at our reception.
Glorious did not begin to describe my husband in a tux.
In fact, the five of them made quite a picture, all of them formally dressed, lit by the brilliant fire-red and gold sunset over the Pacific.
Karin, my maid of honor, and bridesmaids Lucia and Nat had just helped me gather the train of my gown into a pleated bustle. Then they'd returned downstairs to give me a minute to decompress.
Our home was inundated with family, all of our bungalows filled. Guests laughed on the dance floor, drank fine wines, and polished off sumptuous delicacies. Hey, free food awakened any grifter's appetite. My little cousins ran around on the beach with the dogs Maksim and Lucia had brought with them.
How Jess--part bridesmaid, part coordinator--had planned the elaborate ceremony and reception in such a short time was beyond my comprehension.
She'd even made all the arrangements for Dmitri and me to go to Paris for our honeymoon, advising me cryptically that there was one club in particular we'd want to visit. . . .
Champagne glass in hand, I leaned on the balcony rail and watched Dmitri laughing with the others. Seeing him this happy made my heart feel too big for my chest. Over the last three weeks, he'd relaxed so much, radiating contentment now that he had nothing to hide.
The day we'd cleared the air at my parents', I'd introduced him to in-laws who already adored him as my "hero husband," the man who'd saved Gentleman Joe's life. Dmitri had been less discomfited than usual, probably because he'd already bared his soul in front of everyone.
That night, he'd taken me back to the Caly. After he'd made love to me until my toes curled and I'd promised him everything, he'd told me one last secret:
"If I hadn't hit rock bottom, I never would have been in Las Vegas. I never would have found you. The pain of the past is so much easier to bear now that I feel it had purpose. It led me to you. Moya zhena, you are my reward for enduring. . . ."
Today I'd pledged myself to Dmitri Sevastyan with no pressure and for only one reason: I loved him.
As if he'd sensed my thoughts, he glanced up at me. His vivid eyes brightened even more, and his smile widened. He started for me at once.
Judging by Pete and Benji's puzzled looks, I figured Dmitri had left the conversation midsentence. His brothers just appeared amused.
Footsteps boomed as Dmitri bounded up the stairs to reach me. How fitting. Two months ago to the day, I'd climbed the stairs to reach his lair, hoping I could tempt a beast.
I had. Then I'd made him part of my pack.
And Lady Luck smiled. . . .
Catching his breath, Dmitri joined me on the balcony. A healthy flush tinged his chiseled cheekbones, highlighting his golden eyes.
The color always brought to mind blazing sunsets and new beginnings.
"I've been waiting for you to come down," he said, as if I'd been gone ages. "How much time does it take to do a bustle? You made the dress quicker than this." The first garment created in my new studio.
The strapless silk gown was a modified A-line with a straight-cut neckline, classic seams and no embellishment. The traditional-white skirt had a sweep train and ballroom bustle. So incredibly simple.
Except the bodice was black.
I called the look "edgy angelic." It'd turned out pretty snazzy, if I did say so myself. Like any great idea, the process of making it had been inspired, fast and furious.
Dmitri had been there for every step. He'd made sure I ate and slept, and we'd nearly broken that poor couch.
Well, he'd been there almost every step of the way. I'd surprised him with the final reveal, loving his brows-drawn expression when he'd first seen me on my dad's arm. As Dad had murmured, "He's bewildered by his good fortune. A man like that will never take it for granted. He'll never take you for granted. . . ."
Now I gazed up at Dmitri. "I was just savoring the sunset and the music--and my husband showing off his ring."
"You saw that, did you?" He held it up, unable to stop another grin. "At last, it's mine. Which means I'm yours."
I'd had the band engraved on the inside with the words: Because I know you'll never take it off. Love, V.S.
We'd decided to go with traditional vows today--his voice had been rumbling and proud as he'd repeated his--but last night, I'd asked him what he would say on the fly.
He'd answered, "I want to protect you. I want to spoil you. I want to have children with you and spoil them too. I want to grow old with you. And at the end of our lives, you will have no doubt you were loved and adored by me for every second."
Yep, I'd jumped him all the way up till midnight. . . .
He put his arm around my shoulders, enveloping me with his heat and tantalizing scent. Together we watched our families celebrate.
Among all the other things Dmitri had brought into my life, I'd gotten two new brothers and three sisters (with a long-suffering sigh, he'd finally claimed Jess as family). All of them were thrilled by this marriage.
Before the ceremony, Lucia had teased me, "Make sure Vice has something old, something new, something stolen, and something blue."
With no secrets, our families could be themselves and meld. We already saw signs of it.
By the pool, Vasili and Al were deep in a game of chess, Gram spectating. When Al had first broken out the board, I'd murmured to Dmitri, "It's like Iceman versus Maverick, huh?" Zero recognition. "Top Gun?" My husband and I had a decade of movies to get through.
And then there was melding with Benji and Jess.
Reading my mind, Dmitri waved in their direction. "I never saw that coming."
They were sitting together, both laughing at something Jess was saying. When they'd first met earlier, zany, ballsy Jess had gazed up at his face and blushed. And then she'd grown tongue-tied. As for Benji, he couldn't seem to take his eyes--or his camera lens--off her.
I nodded. "I'd worried how Karin might take it, but she's happy for him. She admitted she's still lost for Cash's father." The fact that Walker was watching his son grow up, every Tuesday and Friday, was huge for her.
Until she figured out what to do about their relationship, she'd decided to continue going to the park--without letting on that the ruse was up--so he could have that time.
Down on the dance floor, she laughed with Cash in her arms, while he gurgled his delight. He looked very dapper in the tuxedo romper Mom had made him and seemed determined to flash everyone his pair of teeth.
"I have an idea about Karin and Walker," Dmitri said, his eyes lively. "I think we should run a little con."
"You grifter!" I said in mock indignation, before murmuring, "Tell."
"We buy the remains of his company--in Karin's name. Yet then they'll learn they only have so much time to right the ship before it goes down. Perhaps a fake loan coming due?"
My eyes widened. "Forcing them to work together! You brilliant man."
He took my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. "Con artistry is what I do."
I sighed. Being married to Dmitri trumped a royal flush.
He was still a dream man;
he remained too good to be true. But when we reached for the stars together, they became ours.
And he was right; why did dreams have to end?
Laughter sounded from below, drawing our gazes.
Maksim escorted Lucia to the dance floor, twirling her around. Natalie was even coaxing Aleks to dance.
That Sevastyan devotion shone bright.
Mom and Dad were already out on the floor, as flirtatious and excited as if this were their first date. They were living a happily-ever-after.
I turned to Dmitri. "Do you think we'll be as happy together as my parents in thirty years?"
He cradled my face in his hands, and our gazes locked. His eyes no longer held secrets, only promise. "Victoria Sevastyan, I will make sure of it."
I laid my hand over his strong heart. "I'm going to want this for a lot longer than three decades. I'll want you forever."
He leaned down to graze his lips over mine. "What my wife wants, she gets."
Below us, cheers and wolf whistles sounded, and we grinned as we kissed.
Dmitri Sevastyan had told me he would free me and give me the entire world.
He does both, every single day. . . .