by Lylah James
Pinching his nipple, I hissed quietly. “Stop it.”
He snapped his mouth shut but looked restless. I knew how much he didn’t want to be here right now, doing this. But well…he had to stick with it.
At the thought, I smiled. He was going to love it in the end. It was going to be a day he would remember forever. I was going to make sure of it.
“Friends and family of the bride and groom, welcome and thank you for being here on this important day. Today, we are gathered together to celebrate the very special love between Ayla Abandonato—”
“Ivanshov,” Alessio growled, breaking Mark off.
“—and Alessio Ivanshov by joining them in marriage,” he continued over Alessio.
I smiled, feeling the happiest in that moment. My heart overflowed with love for the man standing in front of me.
As Mark continued with his speech, I tuned him out. I thought of everything, from the very beginning and to this moment.
The time when I was scared and running away from home. The moment when I hid in Alessio’s car and under his bed. And then when he found me.
The first look, the first touch, the first word, when blue met green…the beginning of our love story.
How he changed me…and helped me with my past. His undeniable love made me alive.
How I changed him. From someone heartless, from someone who only wanted me as a plaything to someone loving me unconditionally.
We were both broken. Two broken halves making a whole.
We learned to love together, taking baby steps. Such small steps that it would have looked impossible for us to be standing right here in this moment. But here we were, getting married in front of our friends and family.
In front of our daughter.
My mind traveled back and then to this moment. I stared in his blue eyes as his fingers rubbed back and forth over the back of my hands.
He stared back at me, his eyes holding the same amount of love, if not more.
Mark’s voice broke through my thoughts, and my heart drummed. “You fell in love by chance, but you’re here today because you’re making a choice. You both are choosing each other. You’ve chosen to be with someone who makes you smile and laugh. Someone who lifts you up and makes you into a better someone. You’re about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. Your vows are sacred, something you’ll hold till your last breath.”
He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “So, Alessio Lyov Ivanshov, do you take Ayla Abandonato as your wife, to love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forth? Do you vow to hold her, be her strength, and wipe her tears, cherishing every single moment with her? Do you vow to share all that you are and all that you have with her, and promise to continue loving her and supporting her through sickness and health? Pain and happiness?”
Alessio opened his mouth, his grip tightening around my hands.
“I do,” he said. His voice rang loud and clear, holding every ounce of seriousness.
In that moment, I realized that this meant as much to him as it meant to me.
My heart tripped, and my stomach cramped with too many butterflies at his words. Two simple words, uttered in front of hundreds of people. His love for me…it was my undoing.
Mark turned to me. “Do you Ayla Abandonato…”
“No,” I quickly said.
Alessio’s eyes widened, and he sucked in a harsh breath. There was utter silence.
Realizing that I just messed this up, I cleared my throat. “I mean wait.”
I glanced at Mark, and he too was staring at me with wide eyes. Smiling convincingly at him, I quickly finished. “I want to say my own vows, if that’s okay.”
I felt Alessio’s tensed muscles relax under my palm, and I rolled my eyes internally. Silly man. Did he really think I would stop our wedding?
“Of course, you can,” Mark replied, smiling kindly.
When he gave me a nod, I looked back at Alessio. He stared at me intensely, his blue eyes growing darker with need.
Feeling suddenly nervous, I swallowed and licked my lips. “Well, I had this memorized, but now I’m a little nervous. I hope I don’t mess this up,” I started.
People chuckled in the crowd, and I saw Alessio’s lip twitching. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Opening them again, I stared at Alessio and finally found the courage to speak. “When we first met, I didn’t think we would be standing right here in this moment. It seemed impossible back then. You were mean and rude. And I was scared of everything. We were both scared of taking this step. But when we did, we found out how beautiful love really is.”
He smiled then. A breathtaking smile that stole my breath away. His hands released mine and wrapped around my hips, anchoring me to him.
“You taught me how to love, Alessio. You taught me how to live. How to be myself. You gave me a chance at seeing this world. When everything seemed impossible, you made it possible. You made the sun shine brighter for me. You were the little light in my darkness, pulling me forward, telling me that it was okay to leave the darkness behind and embrace the light, our love.”
I heard sniffling behind me, and I knew it was Maddie. Or even Evaline. From behind Alessio, I saw his men…his most trusted men, looking just as deeply affected.
My eyes went back to my husband. My voice rang clear for everyone to hear as I continued. “When I gave up on everything…on us, you still didn’t give up. You fought and told me to fight for us. You saved me and brought me back. Alessio, you held me closer every day, and every moment, your love made me forget the pain. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for loving me and for fighting for us. But all I know is that I will never leave you. I will forever be at your side, just like we were meant to be. From the very beginning, we were fated.”
Looking up at him, my fingers whispered over his chest, his wildly beating heart. “So this is my vow to you. Alessio Ivanshov, your love is my anchor. You are my strength. I promise to give you all my love from now until eternity ends. I vow to care for you, trust your love, be what you need, to make sure your feelings are always considered. I vow to show my love and respect. I want to live out the days of my life with you. I, Ayla Abandonato, vows to take you as my husband, to love, honor, comfort, and cherish you from this day forth. We are one and always will be.”
Licking my lips, I said my final words. “I make this vow because my heart is yours.”
“Can we have the rings, please?” Mark said.
I turned around to see Lena walking down the aisle, holding Maila in her arms. My sweet baby was wearing the cutest white tutu dress, with a flower headband on her head.
Our rings were exchanged, and I couldn’t help the way my heart fluttered.
Finally, I palmed Alessio’s cheeks, holding him to me. “I love you, Alessio Ivanshov. I love you so much.”
The tears slid down my cheeks unashamedly. Those words…I have longed to say them, and I knew this day was perfect.
I felt Alessio sucking a harsh breath, and then he was kissing me, devouring me in front of all our friends and families.
He had no care in the world as his lips met mine in a hard, bruising kiss. Alessio nipped at my lips, and I kissed him back with the same passion.
My hands went to his neck, pulling me closer to me. “I love you, Angel. I fucking love you so damn much.”
His breath mingled with mine, his tongue sliding along mine. My lips felt swollen, but I still didn’t let him go.
Mark cleared his throat, but Alessio still didn’t let me go. He tried again and again, but there was no success. Alessio and I were lost in each other.
“Boss,” he said, trying to get Alessio’s attention.
Another clearing of a throat. “Well…emm…by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may continue kissing the bride.”
Laughter could be heard, and I felt my own smile. Alessio was smirking against my lips.
“You are mine now,
” he whispered against my lips.
“Always have been and always will be. Only yours, Alessio,” I whispered back.
We finally pulled away, both of us breathless. My cheeks felt warm, my lips swollen.…and my heart…well, it was wild.
Alessio grabbed my hand, and we turned to face the audience. Mark stood behind us, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke again.
“It is with great honor I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Alessio Ivanshov.”
Everyone stood up and clapped. There were shouts and roars of happiness.
Alessio bent down and swept me off my feet, cradling me to his chest as he stepped off the platform. My hands went around his neck, and he walked us back.
“I love you, Alessio,” I said to him. Placing a kiss on his cheek, I let my lips linger there. “I promise to continue loving you until I take my last breath.”
His hold tightened around me, and I smiled.
My husband. My king. My love. My savior. My monster. My made man.
And I, his Angel.
Chapter 39
Alessio
As I carried Ayla off the platform, all I wished was that we were in private. But no, we had more than five hundred people watching us.
Ayla was so beautiful in this moment that all I wanted to do was steal her away, hide her from everyone’s eyes…so only I could feast on her.
When she walked out of those doors, it felt like my heart had stopped. I found it hard to breathe as she walked down the aisle to me.
And then she said her vows, taking me by surprise but messing with my head at the same time. I didn’t think I could love her any more than I did, but the moment I heard those words from her lips, it felt like my heart would burst.
Ayla’s arms tightened around my neck, her lips pressing against my skin in the sweetest kiss.
I pulled her even closer. “Can we leave now?” I muttered in her ear.
She laughed and shook her head. “No. Maddie will hunt us down.”
Fucking Maddie.
When I reached the middle of the garden, where all the tables and chairs were, I let Ayla down. She grabbed my arm to steady herself.
Pulling her closer to me, I gripped her hips possessively. The guests started our way, excited to finally meet Ayla.
With Ayla at my side, I introduced her to the rest of the Bratva.
“Alessio,” Dmitry said, coming closer with his wife and kids at his side.
Slapping me on my back, he said his congratulations. “Ayla, this is Dmitry Agron. Boss of the Agron Family. He is part of the Bratva.”
She smiled kindly and shook his hand. “And this is his wife, Lidiya. The little girl in her arms is Anastasia,” I continued to introduce.
Lidiya came forward and hugged Ayla. “It is so very nice to finally meet you, Ayla.”
“I would like to say the same. I have heard so much about the Agron family,” Ayla replied, placing a kiss on Lidiya’s cheek.
“And this is my son,” Dmitry said, pulling Grigory forward. He was fourteen years old, the next in line as Boss after his father.
“It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ma’am,” he said with a slight bow.
Grigory nodded at Ayla, his face stern and hard. Emotionless. Well trained. I nodded at Dmitry in approval.
Behind Dmitry, I saw Valentin making his way to us. Fucking Solonik. I pulled Ayla closer to me, and she looked up at me, confused.
“Alessio, son…I am hurt that I had to hear of the wedding from someone else,” he said, coming to stand beside Dmitry.
His eyes went to Ayla, his stare burning into her. A small smirk appeared on his lips, and all I wanted to do was punch it in.
I felt a hand on my back. “Control, Alessio,” Viktor said quietly, coming to stand beside me.
“A lovely wife you have there,” Valentin continued, his voice thick with his Russian accent.
He moved forward, taking Ayla’s hand before she could even react. My fingers bit in her hips, trying to control myself at the sight of him touching my wife.
Valentin bent his head, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. “It is my pleasure, Ayla Abandonato,” he said, his eyes darkening.
“Ivanshov. Ayla Ivanshov. That’s my wife you are speaking to,” I growled, pulling Ayla away from him.
“Of course. My apologies,” he quickly said, his eyebrows raised in amusement.
“Valentin, how nice to see you after so many years,” Lyov said in Russian, standing beside Ayla. Isaak took his side, both of them glaring daggers into Solonik.
Ayla looked up at me, demanding answers. “It’s Valentin Solonik,” was my only reply.
Her eyes widened and stepped closer to me. Solonik might be part of the Bratva. He might have been a boss, but I was still the Godfather. He hated it. He loathed that the Ivanshov led the other families.
Valentin had always tried to find a way to take over, but he never got a chance. Not now and not ever.
Valentin and Lyov continued to converse in Russian.
“Where is your wife?” Isaak asked.
“She is at home,” Valentin answered drily.
He might have been old enough to be my father—his reign started around the same time as Lyov, but his wife was years younger than me.
“Are they speaking Russian?” Ayla whispered.
I nodded and slightly bent my head down so I could whisper in her ear. “Yes, Valentin’s estate is in Russia. He takes care of the business there. Barely comes over to the US or Canada.”
We stepped away from the crowd, Dmitry nodding at me in understanding. He took his wife by the hips, kissing her on the lips before leading them away.
“Can you speak Russian?” she asked quietly, her arms going around my waist.
I chuckled at the questions. “Of course, I can, Ayla.”
“Say something in Russian,” she demanded. “Emm…it sounded…nice when the others were speaking it.”
Pulling my wife against me, my fingers grazed her neck. She shivered at my touch, her eyes half closing as I trailed my finger down.
“Kotyonok,” I whispered roughly before nipping at her earlobe.
She jumped in response, her arms tightening around me. “What does that mean?” she whispered back, breathless.
“Kitten,” I replied, my teeth grazing her neck, biting down softly.
“Oh.” Her lips parted, and other ideas jumped in my mind.
“Alessio, man, do you need a room?”
I groaned and pulled away from Ayla. Erik Gavrikov smirked as he stared at us.
“Ayla, this is—”
“I can introduce myself,” he said, pushing me away.
“Fuck off, Erik,” I snapped back.
He laughed and pulled Ayla in a hug. He winked over her shoulders before stepping back. “I’m Erik Gavrikov. I’m sure you’ve heard of the name. The better-looking Boss,” he teased.
Ayla’s cheeks turned red, and I watched her flustered over Erik.
“Emm, yes…Alessio has told me about you,” she replied.
“I can’t fucking believe that you’re hitched, Alessio. Am I the only single one left?” he said, running his fingers through his hair.
“Pretty much. If you don’t count my men,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
“Well, I like my pussies varied. Can’t stick with just one.” He shrugged. His eyes went to a woman as she passed by us.
“I’ll tap that one anytime,” he said, smacking her on the ass. “Tonight, kotik. What say?”
Too bad for him the woman turned out to be Nina.
She swiveled around; her glare could kill anyone on the spot. “Touch me again and I will rip your arms off and beat you with them,” she growled.
Erik raised his hands up. “Damn, Nina. I thought we were good. You liked it last night.”
Ayla coughed, hiding her laugh behind her hand.
Without answering, Nina started to walk away, only to stop again. “Oh, and call me a pussycat again and
you won’t be able to speak. Got it?”
Erik stared at her speechless. “What crawled in her ass? She need the stick removed or what?”
He smirked then. “I’ll remove it…and then replace it with something else.”
He thrust his hips forward and winked. I could see Ayla blushing, and she looked down.
“Where is Viktor?” Erik asked. “Can’t see the best man anywhere.”
“He must be somewhere,” Ayla asked. “He was right beside us a few minutes ago.”
Erik nodded and started to back away. “I’ll see you both later.”
Ayla waved and then sagged against me. “Is he always like this?”
“Yes,” I replied drily.
“It looks like I have met all of the Families,” she said, watching the guests mingling around. “They seem…very enthusiastic. I can’t explain it. It’s strange.”
“Most of us here are killers, Ayla. Of course, it’s strange. We don’t mingle and party.”
Ayla nodded in understanding as other guests made their way to us. She talked, smiled, and laughed at everyone.
I watched her getting along, and pride filled my chest. She has come a long way. We both have.
Ayla deserved this more than anyone.
I snapped out of my thoughts when Ayla made her way to me. Leaning on her toes, she placed a quick kiss on my lips, catching me by surprise.
I love you, she mouthed.
I heard people laughing and clapping as I pulled her onto my lap. Yeah. I fucking loved this woman.
And she was getting deliciously fucked tonight.
***
Ayla
My heart drummed as Alessio pulled me onto his lap.
I bit on my lips, feeling my cheeks heating under his eyes. His eyes followed my movement, and if possible, his gaze was growing more lustful. He looked so sexy in this moment.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Maddie motioning me over. “I guess it’s time for our first dance,” I said softly.
Alessio cradled me to his chest and stood up. He carried me to the platform before placing me on my feet. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I moved closer.
