Chapter 8 - The Wedding No One Expected
Our wedding was small.
No newspapers.
No celebrities.
No politicians.
No men in dark suits pretending they weren't carrying weapons.
Just family and friends.
Luca gave the speech.
He stood with a glass of champagne.
“I have known Vincent my entire life.”
Vincent looked nervous.
Luca smiled.
“I've seen him survive bullets, betrayals, prison threats, hostile takeovers, and one truly terrible attempt at cooking.”
Everyone laughed.
Vincent shook his head.
“But nothing changed him until Nora.”
I looked at Vincent.
“He stopped trying to control everything.”
Luca raised his glass.
“He learned that love isn't something you can buy.”
Vincent looked at me.
“And apparently neither is popcorn.”
Everyone laughed.
I kissed him.
Later that evening, I found Vincent standing alone outside.
“You okay?”
He nodded.
“I was thinking about the theater.”
“The seat?”
“The seat.”
I laughed.
“You know, you could have just asked me to move.”
“I didn't know how.”
“You offered twenty thousand dollars.”
“I was under pressure.”
“You were ridiculous.”
“I was terrified.”
I stared at him.
“Of what?”
“Losing Luca.”
He paused.
“Then you sat beside me.”
I smiled.
“And stole your popcorn.”
“You did.”
“You survived.”
“Barely.”
We stood together beneath the lights.
Then Vincent looked at me.
“Do you ever regret it?”
“Regret what?”
“Getting into that car.”
I thought about the theater.
The gunshot.
The drive.
My father's voice.
Everything that had followed.
“No.”
He looked relieved.
“Do you?”
“No.”
I leaned against him.
“You know what I think?”
“What?”
“If I hadn't sat in G12, someone else would have.”
“Probably.”
“And maybe everything would have ended differently.”
“Yes.”
“But it didn't.”
He kissed my forehead.
“No.”
The wedding ended quietly.
For once, Vincent had no enemies waiting outside.
No phone calls.
No threats.
No secrets.
May you like
Just us.
And that was enough.
