Page 153 of Savage Saint
"The rings," he manages.
Arrow steps forward, presenting the box with a flourish despite their own tears. "Don't you dare make me ruin my eyeliner," they mutter.
I take Kasia's ring, sliding it onto her finger. "With this ring, I bind my life to yours."
She takes mine and slides it on. The weight of the ring on my finger is substantial, and I know Arrow's tracking device pulses somewhere within it. As if I'd ever want to be somewhere she couldn't find me.
"With this ring, I bind my life to yours," she says.
"By the power vested in me by the state and by the blessing of this family," Dante says, his voice thick with emotion, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Angelo, kiss your bride."
I don't need to be told twice.
I cup her face in my hands and kiss her like it's the first time and the last time all at once. She melts against me, her arms winding around my neck, and for a moment there's nothing else. No family, no past, no future. Just us.
When we break apart, everyone is crying. Even Luca, though I'm sure he'll deny it later.
"Look how gentle he is with her!" Marco sobs loudly.
I should be mortified. Instead, I find myself oddly touched.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Dante announces, "I present Mr and Mrs Angelo Santoro."
Marco completely loses it, sobbing so hard Mel has to hold him up. "It's just so beautiful! And she's so perfect for him!"
Arrow steps forward, raising a champagne glass. "If I may?"
"Oh God," Luca groans. "Here comes the speech."
"Shut up," Arrow says primly. "To Angelo, who finally found someone as beautifully dangerous as himself. And to Kasia, who's brave enough to take on not just one Santoro, but all of them. May your marriage be filled with love, laughter, and only consensual violence."
Despite the tears, everyone laughs.
"Now," Arrow continues, "I believe someone mentioned a sixty-year-old Macallan?"
"The same bottle?" Kasia asks me quietly, and I know she's remembering that night in the pool.
"The very same. Seems appropriate, don't you think?"
Her smile is wicked. "To full circle moments."
"To full circle moments," I agree, pulling her close.
The sun sets fully as we settle around the rooftop, sharing food and wine and stories. Even here, even now, business creeps in. Funeral arrangements, security concerns, the ever-present Nicolosi. But it feels different with Kasia beside me, her hand in mine, the weight of her ring against my skin.
"A toast," Dante says as darkness falls. "To family. Blood and chosen."
"To family," we echo.
"And to love," Marco adds, still sniffling. "To finding someone who sees all of you and chooses to stay."
I look at Kasia, my wife, my equal, my perfect match.
"To love," I agree.
As the others start to leave, Arrow pulls Kasia aside. I strain to hear what they whisper, catching only fragments.
"He saved you," Arrow murmurs, their hand on her arm, "but you saved him right back. Remember that when things get dark."
