By Virtue I Fall (Sins of the Fathers #3)(102)

I held Anna’s hand as we walked to the front door. Leonas trailed a couple of steps back as if he could sense that I had something planned. He’d been surprisingly tolerable on the ride back home anyway, not asking any annoying questions. Dante and Val both opened the door for us.

“Can I come in for a sec?” I asked, feeling nervous.

Dante locked gazes with mine and his brows drew together then he gave a small nod. Did he know what I had planned, and approved? Or was I reading more into it because I knew this was a risky move so soon after Anna’s failed wedding. But her parents had been left in the dark for too long, they deserved to be part of our journey from now on. But who said she wouldn’t say no to me too? That woman had dumped Clifford in front of a priest and hundreds of guests.

Anna tilted her head in curiosity. Dante, Val, and Leonas stood off to the side, but they too had an air of expectancy surrounding them.

I cleared my throat and took both of Anna’s hands in mine before I got down on my knee.

Anna’s lips formed an O, and her parents and brother exchanged looks. I took the engagement ring I’d bought only yesterday from my pocket and presented it to Anna. “My heart never wanted to keep you a secret because it knew all the time that you were the woman for me. You rein me in but never made me feel caught. Your sharp humor and even sharper tongue keep me on my toes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you become my wife?”

My heart hammered in my chest as I waited for Anna to say something. Her gaze briefly darted to her parents and in that second it took for Dante to nod and Val to smile my pulse reached concerning levels. My wounds ached with every heartbeat, but I suffered gladly for Anna’s answer.

She smiled down at me and squeezed my hand. “Yes, definitely yes. And this time I’ll say yes in church too.”

I shoved to my feet and wrapped my arms around her for a kiss, overwhelmed by relief, then I put the ring on Anna’s finger. And for the first time, she felt officially mine.





“And?” Mom asked with a small smile. “Are you nervous?”

Mom had asked me the same question on the day of my canceled wedding to Clifford and I’d said “no” without hesitation. Today the situation was very different. My belly was bustling with nerves, my heart racing. “Yes.”

I wasn’t nervous because I doubted my decision to marry Santino. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. I loved Santino and he loved me. He’d drive me up the wall until eternity and I would keep pushing all his buttons, and the knowledge made me ridiculously happy. My lack of nervousness at my canceled wedding should have been a warning sign. I’d felt eerily calm. It wasn’t the calm that came from certainty. I’d been protecting myself by burying my emotions. I hadn’t cared in that moment because it was the only way to go through with the wedding.

Mom touched my cheek. “I can tell it’s the good kind of nervousness.”

I grinned. “Oh yes.”

Mom nodded. “Today I’ll watch you go down the aisle with a good feeling.”

“And Dad?” I asked. Dad had always appreciated Santino—as my bodyguard and until he’d found out that he and I had been getting it on.

“Your dad likes Santino more than Clifford, that’s for sure, but he’ll definitely have to make up for going behind his back for so long. That’s not something your father tolerates. Asking for your hand in front of us was the first step and he’s been proving himself every day since.”

“But I went behind your backs as well, so not only Santino is to blame.”

“Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart. You have a lot to make up for as well.”

I kissed her cheek. I’d been trying to be as open as possible with my parents in the eight months since Santino had asked me for my hand. “I won’t lie to you again.” Then I grinned. “And I’m sure you’ll soon have enough to worry about with Leonas.”

Mom sighed. “We’ll see.” She glanced at her elegant gold watch. “We have to hurry. It’s almost time.”

She helped me slip on my dress.

Mom shook her head with a look of admiration. “This dress is absolutely stunning. I’m glad you decided to design your own wedding dress this time.”

“This time meant enough to me that I wanted to put in the effort.”

“And last time you probably knew deep down that you wouldn’t go through with the wedding in the end.”

I nodded, deep down I’d probably always known it.

I loved everything about the dress. I’d found inspiration in nature like I often did with my recent designs. For my wedding dress, I’d taken inspiration from a calla lily. I’d looked at the beautiful flower for days as I’d drawn my gown and then touched the silky flowers until I’d found the right silk fabric to mimic the feel of the petals.

My dress was like an upside-down calla lily. The skirt was shorter in the front and the back had a slightly pointed train like the petal of the flower. The dress looked as smooth as the petal, and felt even smoother to the touch, but not quite as clean as silk. There was a velvety quality to it. But my favorite part was the gentle color progression. It was a subtle ombre effect with the train of the dress being white and then on level with my knees a shift became slowly visible to the eye from pearlescent white to a subtle bluish hue. I’d found a rare cultivation of the calla with a white-blue color gradient and immediately fallen in love. My bodice was a subdued light blue with silver threads and lace. I had chosen white gold jewelry, with the earrings and the pendant in the shape of a calla lily. The blue of the dress accentuated the blue of my eyes, and my shoes, too, had a subtle color shift from white to blue. My bridal bouquet was a tightly bound bouquet consisting only of white calla lilies.