Sinful Vows Bonus Content

EPILOGUE

ELSIE

SIX MONTHS LATER

My husband has gotten to know me quite well in these last months, and I’ve gotten to know him well too. When he suggested we get married again, I knew I didn’t want a big wedding like we had.

It was beautiful, sure, and I felt every bit the queen. But all I needed was him and our families. That’s all that matters to me. 

I didn’t actually tell him any of this. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. But a few weeks after, he suggested we have a simple wedding in St. Barts. I think the smile may have broken my face because it’s everything I could’ve asked for. This place…it changed us. It helped us discover parts of ourselves we kept concealed. Returning here, exchanging vows here, it’s a slice of perfection.

And today, I get to marry the man who changed my entire life.

“You look so beautiful,” Jade gushes from behind me, helping me slip my veil into my hair. 

The lace around the edges hits the train of my gown, matching its intricately woven design.

“Thank you,” I say, fixing the sweetheart neckline before fingering the large round diamond studs Michael gifted me as a wedding present.

“I’m glad we can be here with you this time.” Kayla rises from the sofa, holding a glass of champagne and handing the second one to me. 

I immediately take a sip.

“The first time may have been real, but this is our true wedding.” I turn to face them both, taking each of their hands in mine. “And to have both of you here with me…” I flutter my eyes to a close. “It means more than words can explain.”

“Mama?” Sophia barges through the door, rushing over to me. “Can you help me put my necklace back on?” She opens her palm, and the chain sparkles. “I took it off to show Grandpa, but he couldn’t put it back on because he says his eyes aren’t as good anymore because he’s old.”

I laugh at her hilariously goofy expression while she imitates my father’s face. She’s so enthusiastic when she talks. I just love her. And being her mom, hearing her call me that…it’s everything. I remember the first time she did, I broke down and sobbed like a baby.

“Is Grandpa with Grandma?” I ask. 

She has my father now, and he’s the only grandpa she will ever need. When Sophia makes up her mind, nothing in the world can stop her. And when she decided to call my parents her grandparents four months ago…well, nothing made them happier. We made our blended family work.

“Turn around, honey,” I tell her, taking the necklace from her grasp and placing it around her neck, kneeling a little so I can clasp it.

“All done.”

She twirls around in her big puffy white dress, hair tight in a ballerina bun. “Thanks, Mommy. Now, I look beautiful, like you.” She grins with one of her teeth missing.

I cup her face as she stares up at me. “You don’t need a necklace or a pretty dress to make you beautiful, because those are just things, Sophia. You are already beautiful. And do you know what the most beautiful thing about you is?”

“What?” Awe drapes her voice, her eyes growing larger by the second.

“What’s inside your heart. Your sweet personality, your desire to help people. That’s what makes you beautiful.”

She grins wider.

Jade swings an arm around my shoulders, whispering, “You are the most natural mother. You make me proud.”

And coming from a woman who’s the most amazing mother I’ve ever seen, that’s a big compliment.

I’m beyond lucky to have both of my friends back. Our lives may have been riddled with grim and awful things, but we’re lucky too. We got each other back. And in the last few months, Jade has been the one helping Kayla and I get through the demons of our past. She’s good at that.

There’s a soft knock. 

“Come in,” I say. 

The door parts open, and my father steps inside, his brows dipping with intense emotion as he approaches.

“Can’t believe my beautiful daughter’s getting married.” His eyes twinkle with moisture, his hand clasping to mine. “Your mother and I love you so much. We’re glad to see you happy. You’re happy, right, sweetheart?”

“I am, Dad. I never thought I’d get to this point in my life, but I’m here, and I’ve never been happier.”

“That man is desperate to see you.” He laughs with a shake of his head.

“You saw him?” My eyes grow; I’m unable to stop the intense beating of my heart.

“Oh, yeah. He’s practically pacing at the altar, fixing his cuffs every second.” He chuckles again.

“Then I guess we should put that man out of his misery.”

One of the girls informs the maître d’ that we’re ready, and we’re led outside the suite and down a long hallway opening out onto the beach.

With bouquets in hand, the girls blow me a kiss before, one by one, they head down the bridge overlooking the ocean. Mom is already there sitting beside Michael’s mom. They’ve become quite close, often scheduling lunches and nail appointments together.

I guess it’s a good thing my parents moved only five miles away. It was all Michael. He asked if they’d consider it, and they both wanted to, but weren’t sure about leaving their jobs until he found them ones here. My mom still works as a plastic surgeon at a top hospital in the city, while Dad took over a VP position for one of Michael’s friends, who was ready to give up his finance career and retire.

Having them this close, it’s been a gift no amount of gratitude can express. He does these kinds of things for me, and it’s better than hearing him tell me he loves me because this – his actions – they show the magnitude of his devotion.

When it’s Sophia’s turn, the maître d’ hands her the flower girl basket.

As she’s set to walk down the aisle, she looks at me over her shoulder and says, “I love you, Mommy.”

And while I try not to melt into a puddle of heaving emotions, she struts out, leaving me alone with my father.

“She’s special, that one.” He grins as he watches her go.

“I know. She truly is.”

“Mom and I don’t mind babysitting tonight if you and Michael want to be alone…you know…” I swear his cheeks redden, and he can barely look into my eyes.

I laugh hysterically. “Oh my God, Dad. Did you really just say that?”

“What?” He finally glances at me, flipping his hands nonchalantly. “I was young once too.”

I shake my head just as the music changes, and with a deep breath, with my father’s arm hooked around mine, we walk out together.

As soon as I see him – Michael, my husband – my heart stills, my feet moving faster. His brows furrow, emotions gripping his hard features, softening them for me. And as I draw near, he takes two steps toward us, as though he needs me as much as I need him right now.

My father laughs under his breath, and with a kiss to my cheek, he shakes Michael’s hand.

“Thank you, sir,” he tells Dad, who moves to take a seat by Mom. “I’m the luckiest man that ever walked this earth,” he tells me softly while the wedding officiant opens a page.

“Don’t worry,” I whisper, perching my lips against his ear. “I promise to remind you how lucky you are every single day.” 

My face brightens as he chuckles.

“Ahh, there’s that smart mouth I fell in love with.” He smirks devilishly, and my smile widens.

It’s like my permanent state of being, smiling this way, laughing and dancing and loving him. And these days, I don’t miss much of anything, because Michael? He gave it all to me and more.

MICHAEL

Two Years Later

“Open your mouth, little dove.” I edge the fork down until it meets her soft lips, feeding her a huge bite of the chocolate chip pancakes I made from scratch.

I know her history with them has been…well…better not to think about that, because I’m bound to lose my shit. But I swore that I’d make up for every painful day she’s endured. That I would do what I could to right the wrongs and replace the painful memories with new ones. Better ones.

When the taste hits her tongue, she groans. 

“Did you make them from clouds, because oh my God…” she mumbles in the most adorable way that has me chuckling. 

“I live my life to spoil you, sweetheart, and if it were possible to take a piece of the heavens for you, I would do it.”

She slants her head, her brows furrowing. “I love you, Michael.”

“And I you.” I pull in a long breath, and a heavy palm settles across her protruding belly. 

Her smile widens, and I lean over and kiss her there. Ever since she became pregnant with our son, I’ve been insane with worry. There’s not a moment I’m not thinking of what could happen to them. To Sophia. They’re my everything. Even with the twenty-four-hour bodyguards I have on each of them, it still doesn’t quiet the insanity brewing in my mind.

The past two years have been good to us. We’re safe. The people we love are too. We’re all trying to piece our lives back together.

After everything with my father was resolved, things quieted. Not to say there’s still not lurking danger. Being who we are, there’s always someone who can come after us and those we love. So I do what I can to shield them from that part of my life.

Propping my elbow higher, I watch her as she takes another bite of the pancake, a grin curving over my face. 

“I love watching you eat what I make you,” I tell her.

“Well, you’re a damn wonderful cook, Mr. Marino. Keep this up, and I’m going to gain another fifty pounds before I pop him out next month.”

“Gain two hundred pounds.” My hand slinks between her thighs, and she sucks on her lower lip. “It doesn’t change a thing for me, baby.”

“You’re too good to me.” Her eyes glisten.

“I’ll live my life being good to you.”

That widened smile of hers burrows into my heart, now devoid of the holes it once carried. Because she’s managed to fill every single one with her outpouring love and her undying acceptance. I never thought there’d be a day when I’d be here, in love with a woman like her. Someone who loves me back unconditionally, who loves our daughter the way she does. And there’ll never be a day when I think I deserve any of it, but I’m learning to accept it.

“I love you, baby.” My voice swells with affection. “I love the family we’ve created.”

She takes my hand and brushes a kiss across my palm. “And I love you for giving me all the things I didn’t know I needed.”

“You’re the one who’s given me so much, my little dove. I don’t think you’ll ever realize just how much you’ve taught me.” 

My eyes fall to a gradual close, and in my very soul, I feel this magic between us. This undying passion and warmth that only grows with each passing day. 

“You’re my home,” I remind her, staring back into the tranquility of her earthy gaze. “I didn’t think I’d ever have any of this. Feel any of it…until you.”

“Everyone deserves to be loved, Michael.” 

Those words, they feel different now than when she first uttered them on the beach.

“Even me,” I say, because yes, I deserve it too. We both do.

And together, we’ll always have it in each other.