“You look…” he shook his head. “There are no words, cara. Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe you.”
She lifted her free hand to his jaw and stroked his slightly stubbled skin tenderly, with all the love in the world reflected in her eyes. The pastor cleared his throat and they stepped apart. Theresa sent a quick glance over to where her ten month old daughter was sitting on her elegant grandmother’s lap. Theresa smiled at her mother-in-law and Sandro’s sisters, all three of whom were present. A smiling Rick sat beside Isabella de Lucci with a sleeping Rhys cradled in his arms. Her father had made an appearance and sat in the row behind the de Luccis. Things were still very strained between him and Sandro but he had begrudgingly released Sandro from their contract and hadn’t tried to take the vineyard back, saying that he wouldn’t contest Theresa’s ownership. Theresa still hadn’t decided what to do with the contentious plot of land but was leaning towards deeding it over to Lily. Theresa often took Lily to visit Jackson and while he was still cold towards his daughter, he seemed to love Lily in his own gruff way and spoiled her rotten. Theresa had invited him to the wedding, never expecting him to show up and now sent a small appreciative smile in his direction and he nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
She turned her attention back to her groom, this strong, beautiful man was her whole world and she loved him with all that was in her, secure in the knowledge that he felt exactly the same way about her. In that moment her life could not be any more perfect. The pastor smiled and began to speak:
“Alessandro and Theresa have both opted to write their own vows. Alessandro, would you like to begin?” Sandro smiled down at his beautiful wife and, in a voice that shook with emotion, began with the five words that had become his new mantra.
“Theresa, love of my life…”
The End