Chapter 9 - The Wedding at Dawn
We didn't have a lavish ceremony with four hundred guests, ice sculptures, or grand speeches.
At six o'clock the following morning, while the sun was just beginning to paint the Lake Forest sky in shades of gold and soft crimson, a private federal judge arrived at the estate's private conservatory.
The glass conservatory was filled with blooming white orchids and warm morning light.
I wore a simple, elegant ivory silk dress that Mara's former private stylist had fitted for me overnight. My dark hair was swept back into a soft braid adorned with small white jasmine flowers.
Lily stood beside me as my flower girl, wearing a fluffy yellow dress with matching yellow shoes, clutching a tiny basket of white rose petals that she took great pride in distributing evenly across the marble floor.
Rocco stood at the improvised altar in a dark navy tailored suit. Beside him stood Caleb Stone as his best man, and in a soft bassinet near the altar, baby Matteo slept peacefully, swaddled in a white cashmere blanket.
The federal judge, an older woman with sharp eyes who had known the Moretti family for thirty years, adjusted her glasses and opened her book.
"We are gathered here today in the presence of witnesses to unite Rocco Luca Moretti and Clara Vance in holy matrimony," the judge read, her voice resonant in the quiet glass room.
I looked at Rocco. The hardened, dangerous mob boss was looking down at me with an expression of such pure, devotion that tears welled in my eyes.
"Do you, Rocco, take Clara to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"
"I do," Rocco spoke clearly, his deep voice filling the conservatory without a single second of hesitation.
"And do you, Clara, take Rocco to be your lawful wedded husband?"
I looked at my daughter, who was smiling brightly up at us. I looked at baby Matteo sleeping safely in his crib. I looked into the eyes of the man who had given us a home, a purpose, and an unshakeable protection.
"I do," I said, my voice steady, clear, and filled with absolute certainty.
"By the power vested in me by the State of Illinois, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the judge smiled. "You may kiss the bride."
Rocco didn't wait. He stepped forward, wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me gently against his broad chest, and pressed his lips against mine in a deep, passionate kiss that made my whole body feel weightless and warm.
Lily clapped her hands happily, tossing a handful of rose petals straight into the air over our heads.
"Yay! Mommy and Rocco got married!" Lily cheered.
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Rocco pulled back slightly, a rich, genuine laugh bursting from his chest as he looked down at our daughter. He reached down with his free arm, scooping Lily easily up onto his shoulder while keeping his other arm firmly anchored around my waist.
"We are a family now, Lily," Rocco said, kissing her cheek. "And no one touches this family."
