Chapter 34

It took her over a month to find the perfect dress, and when she saw it, she fell in love with it. It was strapless, full-length, and had sparkly beads throughout it. The wedding and reception were to be held at their home.

She wanted a small, simple wedding, but he insisted they have a big one. She didn’t know anyone he invited to the wedding except those who worked for him. Of course, Dennis was Dmitry’s best man, and Tabitha was her maid of honor.

Dmitry spared no expense for the wedding. He hired the best caterers and the best decorators and had transformed the backyard into something out of a fairy tale. Now he wasn’t one for those traditions and refused to let her spend the night alone in another room the night before their wedding.

She was already in bed when he came into the room. Removing his clothes, he got into bed next to her and sat up.

“We need to talk,” he said, giving her a serious look.

She sat up and was worried that he had changed his mind about marrying her. “You look so serious. Is something wrong?”

“No, I just need to talk to you. I love you, and I know that you love me, but I have to ask you: Are you sure you want to marry me?”

“Of course I’m sure—why are you asking me that?”

“Because you are marrying a man with a bad reputation for being in the mafia. This is my life; it is one that I cannot walk away from even if I wanted to. You must live a life surrounded by guards to protect you and our son. Danger can strike at any time; there is always going to be someone out there that will want to try and take me down. As much as I love you, I am willing to let you go if you choose to, and you can even take David with you somewhere safe.”

She took hold of his hands. “I know who and what you are, and I don’t care. I love you, and I could never leave you. I also know that you will keep us safe. I ask that you remain faithful to me for the rest of our lives.”

“I give you my word on that. I will never harm or disrespect you in any way whatsoever.”

She felt a tear slide down her face. Since David was born, he has been a changed man, even in front of others. There was a time when they went out that she had to remain quiet and not speak so as not to embarrass him or make him look bad in front of his men.

But now she could speak her mind even if it was in anger or disagreement with him in front of others. “You already treat me with respect when we go out. I love you so much. You are the love of my life and my savior.”

He leaned forward, his forehead touching hers. “I want you to know that I have made a huge decision. I have given up all of my criminal activities: the smuggling of guns, transforming illegal drugs, and other things. I am going to do my best to turn straight. But don’t get me wrong, I will still be a bastard to those who cross or steal from me. I will remain one of the most feared men in the world. I must keep my reputation intact so my enemies don’t try to destroy me or those I love. Now I must ask you once again, are you willing to live in this life with me?”

She placed her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. “Yes, I am.” She was glad that he decided to turn straight.

He lowered her down onto the bed, hovering over her. “I will not make love to you tonight. Instead, I will wait until our wedding night and give you a night of unbridled passion.”

He did, however, kiss her with so much love and passion—one that left her breathless.

As agreed, he woke up early, kissed her, and left the room. He would not see her again until the ceremony took place. He would be a married man in six hours, and he couldn’t wait.

Going downstairs, he had his breakfast and met with Dennis.

“Well, boss, are you getting cold feet yet?”

He smiled at his right-hand man. “Cold feet? Not a chance. I can’t wait to make her my wife. I want to thank you and Tabitha again for agreeing to take care of David while we’re on our honeymoon.”

“You don’t have to thank us; it’s our pleasure to do so. I’ve checked everything out, as you asked, and everything is on schedule. Some men are outside setting up now for the live band, and extra security has been set up all around the property.”

For the next several hours, people started coming and going, food was being prepared, equipment for the live band was set up, and the cake and champagne were delivered on time. It was time for him to go up, take a shower, and get into his suit.

Heading upstairs, he went opposite to his bedroom, into one of the guest rooms with his suit hanging in the closet.

Meanwhile, Danica and Tabitha were in her bedroom having breakfast together while David slept in his crib.

“So, are you excited about today?”

She looked at Tabitha and took a deep breath. “I’m nervous as hell. I mean, I’m excited to be marrying Dmitry; it’s just all those people that are coming to the wedding are making me nervous. I only wanted a small wedding, but he wouldn’t change his mind; he can be so stubborn at times.”

“Well, just concentrate on him and don’t even think of the other people.”

After talking and taking care of David, it was time to get ready for the wedding. The one maid who had worked for Dmitry for about ten years was going to be watching the baby during the wedding ceremony and then later until Tabitha and Dennis could take over watching him.

After putting on his suit, he went down to his office where Dennis was waiting for him. He poured them both a shot of whiskey and handed one to him.

“It’s almost time.”

Dennis lifted his glass up. “Congratulations, boss, may you have a long and happy life with Danica.”

After finishing their drink, they went outside and greeted the guests that were arriving. He spent the time greeting his guests and welcoming them to his special day.

He then went back to where the meal would be served to make sure it was what he wanted. Seeing the layout and how it looked, he was very pleased.

He then went into the kitchen to check on the food to make sure the men he hired were watching everything being prepared. It was always a good idea just in case an enemy slipped in and tried to poison the food or drinks.

Yes, he was paying big bucks to hire extra men to keep an eye on everything. A handful of his regular men were also watching the newly hired men.

He looked at his watch and knew it was close to the time the ceremony would begin, so he went outside to where Dennis was standing, talking to another man.

Going over, he tapped him on the shoulder. “You got the rings?”

“Right here, boss,” he answered, touching his breast pocket.

“Good, it’s time for us to go to the gazebo.”

They walked up the aisle as everybody was already seated and got under the gazebo with the priest. The music began, and within seconds, Tabitha made her way down the aisle, wearing a long sleeveless pale blue dress. Dennis couldn’t help smiling, thinking how beautiful she looked as their eyes locked.

Then, when the official wedding march started, Dmitry turned his head to see the most beautiful woman in the world walking toward him. She looked radiant in her beautiful white gown, and her hair flowed loosely over her shoulders and down her back.

The way she smiled at him melted his heart; he couldn’t wait to call her his wife.

When she started down the aisle, she saw Dmitry looking handsome. She saw the way he was smiling at her, and tears began forming in her eyes.

She couldn’t take her eyes off of him; he was looking at her with so much love in his eyes. When she got to the front, she handed her bouquet of flowers to Tabitha and took hold of his hands when he held them out to her.

“Baby, you look so beautiful, and I love you so much,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

“I love you too,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Everyone was quiet during the ceremony as they listened to the vows being said. When the rings were placed on their fingers and the priest announced them man and wife and told Dmitry he could kiss the bride, that’s exactly what he did.

Placing his hands on each side of her face, he pulled her in for a kiss—it was deep, passionate, and lasted for several minutes. The crowd got to their feet and started clapping.

The woman watching David brought the baby over to them, and Dmitry held him while they accepted everyone’s congratulations. After socializing and taking pictures, they all sat down for a delicious meal that had been prepared.

By this time, David was taken back to his room for his nap. Toasts were made, speeches were said—it was then time to cut the cake.

He stood behind her, his arms around her and his hands on top of hers as she sliced the cake and cut the first piece for the two of them. She then fed him a small piece, and in return, he did the same to her.

He couldn’t stop smiling at her, and every chance he got, he would kiss her no matter who was around. Once the music started, they stepped onto the dance area; he pulled her into his arms as they began to sway to the music.

“Have I told you lately how beautiful you look and how much I love you?”

Putting her arms around his neck, she smiled back at him. “Yes, you have. I love you too, and this has been an amazing day. Everything was just perfect, and I must say how handsome you look today, but then you always do. I’m really glad you like this dress; it’s going to be a shame to take it off.”

“It is beautiful, but to be honest, I can’t wait to take it off you,” he said, then spoke to her in his native tongue, which he knew would turn her on.

“What did you just say to me?”

He looked at her and smirked. “I can’t tell you here unless you want your panties to be soaked for the rest of the night.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Too late. You are talking in Russian, and it always gets me wet. I can’t wait until we get on that plane. I’m going to keep this dress on till we get on it, and that way, you can take it off me.”

“My love, it’s only close to a three-hour flight. What I have planned for you will take me much longer than that.”

She traced her fingers down his chest. “There’s nothing saying we can’t have a quickie on the plane. You know, something to tide us over until we get to Cancun.”

Even though he insisted they were going to wait, she knew that once she had him undo the back of her gown, he wouldn’t be able to resist her. Oh yes, he would make love to her on the plane; he just didn’t know it yet.

When she excused herself to go inside to use the washroom, Dmitry walked around, making sure everyone was having a good time. He approached a couple of men who had their backs to him and felt the anger build inside him when he heard what they were saying.

“Mr. Dmitry did well for himself, marrying a hot young number like her. Maybe I should buy myself a stripper and bang her every night until she gets pregnant.”

Dmitry placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, swung him around, and punched him hard in the face. “If I ever hear you talk disrespectfully toward my wife again, I will blow your fucking head off.”

Dennis saw what was happening and rushed over to them. “Is there a problem here, boss?”

“Not now, but I want you to get these two pricks off my property.”

“Mr. Smirnov, we are so sorry. We didn’t mean any harm; we were joking around,” one of them said as they were being dragged away.

A few minutes later, he saw Danica coming from inside the house. He was glad that she wasn’t there to witness what happened. “What took so long, sweetheart? I was starting to think you weren’t coming back.”

She reached up and kissed him. “I just went to check on David, and he’s sleeping like an angel. I’m really going to miss him when we go on our honeymoon; maybe we should take him with us.”

He pulled her into his arms, crushing her body against his. “He will be fine with Tabitha and Dennis, and we can see him daily on Skype. Besides, I wouldn’t want our infant son to hear how I’m going to make his mother scream in ecstasy for hours on end.”

It was time to head to his plane that was waiting to take them to Cancun. But first, she had to toss her bouquet. All the single women lined up behind her, and when she tossed it, Tabitha was the one to catch it.

After that, they both went up to see David before leaving. She couldn’t help feeling sad about leaving him, but she knew he would be in good hands and that she could see him every day thanks to technology.

Giving him a sweet kiss and promising to come back soon, they left to catch their flight.