Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
“You’re a good mama, Fay,” my dad murmurs, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Now come on, let’s get you married.”
I smile at him and, with a quick nod, my dad and my sister walk me towards the church.
Janeen gives me a kiss on the cheek as well as a quick smile before she passes through the doors, a swell of music signaling that the ceremony is getting started ando the bride is about to arrive. I peer through the door, watching Janeen move down the aisle as everyone stands up, getting ready for me.
“Baby,” my dad says, and I turn in surprise to hear his voice wavering.
“Dad,” I murmur, reaching out and cupping his cheek. “Is everything…”
“Everything is fine, baby,” he murmurs, taking my hand from his face and holding it tight in his own. “I just… wanted to say…”
My eyes fill with tears again and I know immediately that I’m a goner that theres no way I’m getting through this night with dry eyes, let alone whatever my dad is going to say next.
Dad takes a deep breath, steeling himself. “I wanted to say,” he continues, setting his shoulders straight, “that being your dad has been the greatest honor of my life.”
The tears start to slide down my cheeks and my dad laughs, reaching out to softly wipe them away.
“Now don’t fuss, baby,” he murmurs, laughing at me a little, which makes me laugh too. “I just wanted you to know that 1am so glad that l’ve had the chance to be your dad
Watching you grow to the woman you are,” he shakes his head, pride radiating from every inch of him. “Well, Fay..it’s just been a joy. I’m so grateful for you, that you’re my little girl.”
I tuck my head against his shoulder, smiling and crying and laughing a little because I love him so much, but hes turning me into a damn sobbing mess by being so sweet.
“I love you, dad,” I whisper to him as he holds me close. “In the great lottery of life, I’m glad I got you too.”
We stay like that for a moment, sharing it, before dad pulls away a little and produces a handkerchief from his pocket.
“All right, now clean up,” he murmurs, offering it to me so l can wipe the tears off my face. “Or else that big man of yours is gonna come looking for you, and while I like to pretend I could take him..we both know I can’t.”
I laugh again, and then I murmur a little apology to Dominic too as I wipe a few spare tears off his little head where they’ve splattered.
Then I set my shoulders, and nod to my dad that I’m ready.
He loops his arm in mine and, with my dad at my side and my baby in my arms, I enter the chapel and start down the aisle towards the man I love.
I’m a little dazzled by the light the moment I walk into the little Bianci family chapel from the darkness outdoors, because the entire place
The entire place, absolutely every surface, is covered in candles.
My steps stutter for a moment as I gasp and look around at all the beautiful firelight, which casts a romantic golden glow throughout the entire room. The violinist from the band plays softly, a song I don’t recognize but which is sweet and soft as I take my first steps down the aisle.
As soon as my eyes adjust, they immediately, instinctually find Kent.
I mean, not like it’s hard. Kent draws attention like gravity, like the moon pulling the water from the sea, making it reach for him. And like the tides, I move towards him without thought or intent simply because at his side is precisely where I want to be.
Kent stands to the right of the altar, his hands clasped neatly before him, his face solemn.
But as his eyes sweep over me, that solemnity cracks as something passes over him. Kent exhales once, deeply, and looks almost…devastated as he takes me in. My brow creases with worry, but he just shakes his head, smiling a little at me in awe.
And then I blush, and bite my lip, because I realize that Kent isn’t upset he just really thinks I’m beautiful. Joy rushes through me for the millionth time today as my dad leads me up the aisle, my eyes locked on the man who will soon be my husband.
The man who already is, in my heart at least. Which is all, l think, that really matters
When we get to the end of the aisle my dad unloops his arm from mine and gently takes my hand, passing it over to Kent’s. “Deal still stands” my dad says, his voice low with warning. “You protect her, all right?”
“I swear it,” Kent says, dead serious as he meets my father’s eyes and takes my hand in his. “My life before hers.”
Dad smirks a little but then he nods and steps away, taking the seat reserved for him at the edge of the aisle next to Alessi, who I grin to see has Titus scooped into his lap.
I smile at Kent as I move to stand across from him, my hand in his, only glancing down to check on the baby but I laugh because Dominic actually has the gall to have fallen asleep. Kent, curious, looks too, and he laughs as well.
And then were both laughing, lost in each other as the priest I barely noticed begins to speak.
The mass is short, and I hardly pay attention not least because I don’t understand the language the mass is, I think performed in Latin. But I do as I’m instructed at every turn, kneeling before the altar, eating a little bread, drinking a little wine, the whole time just staring at Kents gorgeous face, looking into his eyes.
And he, in turn, stares right back at me.When the time comes for the vows I jump, a little, because the priest suddenly starts speaking in English. The whole church laughs a little warmly, I know at my surprise. And the priest smiles at me.
“It is time for the vows,” he says, the corners of his eyes crinkling with you. “I have been told you have written your own?”
My eyes go wide as I snap my gaze back to Kent because absolutely no one told me this.
Kent bursts into laughter, shaking his head at me. “It’s all right, Fay,” he murmurs. “I had some things I want to say you don’t have to -“
“Well, that’s not fair!” I hiss back, taking a step towards him. “Why didn’t you tell me!? I could have -“
But Kent just murmurs my name and smiles at me, shaking his head as he cups my cheek in his palm. And I sigh and step back, letting him get on with it.
Kents face turns serious again as he takes a deep breath, studying my face like he could memorize every line of it.
And then, he begins.
“I take you, Fay,” he says, “as my wife.” His voice ringing clear through the little chapel as he reaches into his pocket and produces a set of gold rings, one much finer than the other. I gasp when I see them because I mean, I don’t know, I already have one beautiful ring, and Daniel and I never exchanged wedding rings beyond that.
But Kent, I guess, likes to do things like the book.
“I swear to love and to protect you, to cherish you, to spend every waking moment of my life bringing you joy,” he continues, and I raise my eyes back to him as he takes my hand and slips the little gold ring onto my finger. “I will treasure you until the day I die. And if there’s a world beyond that, then I’ll wait for you there, loving you into eternity.”
My throat grows thick with emotion as I stare into his eyes, as I realize that he means every word of it that none of it is sweet sentiment and all of it is Kent’s secret heart laid bare.
“I intend to spend every moment of the rest of my life,” he murmurs, stepping closer to me, “making my love for you abundantly clear, if you’ll let me.”
“Oh, I’ll let you,” I say softly, the words stumbling from my mouth before I even realize that I’m speaking, and a laugh rolls through the church when people hear them. I blush, looking around, but everyone smiles at me I think realizing how swept away I am in it all.
“And now, the bride?” the priest says, turning to me expectantly.
Ilook up at Kent for a long moment before I speak, and then when I do my words come directly from my heart. I have no other choice, I suppose it’s not like I had any warning to prepare something.
“I think I’ve been in love with you for longer than I was prepared to admit, Kent,” I say quietly, looking up into his face. His expression shifts, just subtly, but I can read him well enough now to know that my words have hit him straight in his heart. “And I think we both worked very hard to construct obstacles to make that love impossible, because we live in a world that denies that two people like you and me so separated by time and circumstance could be together. But eventually,” I smirk here, willing him to remember our journey just as I do, “we were forced admit the truth.”
I take Kent’s hand in mine, curling my fingers around the ring still sitting in his palm.