Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Pedro gestures at me with his thumb. “Unlike the rest of us, this fucker only needs four hours sleep.”
Dominik shakes his head. “I should’ve known when he said they’re getting married at sunrise.” He checks the time, then shakes his head again before looking at me. “Can’t you do anything the normal way?”
“Me?” I chuckle. “Fuck no. Life would be boring.”
“Let’s get you ready,” Pedro says, gesturing for me to walk.
We head to the guest bedroom on the ground floor, and when Dominik sees the outfit I’m wearing, he asks, “No suit?”
I shake my head as I begin to change into the black cotton pants and shirt with gold stitching.
Ciara and I chose our outfits together. Where I’m wearing black, she’s wearing white pants with a lace top, and a chiffon train that ties around her waist.
My eyes land on my chest where I have Ciara’s name tattooed with the words mi sol, mi amor, mi esposa. I leave the top three buttons undone, and after stepping into my black shoes, I check my reflection in the mirror and say, “Ready.”
“So what do we do for the rest of the hour?” Dominik asks.
“We wait.”
The men follow me out onto the veranda, and I glance around at the fairy lights and rose petals sprinkled everywhere.
Ciara didn’t want something big, so only Pedro, Domink, and Grace are here to celebrate with us.
Pedro is our marriage officiator, and Dominik and Grace are signing as witnesses.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare at the dark horizon while Pedro and Dominik each grab a seat on one of the chairs.
“Sit,” Dominik says.
I shake my head. “Too excited.”
I keep glancing between the horizon and the entrance to the villa, but there’s no sign of Ciara when the sun begins to break through the darkness.
“Should I go check on the women?” Dominik asks as he stands up.
“No. She’ll come when she’s ready.”
I look at the horizon again, then movement catches my eye, and I realize what took them so long. They fucking snuck out of the house to come from the other side of the field so the sunrise would be behind Ciara.
Lifting my hands to my face, I fight, but there’s no stopping the tears from escaping when I see her walking toward me, a vision in white, her ginger hair matching the colors in the sky.
Mi sol.
CIARA
There’s no holding it together as I walk with my arm hooked through Grace’s, a single sunflower in my other hand.
Santiago’s standing in the warm glow of all the fairylights, and when I get close and see the emotion on his face and tears rolling down his cheek, I let out a sob.
“God,” Grace whispers. “This is all I ever wanted for you.” We stop walking, and I turn to look at her. She lifts her hands and carefully brushes the tears from my cheeks. “Be happy, sweetheart. I am so proud to be your sister.”
When she goes to stand beside Dominik, I suck in a breath as Santiago comes to stand in front of me. Awe-struck, he shakes his head, his eyes telling me a million things that he’s unable to say right now.
For the longest moment, we stare at each other, then he murmurs, “Every morning, I sat on this spot, watching the sunrise and praying to all that’s holy I would find you.” He takes hold of my hand and brushes his thumb over the ring on my finger. “You are exactly who I knew you’d be. You fit me in every way, Ciara.”
I glance down for a second, but something catches my eye, and when I look at Santiago’s chest again, I see lines peeking from his shirt. I raise my hand and push the fabric slightly aside, and then the tears are flowing again.
He has tattooed my name over his heart. I know what two of the other words mean, and I can guess the third.
I flatten my palm over his chest, and he covers my hand with his, then I say, “You saved me in every way possible. You know what I need without me having to say a word. You loved me without knowing whether I would love you back.” I have to pause to breathe past the emotional moment. “You are the most selfless person I know, Santiago. I vow to be everything you need, to take care of you no matter what life throws at us, and to love you unconditionally until my last breath.”
He grips my hand and presses a kiss to my fingers before he says, “I vow to protect you with all my strength, to carry you when life weighs too much, and to love you so fucking hard you’ll always know to who you belong.” He leans down a little, his eyes intense with the promise he’s making me. “You are my every sunrise until the day the sun sets on us.”