Lucien’s POV

"By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

I did not have to be told twice. The tears I had been holding back finally slipped free as I pulled her into me and kissed her, my burning lips finding hers as she gasped into my mouth. The kiss lingered, pouring everything I felt into it.

Her lips were warm, trembling slightly against mine. I could taste the faint salt of her tears mixed with longing and desire.

The chapel erupted into applause, people rising to their feet, but it all sounded distant. When I pulled back, her lips were lightly swollen, with her lipstick smeared at the corner. She was laughing through her tears, shaking her head slightly.

I let out a quiet breath, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. I dabbed gently at her cheeks, careful not to ruin her makeup.

"Do not cry, Mrs Volkov," I murmured, my voice low enough for only her to hear. "Save it for tonight."

Her eyes widened, and she glared at me instantly, but the tips of her ears turned red.

That only made me smile wider.

**********

The reception was grand. I spared no expense in making it perfect. The reception felt like stepping into a different world.

The lights were warm, reflecting off the chandeliers above like tiny fragments of glass scattered in the air. The hall was filled with voices blended together with the clinking of glasses. The air felt alive.

The decorations were mind-blowing, but without her at the centre of it all, it looked bland. She was the brightest thing in the room. Not even the brightest chandeliers compared to her smile.

Braelyn and I had changed outfits. Her wedding dress had too many layers to move freely in. I changed from the blue tux I wore at the wedding to a black tailored suit that matched her dress better. My cufflinks were made with emeralds, matching her jewellery.

She wore an emerald dress that caught the light every time she moved. It fit her like it was made for her alone, and for a moment I just stood there watching until she noticed.

"You’re staring again," she said under her breath.

"There is nothing better to stare at," I said with a smirk. She shook her head like I was hopeless, but she was smiling.

The announcement for the first dance pulled us forward. "May I have this dance?" I held out my hand, giving her a teasing smile, and she placed her hand in mine without hesitation.

"Of course, Mr Volkov," she teased. My hand covered hers completely.

All eyes were on us. "Are you still nervous?" I asked in a low voice just for us as I led her to the centre.

"Only a little," she admitted. We stopped, then faced each other. Her hand found my shoulder while I held her waist, our hands clasped together with a little distance between us.

The music started and the lights faded. The spotlight was on us. I felt her draw in a breath. The familiar song played, and her eyes widened slightly. I had specially chosen the song Can’t Help Falling in Love.

"Wait... is this Elvis? How did you..." she gasped as we moved in perfect sync. The joy in her eyes was hard to miss.

I chuckled, completing her sentence. "You’ve played it enough times for me to memorise it. It wasn’t hard to know," I said, remembering how many times I had heard her listen to Can’t Help Falling in Love.

She laughed softly. "I am glad you pay attention to everything." She was clearly pleased.

I pulled her closer, my hand settling at her waist as we moved. Her head fell against my chest as she sang the lyrics softly.

"Take my hand, take my whole life too..."

"For I can’t help falling in love with you..."

Everything faded as the song flowed. I listened to her sing each lyric. Towards the end of the song, she stared straight at me and sang the final words.

We both stopped moving, and the song paused for a moment. I just stared at her, doing my absolute best not to kiss her right then. At that moment, fireworks exploded. Our gaze shifted to the window, showing the night sky with fireworks blooming like flowers.

My hand found her waist as she watched in amazement. My gaze locked on her face, watching the colours reflect in her eyes.

A round of applause broke the moment. She blushed, then glanced away. I couldn’t help but whisper, "I feel it would be better to ditch this reception. We have much more important things to do." She blushed harder, then glared at me. I could only laugh as we left the centre of the dance floor for our seats at the front of the hall.

The MC took over the ceremony. Every event was planned to keep everyone entertained. Lynn was nervous most of the time during the ceremony. If I hadn’t requested non-alcoholic wine, she would have been drunk from how many times she drank.

Joey gave his speech as the best man. He spoke about how we knew each other as children, growing up, and how happy he was. The speech was pretty touching, but I could barely focus on it, same as Genny’s speech or Elliot’s toast. Ronan also said a few words as the head of the family.

He tried to make it as cheerful as ever, but he wasn’t a robot not to feel something about his late son’s wife marrying another son. I was glad he showed up more than I should.

There were a few other dances. I only agreed to her dancing with a few family members and turned down the rest, using the pregnancy as an excuse.

As soon as the main event was over, I didn’t want to stay for the after-party or exchange any pleasantries. Since the start of today, only one thing had been on my mind. I leaned towards Lynn’s ear, my breath warm against her skin. "I already have a car ready. Let’s ditch this party," I whispered. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

I expected her to turn me down, but she gave me a smile. "Let’s leave before they start coming over with congratulations," she said. I grabbed her hand. The lights had dimmed, and all that was left was to party, eat, and drink. This was normally the time to network and receive gifts.

Lynn followed me away from the table. No one thought much of it. We walked up to Genny and Joey’s table. I grabbed his shoulders before he even noticed me. "Handle the rest of the party. Tell them we have a flight to catch," I explained.

Joey’s eyes narrowed while Genny looked a bit stunned. "Who is going to handle the gifts? No way I am holding onto anything too expensive," he argued.

I patted his back. "Hand it over to Ronan." He shut up, having nothing more to say. Lynn and I took the side entrance, leaving the hall. On our way out, we ran into Ronan.

He froze for a moment, then gave us a smile. "I will handle it. Just be careful, she is pregnant." I didn’t even have to tell him anything. Lynn and I gave him a grateful smile, then bolted.

Halfway out, she tripped and broke her heels. I didn’t waste a second and swept her off the floor while she laughed.

Time was precious.

We escaped like thieves.