Smooth petals of white, pink, and red flowers laid a plushy path in front of me and beautifully surrounded a white one-foot stage upon which a mattress rested that was close to the pool. Needless to say, it was also buried under multitudes of those same blossoms. The roof over the bed was held up by four poles that seemed as though they were made of flowers themselves. Bulbs with dim lighting dangled over the flowery trail which illuminated everything exquisitely.

To the side of the bed, a bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket alongside two flute glasses. From what I could make out, there was also a blanket nicely placed on the edge of the bed along with what seemed to look like a notebook. Goosebumps prickled my skin and they weren't because of the cold but were the result of the marvelous sight before my eyes.

"Cold?" Eros asked as he removed his suit jacket and placed it around my shoulders. "Take off your heels for me."

I removed them and stepped on the cold concrete slabs after a skeptical look his way as he kicked off his own shoes and socks. His fingers slowly interlaced with mine before he encouraged me to step on the soft petals that mushed beneath the soles of my feet.

I couldn't help but smile as a lighthearted emotion seeped into me. "What is all this for?"

"See for yourself," Eros answered me cryptically as we walked slowly and neared the stage.

"A scrapbook?" I picked up the book after I sat on the bed as Eros laid down next to me.

"Yes." He grabbed the scrapbook from my grip and motioned me to lay flat with commanding eyes. After a huff, I got as comfortable as I could on my stomach like him and gazed at the black cover of the book before he opened it. On the first colored page was a silly picture of me with my tongue touching my nose. "Adorable little Athena eating her own boogers. How disgustingly cute!"

I immediately slapped his shoulder as he laughed. "I was just touching the tip of my nose like you did."

"But I got proof unlike you." He bumped his shoulder to mine and made me look back at the picture. "This was the first time I got you to do something goofy with me. The lowest on the goofy level, though." He turned to the next page where a collage of pictures was pasted. Every single little photo was candid with me as the subject of each one. In some I was smiling while in others I was going about my day with every emotion possible; mostly anger, annoyance, and disgust. He was a good photographer without a doubt even when he captured such nasty expressions of mine. "I took them every moment I could without you catching me."

"Like a stalker," I quipped.

"Like the paparazzi," he chuckled, turning the page. "I hope you remember our first date." His finger pointed to the picture of us kissing on the subway train.

"I can never forget the dirty subway."

He chuckled and dragged his finger over other little printed out photos of us smiling in each other's arms or exchanging a kiss in different locations. We breezed through the next few, smiling and reminiscing about the moments attached to each one. From the photograph of me getting tattooed to the selfie of us relaxing in the tub. It was all there. And the tub memory made me tingle a little thinking about the heated workout we got in right after it was taken.

          "The next few are my absolute favorite." He grinned and flipped to the page that had three different pictures of me. "That's you sleeping peacefully like a baby. Then there's the Athena that drools and the one that also sleeps with her mouth open."

          I gave him a gnarly look then punched his shoulder with force. "At least I don't snore like you, you bloody idiot!" I snarled. "The game is on now. You better sleep with your eyes open tonight."

          "You'll be in a deep slumber tonight, peaches. Trust me," he smirked like a conceited bastard, and I wanted nothing more than to slap it off at that moment, but I contained myself. "But for real though, this next one is my absolute favorite."

          He turned the page to reveal a picture of Yana and I glued to the center which put an immediate smile on my face. Her thin arms were squeezing my torso as her eyes twinkled and her smile was as wide as mine. She looked so frail back then, but now she was healthy and properly nourished.

          "Look at the smile on her face, Athena. She was so happy when we brought her home." Eros reminisced contentedly. "The two most important ladies in my life," he confessed with a mischievous curl of his lips as I smiled. "Yana and Mamá."

Taking a gander at him, I scoffed to myself. "El niñito de mamá todavía está mamando de la teta (Mama's little boy is still sucking on the tit)."

He cackled whilst shaking his head. "Wow! ¿El culo de alguien se está incendiando? (Is someone's ass on fire)?"

          "Vete para el carajo. ¿Sí? (Go to hell. Okay?)" With a curt glare his way, I looked back at the picture and swiped my thumb over Yana's face.

          "I still have to get used to her calling me papa," he admitted with a meek snicker, turning the page to look at the image of us together with Yana and Oliver to our sides who had the brightest grins. "And Oli is a little genius."

          I agreed with him. "I can only imagine the heights he'll reach once he becomes a cosmologist. He's so young and so smart already."

          "He really is." Eros sighed in satisfaction. "Our little family."

          "Our little family if you include Rome, Roland, your mom, and that dumb little dog."

          "And Evelina and Heaven now too," he added. "A slightly big family, but it's a good thing Ma and Roland have their own places."

          "Good thing indeed, or else I would have to remind Daisy how I knocked her out the first time we met."

          "Please, Athena." He rolled his blue marbles at me. "My mom isn't that bad."

          "She thinks I did some black magic and have all the Azallion boys under my control."

          "Mothers will be mothers," he chuckled and flipped to the last page that had little photographs of every important person in our lives enjoying themselves. The smiles on each face were priceless and genuine despite all the pain in our lives, and they all surrounded a little pouch in the middle.

          "What's this?" My hand trickled up to retrieve the item from the pouch, but he slapped my hand away like a grandma stopping a child from stealing a cookie. "Really?"

          "Just sit up straight." When I didn't budge, he exhaled and got up himself to grab me by my waist and sit me up carefully as he mumbled, "You always do the opposite of what I say."

          "And you always do the opposite of what I say," I fired back, fixing my dress a bit.

          "Tit for tat, right?" he simpered, seeming pleased with his answer before he sat on his knees and delved into the little pocket on the page to pull out a gorgeous band.

          "A ring?" My brows furrowed in puzzlement. "What for?"

          His eyes focused on the diamond-studded band as it rolled between his thumb and forefinger before he gazed at me. "You never gave me a chance to propose to you."

          I couldn't help but chuckle incredulously. "In case you've forgotten already, we got married a few hours ago."

          "Yeah, but I don't want this marriage to be a deal. I want it to be real, Athena."

          Frown lines crept onto my forehead as I stared at him. "Pardon?"

          "Sweetheart," Eros sighed, scooting closer to me and caressing my cold cheek softly. "Te amo más que nada en el mundo (I love you more than anything in the world). And you know that." His icy eyes drowned wholeheartedly into mine without a care in the world and forced my heart to skip a leisure beat. "Eres el amor de mi vida (You are the love of my life)."

          My mouth was sealed shut as I let him pour his heart out.

          "I know we fight. We fought just an hour after getting married, for fuck's sake." We both chuckled as he continued on. "We disagree, have differing opinions, and different ways of looking at things. We banter all the time and argue, and occasionally, they get pretty heated like it did today, but that doesn't make me love you any less. I know you'll never admit it to me or anyone else, but you feel the same for me too."

          "I-" I opened my mouth to say something, but his finger against my lips stopped me abruptly.

          "Let me finish." He sucked in a deep breath and swallowed hard. "We are not perfect, Athena. We have our ups and downs. We fight like dogs and then we kiss and forget. We make compromises for each other every single time and every damn day. Even when we spend a month apart because of work, we come together stronger and fall harder. This is us. Worlds apart at times and inseparable at others."

          He paused briefly to tuck a loose strand from my updo behind my ear and I unconsciously leaned into his touch. "When you need something from me, I do everything I can to make you comfortable, and when I need something, you do it too. Well, sometimes," he giggled, straining my lips into a smile at the same time. "We are crazy. We've both done bad things. Killed our own fathers. You even shot me, yet I'm dumb enough to fall for you despite it."

          "I did what I had to do to save your life, so a little wound was worth it," I shrugged nonchalantly with a smirk as he rolled his eyes at me.

          "It hurt like a bitch," he retorted then curled his lips once again. "Over the past year, I've seen you at your lowest and highest, and I adore both. I understand you pretty well to know what's going on in your crazy little head without you even telling me. We've grown so much from the first time we met and have come so far, literally dodging bullets and death together."

I sighed at the last part. "I know you've had to endure a lot after being affiliated with me. If you were given the chance to run away from this dangerous life of mine, would you do it?" I asked the question in a meek voice, a little wary of his answer.

The few seconds of silence from him terrified a tiny part of me. At that point, I couldn't imagine my life without him. We had built a family together with Yana and Oli, and if he had that little inkling in his heart to leave, then I didn't even know what I'd do.

"The offer is tempting, but I'd say no." His lips stretched into a heartwarming smile that put me at ease. "When I say I love you, I mean every part of you. From your dangerous lifestyle to your body. The way you hold yourself and handle things with class yet bitchiness is hilariously sexy," he let out a little laugh. "You have imperfections, but even they are absolutely perfect, peaches. I admire you. The respect I have for you is way up there."

          He squeezed my hand with his, allowing his forehead to be creased with lines. "You, my love, have suffered too much. You're a damn survivor of hell. And I want to give you all the happiness I possibly can. I want to kiss your scars away until you forget you ever had them. I want to love you and heal your soul from all the cracks left behind by those who hurt you. I know I can't make you forget, but I want to fill your head with beautiful memories that have the ability to overpower the bad ones, so let's make this marriage real and allow me to give you all that I have and all that I can."

          The hope in his eyes glimmered before I lowered my gaze and peered at the ring he was holding. I knew how he felt for me, but his words struck me like a powerful lightning bolt that made me mute. There were things I wanted to say in response, however, I didn't know how to start it off.

          "Athena, don't leave me hanging here," he laughed nervously, pulling my eyes back to him.

          I released a breath, the subtle tremor in it reverberating through my entire body. "I never imagined myself walking down the aisle after what Fabian did. Marriage was never a part of my plan for life and neither were two teenage kids, but it happened because of you." I swallowed my saliva and peered down at my fiddling hands. "You weren't supposed to infiltrate my life the way you did. You were supposed to be like those other men that came before you. And I hate you so much for becoming something more because I'm so vulnerable to you now than I've ever been to any man. And it terrifies me to know that you have the power to hurt me harder than anyone in this bloody world."

          Eros' head tilted to the side as he frowned and feathered his fingers over mine. "Peaches, I can never even think of hurting you."

          Pulling my hand away from his, I squeezed my lids shut painfully. "You breezed into my life like a breath of air I didn't know I needed." My eyes opened and fell on him instantly. "You helped me with my PTSD. If you hadn't forced me to attend every session of my therapy, I would still be in a bad place mentally. But you walked into my life with your beautiful face, bad boy aura, and that bloody cocky attitude. I wanted to shatter your ego under my foot, but you started to make me feel something unknown and I saw a different man behind the bad boy persona."

          A genuine smile warmed his face and brightened his blue eyes under the moonlight as he gazed at me with love that engulfed me like a body of water I was drowning in, but the difference was I could actually breathe without a tinge of suffocation.

           I felt a sudden pang of frustration course through my jittery body as I continued falling deep into his hypnotic eyes. My fists clenched, spine straightened, and tongue bit between my teeth before I let go of the stiffness. However, the annoyance remained intact.

          "I hate you so much," I forced the words out in a low mutter.

          A smug snort was offered in return to me. "You have said that many times."

          My face was in pain due to the excessive frowning which compelled me to glance away from him and admire the stars twinkling above as I inhaled a shaky breath. "I hate you for giving me butterflies." My gaze traveled to the upper corner of one of the four decorated poles and stayed there. "I hate you for making me feel good every time I'm with you. I hate you for loving me unconditionally the way no one ever has. I hate you for putting me in my place and knowing exactly what I think about everything and for always making me think of you. I hate you for giving me a family and adding to my small pile of weaknesses. You, Yana, and Oli." Finally, I laid my eyes on him and whispered, "And mostly, I hate you for making me fall in love with you."

          Like a Christmas tree, his face lit up with a toothy grin upon my confession as I immediately looked away to avoid what was coming. "Don't act like you didn't say it now." Securing his strong arms around my waist, he dragged me onto his lap sideways before he clutched my jaw in a soft grasp and made me look down at him. "Be honest with me."

          Resting my forehead against his, I let a breath escape me as I closed my eyes for a brief second. My hands cupped his face slowly as I peered into his blue pearls. "I'm only going to say it this once. Never again." Allowing my thumbs to graze his cheeks, I glanced at his lips, then shifted my gaze back to his eyes. "I always knew how I felt, I just had a hard time admitting it to myself, but now you know how much you mean to me." My fingers traced his jawline, inching closer to the back of his neck and interlocking in place as his suit jacket slid off my shoulders. "I am deeply, psychotically, and miserably in love with you. I sound so pathetic right now saying all this, but it is what it is, so yes, I want this marriage to be real too."

          A handsome smile stretched his smooth lips as he stared at me completely infatuated, admiring every feature on my face with an overwhelming amount of love oozing from his gaze.

          "This is the part where you're supposed to slide on the ring," I cleared my throat and watched his smile morph into a smirk.

          "I would slide the ring on, but your fat ass is sitting on it."

          "Oh, sweetheart." I forced his head up with a conniving smile. "There's a reason why everyone loves it."

          "Well, it's definitely something I love looking at." He laughed, lifting me up a little to retrieve the little ring. Holding out my hand, I allowed him to slide the platinum band on smoothly. "Te amo (I love you)."

Without another word, I kissed him softly and sensed my stomach squeeze in giddiness. I felt like a little girl kissing her long-time crush for the first time, but it wasn't a random crush, he was my husband. It sounded odd, however, I believed I could get used to the notion of having a husband and being his wife.

          Eros smiled against the caress of my mouth before he deepened the kiss by sucking on my lips which lit my body ablaze like a fiery ball of lust. My fingers ventured into his hair and tangled around the strands that I tugged on to rile him up. He groaned in response and pulled back, giving me exactly what I wanted; a look of love and pure lust that desired to devour me whole. My hips rocked a bit on his lap, urging a moan from his throat as he held me close and absolutely still.

"Oh, baby," he whispered with closed eyes. "You will literally be the death of me."

"Probably," I chuckled and pecked him again. "Take me inside."

"As you wish." He maneuvered my body off his lap to stand on his feet before he lifted me up bridal style and started walking alongside the swimming pool. "You like the pool? The settings can be changed and it can be heated. The lights change too. It also creates waves."

          I pecked his cheek in glee. "The kids will love it." Tilting my head, I took a glimpse of the water playing with the wind and shimmering under the moonlight. "We can probably make use of it sometime too."

          "I like the way you think," he smirked, then stopped abruptly with perplexed expression scrunching his features. "Do you feel that?"

          I cocked a puzzled brow. "Feel what?"

          "I think it's an earthquake."

My eyes immediately narrowed on the childish man. "Seriously?"

"Whoa!" His stance faltered a bit and almost made me fall from his arms.

          I struggled to get out of his arms, but his strong grip restrained me. "Mr. Azallion, don't you dare! I swear I will-"

          Before I could escape him, he flung us both into the cold pool water like a sack of potatoes that drowned to the bottom, hit the floor, then bounced back up. As I emerged up for air with my dress fully drenched and my hairdo soaking wet, I glared furiously at the man who clutched his stomach and laughed like an idiot.

          "I take back whatever I just said. I don't love you at all!" I bellowed. "I honestly cannot believe I married a man-child. This is a bloody mistake."

          As I got closer to the edge, he pulled me back against his chest and playfully bit the nook between my neck and shoulder. "I'm going to be your best mistake, baby. This will be an unforgettable night."

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READ THE IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE IN THE NEXT PART! SCROLL!