Chapter 219

Chapter 219
Blake

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting my bow tie for the third time. My fingers fumbled with the silk material, betraying the nerves I was trying desperately to hide. Fuck, why couldn't I get this simple thing right?

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life—our wedding day, take two. After everything we'd been through，we were finally here. So why did my stomach feel like it was tied in a goddamn sailor's knot?

"Would you stop fidgeting? You look fine," Leon said, appearing behind me with two crystal tumblers of amber liquid. "Liquid courage," he added, handing me one.

I took the glass, grateful for the distraction. "Thanks." The whiskey burned pleasantly down my throat, momentarily quieting the doubts that had plagued me since our conversation on the terrace. The memory of Leon's evasive answers about seeing Sophia at that bar still stung like a fresh wound, but I'd pushed those thoughts aside. Today wasn't about past suspicions; it was about our future.

"Nervous?" Leon asked, leaning against the dresser. "I mean, you've done this before, right?"

My stomach tightened at his words, acid rising in my throat. "Last time... Sophia didn't show up." The memory of standing at the altar, watching minutes tick by without any sign of her, still haunted me even though I now understood why she'd left.

I remembered checking my watch every thirty seconds, smiling awkwardly at guests while dying inside, until Leon finally pulled me aside to tell me she was gone.

Leon clapped my shoulder reassuringly. "This time's different. She's already downstairs."

"She is?" I couldn't help the relief that flooded through me, washing away some of my lingering doubts. Christ, I sounded pathetic, even to myself. Blake Sterling, CEO of a billion-dollar company, reduced to a nervous teenager by three simple words.

"Saw her myself about twenty minutes ago," Leon confirmed. "Looking gorgeous, by the way."

I nodded, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety that had taken up permanent residence in my stomach lately. Things between Sophia and me had been... complicated. Between the company merger plans I was working on and our different ideas about raising Lily, tensions had been building. I kept thinking we'd just push through it, but every night she seemed more distant, and I was too damn stubborn to admit it scared the shit out of me.

"You think we're doing the right thing?" I asked. "Getting married now, with everything so..."

"Fucked up?" Leon supplied helpfully.

I laughed despite myself. "Yeah."

"Look, man, every couple has issues. You guys just have more dramatic ones than most. But I've seen how you look at her. And more importantly, how she looks at you."

I turned back to the mirror, straightening my already-straight tie. My hands were actually trembling. Me, who could close hundred-million-dollar deals without breaking a sweat. "You're sure she's downstairs? She hasn't changed her mind?" The question burned in my throat, exposing a vulnerability I hated showing, even to Leon.

Leon rolled his eyes. "If I wasn't sure, I'd be drinking at the bar right now, not babysitting you."

We stepped into the hallway, heading toward the elevator. The hotel had been transformed for our wedding—white flowers and soft lighting creating an atmosphere of romance and celebration. But my mind was elsewhere, churning through a thousand what-ifs that threatened to drown me.

"There's something I haven't told Sophia yet," I said, lowering my voice as we passed a staff member.

"Oh God, what now?" Leon groaned.

"I'm thinking of expanding to London. Opening a new office there, maybe even relocating temporarily." The words tumbled out quickly, as if saying them faster would make them less significant. In my head, it all made perfect sense—a strategic business move, a fresh start for our family—but saying it aloud made it sound like what it really was: a unilateral decision that would upend Sophia's life.

Leon stopped walking. "And when were you planning to tell your soon-to-be wife about this?"

"After the wedding," I admitted, a twinge of guilt worming its way into my chest. "I don't want to add more stress right now." Jesus Christ, was I really planning to spring this on her after today? The rationalization sounded hollow even to me, but I pushed the doubt aside.

"You think she'll be on board?" Leon asked, skepticism evident in his voice.

"Why wouldn't she be? Once we're there, everything will fall into place. It's an amazing opportunity." The words felt rehearsed, like I was trying to convince myself as much as Leon. Deep down, I knew Sophia would be pissed—rightfully so—but part of me still believed I could make her see it my way. Arrogant bastard till the end, right?

"She just got her own thing going with the investment firm," Leon pointed out. "And taking three kids to a new country isn't exactly a weekend trip to the Hamptons."

I waved off his concerns. "We'll figure it out. We always do." But his words had planted a seed of doubt that threatened to bloom into full-blown panic. What if she refused? What if this was the thing that finally broke us?

The ceremony space was already filled with guests. I took my position at the altar, trying to calm my racing heart. When the music changed, signaling the start of the procession, I stood straighter, scanning the back of the room. Shit, this was really happening.

Lily and Emma appeared first, scattering rose petals along the aisle. My chest swelled with pride at the sight of them in their matching blue dresses. Behind them came Elizabeth and Lauren in elegant blue gowns. I noticed Leon's gaze lingering on Lauren, and I couldn't resist a slight dig.

"Looks like you might be next," I whispered, nodding toward Lauren.

"Shut up," he muttered, but his smile gave him away.

When Mia appeared, I felt another wave of relief wash over me. After everything she'd been through in Mexico, I wasn't sure she'd make it. The fact that Sophia had let her sister come to the wedding this time was a good sign. Maybe we really were turning a corner.

And then, the music changed again, and there she was. Sophia, walking down the aisle alone, no one giving her away. Her champagne-colored dress hugged her curves before flowing gracefully to the floor. Her hair was swept up, a few tendrils framing her face.

Holy shit. In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and any lingering doubts from my conversation with Leon evaporated like morning mist. My heart hammered against my ribs, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. Everything else—the guests, the music, even my own damn name—faded into background noise. There was only her, walking toward me, toward our future.

"I'm the luckiest man alive," I whispered, not caring if anyone heard. My throat tightened with an emotion I couldn't name—something beyond love or desire, something that made me feel invincible and terrified all at once.

Our eyes met across the room, and suddenly all my worries about company mergers and international relocations seemed insignificant. This was it—our forever. Whatever challenges came our way, we'd face them together. The London move, our parenting differences, all that shit could wait. Nothing mattered except the woman walking toward me and the life we were building.

As she approached, her smile—nervous but radiant—confirmed what I already knew in my heart: this was exactly where we both belonged. Whatever storms were coming, we'd weather them together. We always did.