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Two heartbeats. A future I never thought I'd have. A man who would burn the world to protect it.

This is insane. This is too fast. This is everything. I close my eyes for a second.

The girl who used to steal bikes, jump over trenches, and run from danger just to feel alive screams inside me:What the hell are you waiting for? And the woman I am now, the one who almost died today, who watched the man she loves take a bullet for her, knows the truth. Being with Gabe comes with a price.

Protection has a cost. Safety has a cost. Love this fierce and all-consuming has a cost.

I'm also tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of pretending to be the quiet, responsible wife when the wild part of me has been screaming to be let out since that stupid purse party. One thing is for sure with him. I won't need to hide who I truly, deep down, am. He'll accept me—flaws, temper, sense of adventure, and all. I look at him and feel my resistance crack.

Fuck it. In for a dime. In for a dollar. Let's get hitched Vegas style.

"Fine," I mutter, even as fresh tears slip down my cheeks. "But you'd better take me to one of those sleezy wedding chapels of yours. I also want it clear that this isnotthe big wedding. And if you ever try to bulldoze me like this again, I swear I'll shoot you myself."

He grins, that dangerous, beautiful, heart-stopping grin that makes my stomach flip even when I'm furious with him. "Now we're talking."

I make a face, wiping at my tears with my bandaged hand. "I still can't believe I'm agreeing to this. My husband has been dead for less than a month. I'm bruised, stitched up, and carrying twins I didn't even know existed an hour ago. This is insane."

Gabe leans in and kisses my forehead, then my lips, soft and reverent. "It's not insane. It's necessary. For my peace of mind. For theirs." His hand rests gently over my stomach. "And because I love you more than I know how to handle. Let me give you my name tonight. Let me make it official in the only way I know how right now. The big wedding—the dress, the flowers, the whole spectacle—we'll do that when you're ready. When the world knows you're mine because you chose it, not because I demanded it."

A secret marriage. A future that feels equal parts terrifying and perfect. And the man beside me who would walk through fire—who already did—just to keep our babies and me safe. I close my eyes and let myself sink into him. My heart is still racing, my emotions are still a storm… but I'm no longer alone in it.

A few minutes later, Gabe is texting rapidly with one hand while still holding mine with the other. His thumb keeps stroking my knuckles like he needs the constant contact to stay grounded. I watch him, battered and exhausted but still so intensely focused, and feel that overwhelming mix of love and disbelief settle deeper in my chest.

The SUV slows and pulls up in front of one of those cheap Vegas wedding chapels, the kind with flashing neon hearts and a sign that proudly declares24-Hour Weddings – No Appointment Needed.It feels completely surreal. We're both dirty, bruised, and stitched up from the nightmare we justsurvived. I'm still wearing the blood-stained designer shirt and bandages, and my hair is a mess. Gabe looks like he went ten rounds with death and barely won.

Yet here we are.

A cheerful older woman in a sparkly pink dress meets us at the door and immediately places a cheap white veil on my head, adjusting it with practiced efficiency. I barely register the words I'm supposed to say. Everything feels like it's happening through a thick fog. My voice repeats the vows on autopilot, distant and dreamlike. Even though deep down I know this is exactly where I'm meant to be.

Gabe stands in front of me, holding both my hands, his swollen eye and stitched gash making him look even more dangerous and beautiful than usual. When it's his turn, his voice drops into that low, commanding tone that sends shivers down my spine.

"Audra," his eyes are locked on mine with fierce intensity, "you are the only thing in this world that has ever made me want to be better. I will burn every enemy, tear down every empire, and spill every drop of blood necessary to keep you and our babies safe. You are mine. You have been since I first saw you. And tonight, I'll make it official. I will love you, protect you, and worship you until the day I die—even after that if I have any say in it."

The words hit me straight in the soul, raw, possessive, and romantic in that dark, all-consuming way only Gabe can manage. Tears slip down my cheeks as the officiant pronounces us husband and wife. Before I can even process it, a man Gabe introduces as Kale, head of security, comes running in from the side door, slightly out of breath, holding up a small black velvet box.

"Your ring," he says, handing it to Gabe with a quick nod.

I blink, stunned. "You already had a ring?"

Gabe takes the box, his expression softening into something almost boyish beneath all the bruises. "Baby, I bought this ring the day after I first saw you."

He opens the box. Inside is the most perfect ring I've ever seen, a stunning oval-cut diamond in the center, surrounded by a halo of smaller, fiery opals that catch the light like living flames, set in rose gold with delicate scrollwork that looks both vintage and dangerously modern. It's bold. It's beautiful. It's unmistakably me. Gabe slides it onto my finger. It fits flawlessly.

I stare at it, tears blurring my vision. "You just happened to be at a jewelry store?"

He laughs, low, warm, and so full of love it makes my chest ache. "I saw it in the window. Knew instantly it belonged on your hand. I've had it in my safe ever since, waiting for the right moment."

I look up at him, overwhelmed. "Gabe…"

He leans in and kisses me, slow, deep, claiming, right there in the tacky little chapel while the officiant awkwardly clears his throat. When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine.

"Mrs. D'Amato," he murmurs almost hoarsely. "Mine. My wife! Finally."

I laugh through the tears, still reeling from the wordwife, the ring on my finger, the twins growing inside me, and the man who just made me his in every possible way. It's insane. It's too fast. It's everything I never knew I needed. And right now, standing here battered and married in a cheap Vegas chapel, I wouldn't change a single thing.

We reach the penthouse just as the sun vanishes behind the mountains, turning the Strip back over to tourists for another night of losing hundreds or thousands of dollars and calling it fun. I startle at my own hypocrisy. I have no right to judge. None. I just got married in a cheap wedding chapel. Again.

The thought hits me in waves as the elevator rises. I feel like I'm living someone else's life. The old Audra—the one who packed lunches and scheduled dental cleanings—would be horrified. The girl who used to dance on tables is grinning like a fool. Somehow, the two of them need to learn to coexist. Gabe's hand stays wrapped around mine the entire ride up. The doors open into the antechamber. I tense instinctively, dreading the blood, the bodies, the horror we left behind only a few, life-altering hours ago. But it's gone.