Chapter 15 - THE FAMILY THEY CHOSE
Our wedding was held beside the ocean.
Small.
Quiet.
Beautiful.
Maya wore a pale pink dress.
Leo wore a tiny navy suit.
They walked down the aisle together, holding hands.
Dante stood beneath an arch of white roses.
When I approached, his eyes filled.
I smiled.
“Don't cry.”
He laughed.
“Too late.”
We exchanged vows.
Dante promised to respect my independence.
I promised to stand beside him through difficult days.
And when the officiant pronounced us husband and wife, Dante kissed me gently.
### FIVE YEARS LATER
The Salvatore home was filled with morning sunlight.
Maya, now ten, sat at the kitchen table reading.
Leo, eight, was attempting to build a tower from cereal boxes.
Our four-year-old daughter, Sofia, was drawing pictures of everyone in the family.
Dante entered carrying coffee.
He kissed my cheek.
“Morning.”
I smiled.
“Morning.”
He looked toward the children.
“Trouble?”
I laughed.
“Always.”
Sofia looked up.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, princess?”
“How did you meet Mommy?”
Dante smiled.
He looked at me.
Then answered.
“On an airplane.”
Sofia frowned.
“Really?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
Leo grinned.
“I was there!”
Dante laughed.
“You were.”
Sofia looked confused.
“What happened?”
Dante smiled softly.
“Your brother needed help.”
I looked at him.
“And your daddy was brave enough to accept it.”
Dante shook his head.
“No.”
He kissed my forehead.
“Your mommy was the brave one.”
Maya looked up from her book.
“Wasn't Mommy running away from someone bad?”
The room grew quiet.
I looked at my daughter.
Then nodded.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
Maya smiled.
“But we found somewhere safe.”
My eyes filled.
Dante wrapped an arm around me.
“Yes,” he said softly.
“We did.”
Outside, the ocean glittered beneath the California sun.
Inside, our children laughed.
And I thought about that flight from New York.
The crying baby.
The exhausted father.
The terrifying stranger.
The moment I'd stepped through the curtain.
May you like
I'd boarded that plane believing I was escaping the end of my life.
Instead, I was flying toward its beginning.
