The Troubleshooter

50- happily ever after

Nico POV

"Suck it up dude. If you cry then I owe Lili fifty Euro" I warn Matt.

Fucking everything has him looking like he's gonna cry today and I'll be damned if I lose this bet. I've finally got him to the altar and so far kept his eyes dry but the moment the music swelled up to announce Sophie's arrival I knew I'd lost.

I swear Matt was less nervous being shot at than right now. Which is dumb as fuck, this marriage is a sure thing.

The doors open and my breath is stolen.

Lili walks towards us, the light shining through the door behind her surrounding her like an angel on earth. I swallow hard watching her take slow careful steps towards us.

Her hair pinned back exposing her long neck, that I just want to kiss. Her green dress floating to the floor, I can see the diamond sparkling on her finger. Feeling a rush of pride that this beautiful angel said yes to me.

In place of flowers in her arms she cradles Ella, triggering a chorus of oohs and aahs from the congregation, and a sudden yearning from me to see a child of our own in her arms. Although I don't think I'm ready to share her yet.

Lili's eyes meet mine, bright and glassy, her face beaming love and joy.

"How much does she get if you cry?" Matt whispers.

"Everything" I answer, without hesitation.

When Lili reaches the front the music changes and Sophie enters with Aunt Penny. She looks beautiful in her gown but my attention keeps flicking back to Lili. Now that she's facing Sophie I can see the exposed skin of her back and my fingers are itching to touch it.

Lili must feel my gaze as she looks across to me meeting my eye with a wide smile. Then mouths 'fifty Euro'.

My gaze floats to Matt, tears streaming down his face. I can't even blame him.

The ceremony is intimate and beautiful, performed in Italian, they chose not to have hymns because Sophie's Italian is still very limited and she's been practicing like crazy for today so they can use the traditional vows.

There's hardly a dry eye by the end of the service, even Lili broke. I smile at her whispering an I love you before I take her arm, following Matt and Sophie back up the aisle.

Leaving the church, Matt surprises Sophie with a dove release, scaring the crap out of her and making her scream 'Holy Fuck!' at the top of her lungs. The only people not doubled up laughing at this being a red faced Sophie, Aunt Penny and the priest.

While we wait for the photos of Matt, Sophie and Ella to be taken, I cuddle up to Lili, looping my arms around her waist and nuzzling into her shoulder.

"Are you taking notes, Kitten?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah, note one. No big surprises" she chuckles. "Come on, we have to go and have some pictures" she tells me, lacing her fingers between my own to pull me forward.

The reception is being held back at the house since Sophie wanted small, Aunt Penny being a proud Italian hostess has made it anything but small.

I stop my car to find she has hired parking attendants, then we are greeted by a waitress with a tray of champagne at the foot of a red carpet.

"Fuck me" Lili gasps beside me.

"Later" I wink, offering my arm to lead her inside. The string quartet plays from the corner an ice sculpture of Matt and Sophies intertwined initials stands in the centre of the room.

So much for small.

The room slowly starts to fill and there must be almost a hundred people, Matt is gonna flip when he sees. They said twenty. I look around trying to spot the newlyweds but they don't seem to be here yet.

It's almost an hour before Matt and Sophie finally arrive. A host introducing Mr and Mrs  Canossa to the applauding crowd.

"What happened? You were right behind us" I ask once they finally make their way through the crowd.

"I was making my marriage official" Matt smirks, receiving a quick punch in the arm from Sophie. I look between them confused.

"Sophie mentioned an interesting legal fact in the car. Did you know a marriage can be annulled if it's not consummated because it's not official until it is?" Matt asked.

"You stopped off for a quickie!" Lili gasps, Sophie is the very definition of a blushing bride as I howl with laughter, earning my own punch from Lili. Who's definitely giggling herself, I'm gonna make her pay for that later.

"You didn't have to wear a suit you know" Sophie says in a lame attempt to change the subject.

"Can't risk out dressing the bride can I?" I chuckle, "besides, my dress looks just like yours, that would have been embarrassing" I wink, making her laugh.

Sophie and Matt don't even seem to notice the number of guests or the extravagance of the room around them. They only have eyes for each other, their fingers never seeming to lose contact for a second all day.

After a five course wedding breakfast, served in a marquee through the French doors, we are lead back inside, where the guests start to clear to the sides of the room creating the space for a dancefloor. In classic Sophie style a cheesy eighties love ballad starts to play.

Matt passes Ella to me and pulls Sophie forward, holding her close to lead her in their first dance.

'You know our love was meant to be
The kind of love to last forever'

Lili rests her head on my shoulder watching them move around the dance floor swaying to the music. I look down at the drooly little girl in my arms who's already trying to chew on my fingers and smile.

A year ago I wouldn't have believed this day was coming if you told me. In one simple word Lili has given me a future wife, a mother in law, a brother and sister in law and a niece. The family I never thought I'd have, and yet was always there, suddenly surrounds me, overwhelming me with Love.

I know it's a cliché, but she's my happily ever after.

The end

A/N

Kinda don't want to say goodbye to these characters. Only the epilogue left now