This was crazy.
Was this actually happening?
Only a short time ago, I was on a stage.Waiting to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
And now—here I was.At Carlo's mansion.Marrying Stefan.
Yeah.
This was bizarre.
Before I knew it, Giselle was touching my arm.“Give me your bouquet.I'll hold it,” she whispered, taking my flowers from me.I wasn't sure what was going on.Why did Giselle want my flowers?
Stefan grasped my other hand—and—
He started repeating the words the priest was saying.
Holy.
Cow.
“I Stefan Sovrano, take thee—”
A loud cry echoed into the night.
“Dang,” Eve whispered and looked at Nick.“I think that's Theo.”They shared a very parental look between them.“I'll go get him.Before he wakes up the other kids.”
Eve had taken exactly one step before Nick held out his hand.“Stay.I'll get him.”
Eve shook her head and continued walking.“I'll do it.”They discussed this for a minute before Carlo interrupted.“Both of you go.We'll wait.”He nodded to the priest.From the look on the priest's face, he wasn't exactly in line with this decision.He furrowed his brow with displeasure.
Stefan squeezed my hands but looked at his friends.“It's fine.Go get the baby.The more the merrier.”
Eve and Nick sighed loudly in tandem, then rushed off.
Not two seconds later—another cry erupted.
“Goddamn it,” Carlo muttered, pulling out what looked like a baby monitor from inside his jacket.He glanced at the priest briefly.“Sorry.”
Giselle handed her flowers—and mine—to me.“Here.I'll be back in a minute.”Stefan let go of my hands so I could take the two bouquets.
Carlo turned down the monitor and said, “I'll go.You can stay.”
Giselle shook her head.“You might as well come along.Chances are he's woken up his brother, too.”She peered over at me, and then at Stefan.“Can you guys watch Dani for a minute, please?”
Stefan answered back.“Go.We've got her.”Then he looked down at Dani while her parents hurried off.“You look very pretty, Miss Daniella.”
Dani let out a giggly laugh and spun around—suddenly filled with energy.“My momma maded it for me.”She swiveled around, showing off for her uncle.
“I like how it whooshes.”She spun around faster and stopped.The ruffles on her skirt flounced and bounced.“See?”
Stefan chuckled and stepped around me to pick up the spinning girl.She let out a joyful shriek as he tossed her in the air and caught her again.“You're making me dizzy,” he said and kissed her cheek.“And I don't want you to fall on the hard tiles.That'll hurt.”
Dani rolled her eyes and said, “Pfft, I'm not gonna fall.I never fall!”Her little girl arms flew out to her sides for emphasis.
And that only made her uncle laugh right the heck out loud.“You have fallen many times.And these tiles are not very forgiving.Especially with fancy shoes like this.”He grasped her foot and held out her shiny, sparkly shoes for all of us to see.“Just ask your auntie Francesca how slippery fancy shoes can be.”Stefan gazed down at me with a devilish smirk on his face.“She tripped a little while ago.”
Dani's jaw dropped open, and she looked at me with a shocked expression.“Did you fall?”she asked with disbelief.
