I stand and take an awkward half-step forward as emotions flit through her expression.
“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean that.Matteo would never…” Words elude me as I walk around the couch.I insulted the man who offered himself as a punching bag for her beloved self-defense class.By the time I clutch her hands in mine, remorse and shame thicken my throat.
“You’re marrying a good man, Brook,” I say.
For a few tense moments, she studies my eyes.I fight the urge to hide behind my sarcasm.She deserves honesty, not deflection.
When she squeezes my hands and nods, relief spears through me.
“Iammarrying a good man.You’ll find someone you can trust, too,” she murmurs.
I bite back a scoff and shake my head.
“No, I won’t.I’ll never trust a man again,” I vow.
Especially not after surviving Donald Diamond and his heartless son.
She opens her mouth to speak, but the door to the hall swings wide and her husband-to-be steps into view.
I fight against the urge to flee as his suit swims in my vision.
Every ounce of Brook’s tension melts away.I tear my gaze away from Matteo Ricco and study her face.Her smile fills me with wonder.I look away as tenderness softens his expression.
The sexual tension between them thickens the air.
I swallow my misgivings, squeeze Brook’s hands, and step back as I release her.
“That’s my cue.The ceremony starts in thirty minutes.Don’t be late,” I admonish before making a beeline for the door.
“Hang on, aren’t you supposed to say it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?”she yells after me.
Matteo steps deeper into the room to let me pass.
I shake my head and wave a dismissive hand over my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Brook—I’ll take all the bad luck.I’m used to it anyway.Twenty-nine minutes!”
Even as I shut the door behind me, premonition shivers down my spine.I shouldn’t have tempted fate, not when I know my ex-stepfather and his family are here, but I’ll do anything for Brook.She’s more than family to me.She’s the only one I trust.
I roll my neck and shake out my arms as I start down the hall, erasing the ominous feeling.
A screech comes from the groomsmen suite.My heart leaps into my throat.I lift my skirts and rush forward.The ridiculous, strappy high heels dig into the back of my feet and pinch my toes, but I pour on more speed and prepare to use the doorframe to swing into the room.
A tiny white ball of fluff rockets out into the hall, almost tripping me, but my reflexes kick in and I slide, squat, and scoop the pocket-sized dog up with one arm before tucking it against my chest and rising.My head spins, but I brace a palm on the wall and catch my balance before turning back toward the room.
Broad shoulders fill the doorway.Crisp navy fabric fills my vision and terror closes my throat, but I use years’ worth of training and push through my instinctual reaction to see the man wearing it.
Carlos Lopez, the top security guard at my company and the most trustworthy man I know, steps out into the hall.As he always does when we greet each other, he moves several paces away—out of reaching distance—and offers me a gentle smile.His partner and today’s best man, Liam Brunswick, follows close on his heels with a wailing little boy in tow.
The tiny dog whines and wiggles, pulling me further away from my mental spiral.I loosen my hold and give a half-smile, half-grimace as the mini beast licks my upper chest and throat.
Sympathy spears through me at the silent panic in Liam’s eyes.He maintains his normal stoicism—as Matteo Ricco’s private assistant and right-hand man, he wouldn’t dare lose his composure—but underneath his faux calm lies a well of uncertainty I never thought I’d see on him.
His unprecedented preparedness saved me multiple times throughout the years—he somehow always managed to have my back at conferences when I had no clue what I was doing—while his ability to read the room and anticipate things before they happen has taught me so much.
The little boy tries to tug his hand out of Mr.Brunswick’s grasp and launches into a bigger tantrum when he can’t.
Liam glances toward Carlos for backup, but Carlos looks just as lost as he does, so I take mercy on them and squat in front of the spoiled toddler.
