I trust Luca, and his family can’t be trusted.
“You could tell them no,” Nova whispers.
I glance at her skeptically. “Do you think that will work with Dante?”
Nova shrugs and sits on the bench in the dressing room. “Probably not. I just hate seeing you two get married under these pretenses. It’s just not what either of you want.”
“Have you spoken with Luca?” I ask, wondering what he’s been saying to Nova about the upcoming wedding.
Luca and I haven’t done a single lick of wedding planning ourselves. We hadn’t specifically set a date yet either until today, when I just announced it to Nikki.
The two of us had talked about it privately, but we had been hoping the longer we waited, maybe we could push the wedding back a tiny bit longer.
“He avoids wedding discussions, but I kind of figured that was all guys. I mean, I know the reason you two are getting hitched—” She stares at me seriously. “Dante is forcing you. But there has to be another way.”
“There isn’t,” I whisper, “and we shouldn’t talk about this around your mother or Luca’s because whatever gets overheard will come back to bite us in the ass.”
“Well, at least Dad’s waiting outside,” Nova says.
Moreno drove us and insisted he come into the store, but the shop is already quite small and crowded between the dresses and the four of us, plus the two ladies working the shop. Paige told him to grab a coffee and give the girls some time alone.
He grumbled but hasn’t stepped foot back into the boutique. He’s outside, probably glaring at anyone who so much as thinks about coming inside the bridal shop.
Nova helps secure the back of the gown, which is much too big, but she cinches it with clips to get a feel for how it should fit. “What do you think about this dress?”
I pull open the purple velvet curtain and step out, standing in front of the full-length mirror. The dress is absolutely stunning, with long lace sleeves and an A-line frame that fans out at just the right place.
“This is the one,” I say, certain that if I were ever to get married, this would be the dress.
I chew on my bottom lip, my fingers grazing over the downy material. I didn’t even glance at the price tag.
“How soon can we get this one in her size?” Nikki asks the store clerk.
She comes up, glancing at the tag tucked into the back of the gown, and jots the information down before returning. “We have two of those in stock in our warehouse in her size. It usually takes a couple of weeks, but we can put in a special request to have it delivered by Friday for a pick-up in store. Would that be okay?”
The way the girl who runs the shop looks at Nikki, I feel the hair on my arms tingle.
“Yes, we’ll come by Saturday next week to try it on and pick it up,” Nikki says, already deciding my schedule for me.
Next week is Christmas.
Nova holds the train of the gown while I saunter back into the dressing room and disrobe. She grabs the curtain, closing it for me before un-cinching the clips at the back, helping me out of the elegant gown.
“That’s definitely the one,” Nova says, smiling as I put my clothes back on.
“Will you be wearing a veil?” the store clerk asks while I put my coat on and then yank the curtain open.
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” I say.
“Yes, we’re going traditional,” Nikki says and then wraps an arm around my shoulders. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it, but we should at least have it for the wedding. Especially for pictures.”
“Right.”
So much for not having to wear it, if I’m being forced to have it on for photographs.
“Thanks, Mom,” I say, the words slightly forced, but I offer a smile, trying to show my appreciation.
If I can get on anyone’s good side, it’s definitely Nikki, and I’m going to need her in my corner.
