My chest tightened. “There’s no problem. I’ll go look at it this week.”
“Promise?” Tia pulled up the boutique’s information. “Because I know you, Mom. You’ll say you’ll go, then work will get crazy, and suddenly it’ll be two weeks before the wedding.”
“I promise I’ll handle it,” I said.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” The way she was looking at me, like she could see straight through to all my secrets, made my throat close up.
“I’m fine. Just work stress.”
“You work too hard.” She came around the desk and kissed my forehead. Her hand lingered on my shoulder, and I wanted to tell her everything. “Take care of yourself while I’m gone, okay? Actually rest. Don’t just say you will and then work through the weekend.”
“I’ll rest,” I lied.
“Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, baby.”
And then she was gone, the door clicking softly behind her, leaving me alone with the image of the perfect dress I couldn’t order and the secret I still hadn’t told.
I stared at my phone. By Christmas Eve, I’d be five months pregnant. There would be no hiding it. Which meant I had to tell Tia before the wedding, and Aris before that.
The thought made my stomach clench again, and this time it definitely wasn’t morning sickness.
The phone buzzed in my hand. Aris’s name flashed across the screen.
My heart stopped. He knew. Somehow he knew about the babies and—
No, he couldn’t. Nobody knew except my doctor and me.
I took a breath and answered. “Hello.”
“Dede.” His voice was warm, relaxed. “I hope I am not interrupting.”
“You’re good.”
“I wanted to discuss the wedding expenses. The financial arrangements, we should settle them, yes?”
Right. The wedding. Not the pregnancy. “I’m paying for half,” I said automatically.
“Dede—”
“I’m not negotiating on this, Aris. It’s my daughter’s wedding, I’ll pay my share.”
“The total cost is approximately six point two million euros.”
I choked on my sparkling water. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Six point two million euros. Roughly Six point three million U.S. dollars.” His tone remained conversational, as if we were discussing the weather. “This amount, you have half of it readily available?”
I sat there, stunned, running the numbers in my head. My agency was successful, but my share would be the equivalent of my company’s value. “That’s... that’s insane for a wedding.”
“It is a last-minute wedding at a castle in Switzerland, Dede. Three hundred guests, all flying from overseas. Private jets, bespoke wedding favors, three days of accommodation for everyone, catering for multiple events. Such celebrations, they cost this much, yes?”
I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to process the magnitude of what he was saying. Even with my success, this was a staggering amount. And now, with twins coming and all the expenses they would bring...
“Jesus Christ.”
“So perhaps we revisit the arrangement, yes? I handle the major expenses and you focus on getting your daughter and her wedding party what they need.”
