“Thank god I don’t have to change my name. This is all a pain in the ass.” That chapel is sounding better and better.
“That’s the only reason you’re marrying Luca, isn’t it?” Lil purses her lips and wags her eyebrows at me.
I shrug. “Of course. Just seemed like the easiest option.”
Mom glares at us, obviously over our bullshit already. Which means we’ll just keep doing it.
By lunch, we’ve gone over everything on Mom’s list. Dad and Luca are out of the house, picking up our rings and checking in about his next fight, which is still set for tomorrow night but with extra men on security duty. I’m trying not to let it make me nervous.
I’m failing.
Lil and I ditch Mom and Becca as soon as we’re done eating, with a promise to come try on dresses the second they arrive.
“What should we do?” Lil asks, when we get to our wing.
“Anything. Literally anything else for a while.”
“Can we go to the gun range so you can help me with my aim? I suck, and I really want to get better, especially with everything that’s going on right now.”
“Sure. Grab some energy drinks and we’ll go.”
“Caffeine and guns. Two of your favorite things.” She grins at me before adding, “And Luca’s cock.”
I throw a pillow at her, but she’s not wrong. “Hey, that’s your cousin you’re talking about.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me, I’m ignoring that part.”
After working on Lil’s aim, we meet Mom in a guest room full of racks and racks of dresses in white, blues, and pinks. It’s just the three of us, so I can walk around without being self-conscious of my scars. Letting Lil have full control over what she wears, I movea few of the white dresses to an empty rack for myself and strip down to my bra and panties.
“Is this ugly or cute? I can’t decide.” I turn, holding the dress up to show Mom and Lil. Mom laughs but then her eyes move lower and catch sight of the new piece of dandelion fluff. I forgot she didn’t know about it.
“When did you add that one, sweetheart?”
“When I got my nose pierced again the day we went to the salon.”
There are tears in her eyes when she smiles. “Oh, baby girl. You knew then that boy was yours.”
“I… I knew he was something special.”
She nods. “He really is.”
I try on what feels like a million dresses. Mom asked for only dresses that are cut in ways that wouldn’t show my scars, but there’s still so many. So. So. Many.
Nothing has felt right. The dress is one of the only things I actually care about. Sure, Luca wouldn’t care if I wore a paper bag, but I want to ramp up the Special Occasion Ariana effect.
I go through the racks again and find one I must have missed the first time. Before I even try it on, I know it’s perfect. The top is sleeveless, with lace covering my shoulders and throat. The skirt stops at my knees and is pouffy without being too pouffy. The seamstress comes in and pins the dress for alterations, along with the pink one Lil picked out.
I look around at the racks of designer dresses in my house. At my soul sister, my best friend. At the ring on my finger. I love my life. My family.
Overcome with emotions, I blink back tears and wrap my arms around Mom. She tucks me under her chin and rubs her hands up and down my back.
“Thank you. Not just for taking care of all this planning stuff.For loving me. For letting me and Lil be who we are. For loving Luca. For everything. I’m so grateful for you and Dad.”
“There was never a doubt in my mind that you were ours, sweetheart. And that the three of you were supposed to walk through life together. I’m grateful we can give you a place to do that. Grateful we get to be a part of it. Watch over you. Be here for you. Love you. All of you.”
Ariana DeVille is exactly who I was always meant to be. Now, I get to be her twice over.
Chapter 58
