Chapter Twenty-Six
“He wants to go to my next doctor's appointment.” Dina waddled into the back room and sat down next to Anton. “Which is tomorrow.”
“That makes sense to me.” Anton took a bite of his sandwich. “He seems pretty excited about everything.”
“I doubt it will last.” Dina sighed and swallowed a bite of her French onion soup.
“That’s the spirit.” Anton carefully eyed his boss before taking another bite.
“I’m serious. Players are players.”
“People can change.”
“Not often.”
“I’m glad your clients can’t hear you.” Anton laughed. “They’d wonder why in the world they’re buying a wedding dress from a woman who doesn’t believe in love. You’re a hater. A love hater.”
“I am not. I believe in love. I love love, and I fully support love for other people. I’m merely old enough to be wiser and more cautious when it comes to love.” Dina stirred her soup and thought about Sam.
He was kind, sweet, sexy, fun, gorgeous, and the father of her unborn child. It was a complex relationship that she didn’t want to screw up, especially before the baby was even born, and she was fairly certain she could do that. After all, it was a timeless tradition when it came to her love life.
“He also wants to spend Christmas with me.”
“Muurder,” Anton joked. “Most women would be thrilled that their boyfriend wants to spend time with them.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Whatever you say.”
“You know, I just read a blog post on Emilia’s—”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Please tell me it’s not the one about a cheetah not changing its spots or its underwear. My girlfriend was laughing all morning and texting me about it.”
“It’s a leopard and, yes, that’s the one.” Dina giggled. “But I fully believe it’s not a coincidence that as I’m dealing with a daddy baby I see that post.”
“You mean baby daddy?” Anton’s brow arched.
“Whatever, but it’s no coincidence that I saw her blog post this morning about the very same thing I’m debating.”
“Which is what?”
“Some men are so charming that women will fall for anything they say. Even if their faults are as clear as day. Time and again, women will overlook these faults and put themselves in emotional danger.”
“Emotional danger?” Anton groaned and stared at the ceiling of the workroom. “It sounds to me that I’m lucky to still have my girlfriend.”
“You’re not a player.” Dina patted his back.
“But I’m sure Emilia could find fault in something about me to write about. After all, I’m human and I’m male.”
“Nah, you’re practically perfect.” Dina winked just as the door chime rang in the shop. “Duty calls.”
Anton laughed as Dina walked into her showroom to greet a woman who looked to be about her age. She had blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a stomach that rivaled Dina’s.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Dina asked, resting her hand along the top of her own belly.
“I’m eloping and need a dress.” The woman rubbed her belly and laughed. “But I think that might be harder than I realized with my proportions.”
“How exciting. When do you need the dress?” Dina asked.
The woman frowned. “Next weekend. I’m a procrastinator.”
“Eloping is the perfect way to wed for a procrastinator. Is it just the two of you or will family and friends be there?”
“No family.” She laughed. “At least on my side. They are what’s making us elope just to avoid the drama.”
“Oh, I hear ya.” Dina chuckled. “I have several dresses that might work for you. What style are you looking for?”
“I don’t know what it’s called, but I’d love a flowy dress. I want it to look like it’s floating over the sand.”
Excitement trilled through Dina’s veins. She loved helping brides find their perfect dress, and she was pretty sure she had just the dress for this woman. She was also grateful the woman had reasonable expectations because trying to do a fitted dress for a growing belly in such a short time period would be difficult.
“I think I’ve got the perfect dress. I’ll be right back. There’s a chair next to the dressing room if you need it.”
The woman flashed a grateful smile and wound her way through the racks of dresses as Dina made her way into the workroom where Anton was taking the last bite of his sandwich.
Dina beelined to a dress with a peach chiffon overlay and snatched the hanger off the rack. She hoped the peach wouldn’t put off the bride as she rushed back to her.
“I know this isn’t pure white, but I thought—”
The bride popped up from her seat and gasped. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. I think we all know I’m not a virgin.”
Dina laughed and helped the bride into the dressing room. “Oh, I’m so glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it.” She smiled and stepped out of her leggings and sweater as Dina took the dress off the hanger and helped to slide it over the bride-to-be’s head.
The fabric slithered down the woman, and Dina zipped her up before she turned around to see herself in the mirror.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she quickly dabbed them away. “I can’t believe I’m crying. I didn’t think I’d even find a dress, let alone one that looks this beautiful.” She sniffed in and Dina immediately reached for the tissue box she kept in the dressing room for moments like these. Seeing the bride-to-be so happy in a dress Dina designed filled her with a joy that was nearly impossible to explain.
“It’s just kind of sad, you know? You’d think my mom would want to be here for this.” She wiped away the tears and their eyes connected in the mirror.
“It takes all kinds to make the world go ‘round,” Dina said softly. “But we’ll both make sure we raise our children so that they know we love them unconditionally. We won’t miss these moments.”
A lump unexpectedly formed in the back of Dina’s throat as she thought about the mother she’d never know. She quickly forced the thought away and turned her attention back to the woman standing in front of her.
“Does this happen a lot?”
“More than you’d think,” Dina assured her.
The bride blew her nose and nodded. “My fiancé and I were just talking about that. I would never do what my mother did to me. I never would. I’ll always support my daughter.”
Dina didn’t want to pry, but she fully understood what the woman was saying. She still hadn’t dealt with everything her brother had told her about her own biological mother. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d be looking anything up until her child was born, and until then, she just needed to push the thoughts aside, but it made it easier when thinking about the woman who raised her.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” Dina said, nodding. “Where is the wedding?”
“Cancun.” The woman smiled. “We’ve been saving up for the trip for months.”
“What an amazing setting. That’s going to be so memorable.”
“I hope so.” The woman ran her hand over the fabric and let out a happy sigh. “So I guess I should have asked this first, but how much is this dress?”
“It’s eight hundred,” Dina said.
She always hated this part of the process.
The bride’s expression fell, and it felt like a dagger to Dina’s heart. Not because the bride didn’t want to pay that much, but because Dina knew this dress was meant for this particular bride.
“But…” Dina drew a breath. The truth of it was that Dina was doing quite well and she could afford what she was about to do. “I feel a connection with you. Maybe it’s the hormones.” Dina smiled. “What can you afford?”
The woman blushed and her gaze fell to the floor. “Two hundred?” Her voice sounded so meek it nearly killed Dina.
“Then one-hundred fifty sounds like the perfect price. That way you can leave without feeling like you spent your whole budget.”
The woman stared at Dina in shock. “I couldn’t let you do that.”
“Just spread the word about my little shop.”
“I just—”
“This dress is meant for you,” Dina assured her. “Let me help you out of it and get it pressed and put into a garment bag for you.”
The woman looked stunned as Dina prepared her dress and packaged it before helping her out the door. Anton came out, shaking his head in disbelief.
“You didn’t even cover the cost of the fabric.”
“Sometimes, it’s just about making people happy.” Dina smiled and shut down the computer up front.
“Well, you certainly did that for her.”
“I hope so.” Dina walked into the back room and flipped on the lights, grabbing a package for Anton she’d hidden in a chest.
“What are you doing?” he called after her.
“You don’t think I’m Scrooge Romano, do you?” she teased, turning off the light and walking back into the showroom where he was standing. “This is for you and don’t throw out the Christmas card without reading it. There’s a little something inside it too.”
He started to open it and she stopped him. “Not here.”
“Really?” he asked and she nodded.
“Now, have an amazing Christmas, and I’ll see you in the New Year.” She gave Anton a quick hug, and he trundled out the door, giving Dina time to reflect quietly on life, which she wasn’t sure she should do.
Dina wandered through the store, straightening a couple Swarovski tiaras and shifting a few jeweled purses on one of the displays as she thought about Sam.
Ever since she confessed to him that she was pregnant, he’d been texting and emailing her ideas for decorating nurseries, clothes, toys, and books they should get. Granted, he found the most adorable ski suit for an infant she’d ever seen. Actually, she’d never seen one before, but it all felt overwhelming.
She thought Sam would be accepting of the baby, but she never quite expected him to be this excited about her pregnancy. When he told her he wanted to go to all of her doctor appointments, she was floored. But it did make it hard not to think of him as something more.
Since she’d gotten home from her trip, life had been a whirlwind of sewing wedding dresses and consultations, and now the day before Christmas Eve, she could finally enjoy the peace silence brought. There were no lingering orders, upcoming consultations, or family guilt, and the last one was what always plagued her most during the holidays.
For years, she never understood why they wouldn’t come out to visit or why they often made excuses as to why she couldn’t come for Christmas. Sometimes it was that her parents were going to be out of town, only to find out they were very much at their house and celebrating with her siblings, or another excuse was that her mother or father had caught the flu, and they didn’t want her to catch it. Most of the excuses were pretty eye-rolling, but Dina played pretend and went along with whatever reason her parents gave. It was easier than coming to grips with the idea that they just didn’t care if she was around.
It had gotten to the point fairly quickly where she realized her parents had no real desire to see her, and in order for her not to tumble into a world of despair or questioning her own self-worth, she created an amazing circle of friends in California and threw herself into her business.
But if Dina were to be completely honest with herself there was always a part of her that felt something was missing from the equation, a reason why her mother and father treated her as an outsider. She had never imagined that her mother was actually her stepmother, and in a normal family that still wouldn’t explain anything because most decent people accept their spouse’s children as their own.
Dina let out a heavy sigh as she thought about the story Dina’s brother had told her. She believed it. There wasn’t any real reason not to, but someday, she wanted to investigate it on her own for accuracy. She had so many questions and really no answers.
Dina’s brother had told her that early on in his parents’ marriage, her father had cheated with Dina’s biological mother, and that her biological mother became pregnant with Dina.
Lois found out and threatened divorce if he ever spoke to Dina’s mother again, which seemed almost fair considering what he’d done.
However, according to her brother, Dina’s mother died unexpectedly, and her father had no choice but to take Dina in as an infant, which infuriated Lois and the kinder her father was to Dina, the angrier Lois got.
Dina realized she’d been staring at the same veil for minutes and shook the thoughts out of her head. She wasn’t going to let her father and Lois hijack her holidays. She had a lot to be thankful for and they weren’t part of it.
She spun on her heels and flipped off the lights before making her way out of her store. She was excited to get home and heat up a casserole she had in her freezer.
As she climbed into her car and backed out of the parking place, one thing became certain, she was starving and couldn’t wait to get home and begin the holidays. She still didn’t know if Sam actually planned on stopping by on Christmas, but she wasn’t totally adverse to it.
By the time she pulled into her driveway, she was almost giddy at the thought. She turned off the ignition and drew a deep breath. Maybe she’d quit fighting the feelings she had for Sam and just see where life took her.
Except now she had a baby to take care of and she didn’t want to complicate things. She let out a groan and made her way to the front door. The one and only thing she was sure of in this world was that she needed to eat and couldn’t wait to get the casserole in the oven.
Dina unlocked the door and walked inside, only to be greeted by someone inside her home. She couldn’t see them, but she could certainly hear them.
Dina’s heart started pounding and her hands began shaking as she heard the shuffling down the hall. A cold sweat swept over Dina’s body as her gaze darted around her living room, and she began to slowly back out of her own home. Whoever was inside didn’t know she’d come home and she wanted to keep it that way.
She very slowly and quietly shut the door and made her way back through the snow and to her car, turning it on and putting it in reverse.
Without hesitation, Dina started driving toward Sam’s house as she called the police, but as the cell rang and rang, she saw Sam barreling down the road in his SUV with Romeo sitting on his lap, looking out the window.
She hung up and quickly flagged him down. He smiled and rolled down his window as he slowed.
“There’s somebody in my house,” Dina said, nearly breathless.
Sam’s gaze quickly turned from jovial to anger as her words sunk in.
“How do you know?” he asked, glancing down the road toward her house.
“I got home, went inside, and I could hear someone down the hall near my bedroom.” Her lips trembled at the thought. What if she hadn’t heard them and had just walked in on the person. Or what if it was more than one person? “Or it could be more than one person inside. I don’t know. It was—” But before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Sam was on his way down the hill to her house.
Dina found a driveway and did a quick turnaround as she attempted to dial the police again. Fear pulsed through her at the thought of Sam barging into her house and disrupting some sort of home invasion. She couldn’t let anything happen to Sam. Just as that thought entered her mind, she tore down the hill after him only to see his SUV already parked outside and the front door wide open.
Her heart was hammering inside her chest as she parked behind Sam and waited for the police to answer. On the third ring, she got out of her car and carefully tiptoed through the snow and up the steps to her house.
She listened carefully and couldn’t hear a thing until she got deeper into her living room, which was right when the dispatcher picked up on the other end of the phone.
At the same time, Sam came thundering down the hall toward her with a huge grin on his face.
“I found the culprit,” his voice bellowed through the silence as the dispatcher repeated his greeting.
“It’s not a bad guy?” Dina whispered.
“Not unless you think an eight-inch-tall critter with a bushy tail suddenly has a way with nunchucks.”
“Ma’am,” the dispatcher repeated.
“Sorry false alarm,” Dina told the operator.
“Always is.” The dispatcher sighed and hung up.
“Nunchucks?” Dina’s brows rose.
“I’d like to tell you that everything is fine back in your bedroom, but I’d be lying, and I’m not very good at that.”
Dina’s heart dropped. “What do you mean?”
“The little fella has been trying to get out of your room all day so that’s left most of it torn up pretty badly.”
“Are you serious? How did it even get in?”
“Squirrels can be pretty sneaky.” Sam’s eyes glinted with mischief, which suddenly concerned Dina.
“Really.” She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes on Sam.
“All I know is that it looks like you’re stuck with me for Christmas after all.” Sam smiled and pulled her into a hug. “There’s no way you’ll want to sleep in there until you get it cleaned up. So what time is the doctor’s appointment tomorrow?”
“You’re sure it’s the squirrel that’s sneaky?”