I STOOD BEFORE the floor-length mirror and stared at my reflection. A slow smile moved across my face and I couldn’t help the butterflies in my stomach.
“Nic is going to die when he sees this.”
“He sure as shit is!” Charity agreed.
I’d propped up my phone and facetimed Charity as I got ready. That small part of me longed to have her here, but I was glad it was only Nic and I.
“Make sure you spray your hair again before you go out.”
Nodding, my eyes swept up and down the beaded lace gown. The sweetheart neckline showed the perfect amount of cleavage and the dropped waist in the back left little to the imagination. I wasn’t sure how Charity got a dress to fit me like a glove, but this dress did. All that and more.
“If this dress went any further down in the back you’d see my ass crack.”
Her laughter came through the phone.
“How in the world did you do this?” I asked as I turned to see the back. There was lace at the lower portion of my back, but with wide gaps, just enough to show it dipped low . . . very low.
“My ass looks perfect in this dress!”
“So, you know how I said we went to Lake Tahoe all the time when I was growing up?”
“Yeah,” I said as I touched up my lipstick.
“Well, a girl I practically grew up with lives there. Makes wedding dresses for a living. You guys are practically the same size. I told her I needed a sexy as hell wedding dress that was in her size.”
“And she just happened to have one?”
“Yep. She models a lot of her gowns, so most are in her size! It was pure luck.”
Shaking my head, I turned and picked up my phone. “Charity, thank you. For all of this. You’ve made this day so special.”
“Well, when you told me what you were doing, I felt like I needed to at least be a part of it somehow. Don’t worry though, you can pay me back with babysitting.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied with a lighthearted laugh.
Her smile faded some. “You scared?”
“No. It’s weird, really. I’m not really nervous at all about the wedding. It’s after the wedding that is giving me butterflies.”
Charity let out a roar of laughter. “Cause you know that man is going to devour you!”
“We’ve been in bed nearly all day. Nic’s stamina is like no other.”
“You know what they say about Greek men.”
I had told her what Katerina had said to me about Greek men and not being able to walk for a week. With a chuckle, I sighed. “Well, I guess I should head down there. Nic was going to go to the bar for a bit after he got dressed then come down after me.”
I watched as her eyes filled with tears. “You’re getting married.”
Blinking rapidly, I was thanking God I used waterproof mascara. “I know.”
“And in a few hours, you’ll be a part of that crazy-ass family!”
My hand came up to mouth as I laughed. “I know!”
“I love you, Gabi.”
“Love you too, Char. Rub the baby for me.”
She grinned and moved her phone down to show me she was rubbing her belly. Lifting it back up, she blew me a kiss. “Go get married for Christ’s sake.”
Nodding, I fought to find the words to speak.
“See ya later,” I softly said.
She lifted her hand and waved. “See ya.”
The call ended and I stood there staring at my phone before I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Leaning in, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. My blonde hair was done up in a French twist with curls hanging down to frame my face. I’d done a very light, natural eye makeup followed by a pink lipstick. Not too much, but just enough.
Closing my eyes, I counted to ten before opening them again. I was marrying the man of my dreams. My fingers came up to my mouth as I smiled at the thought.
Today was my wedding day. No more secrets, no more running, only happiness and hope from this day forward. The thought made me dizzy with happiness.
I took in a deep cleansing breath and made my way down to the reception hall that would lead out to the beach. I carefully looked around me as I made my way, making sure I didn’t run into Nic. Person after person smiled at me, each telling me I looked beautiful. I thought I would have been sadder when the actual moment arrived. Ten years ago I would have wanted a huge catholic wedding, now all I wanted was Nic and I holding hands and vowing our love to each other.
The door opened and Mrs. Mitchell wore a wide grin. “You look stunning, Ms. Rossi.”
“Gabi, please call me Gabi.”
She nodded then handed me a beautiful bouquet of white and red roses. The smell immediately hit me.
“Charity,” I whispered. This was her small way of having a piece of her with me. Roses were her favorite.
“Did you need a few moments or are you ready to make your way down to the beach?”
I gulped. “Nic?”
“He’s already down there.”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “Of course he is. He was probably here at six thirty.”
Mrs. Mitchell chuckled. “He was. I had to give him a shot of whiskey to calm his nerves.”
My hand landed on my stomach as I tried to calm my own set of nerves. It felt like every nerve ending was tingling.
Lifting her brows, she asked, “Ready?”
I nodded. “Never been more.”
My head was spinning. This was crazy! Insane! Twenty-four hours ago we were making love and now we’re getting married. I couldn’t stop the giggle if I had wanted to.
“Is that a nervous chuckle?”
Holding onto my bouquet of flowers tightly, I slowly shook my head. “No. It’s a joyful chuckle. I don’t think I’ll ever be this happy again.”
Mrs. Mitchell smiled wide and then she winked. “Trust me, you will be, if not more.”
I chewed on my lip.
A baby.
Following Mrs. Mitchell down to the beach, I was totally lost in thought. Nic wanted a baby. I’d dreamed for years of being a mom. Teaching a little girl how to bake and cook like my mother and grandmother did for me.
Katerina popped into my head and I couldn’t help but smile. After the family had found out about Dante and that whole mess, I thought for sure they would tell Nic to drop me like a hot plate. But they didn’t. It was the opposite. I was welcomed into the family with such love and affection. Sure. They drove me crazy, but I loved their kind of crazy. Even Kilyn loved it . . . as much as she pretended not to.
The music started and my breath caught in my throat.
“It’s time,” Mrs. Mitchell said.
With a nod, I took in a deep, long breath and pushed it out. “Let’s do this.”