Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Because you’re still following my tracker?”
He grinned. “I never really stopped.”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“I really have to go.” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him hard on the mouth, my arms circling his neck.
He squeezed me as he lifted me from the ground, his strong arms crushing my body against his. He set me down a second later. “Go before I change my mind.”
I grabbed my purse before I walked out of the bedroom and shut the door behind me. I ran to the door and quickly opened it. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my phone anywhere.” I hugged my mom before she had a chance to say hello. “I’m so excited for today. It’s going to be so much fun.”
Mom hugged me back, squeezing me like she hadn’t seen me in months. “I’m so excited too. I still can’t believe so many good things are happening for our family right now.”
I hugged Sapphire next. “How excited are you?”
“More excited than I can put into words.” She squeezed me before she pulled away, her enormous engagement ring sparkling like a prism. “As soon as the weather is nice, I want to have this wedding. Now that I’m almost four months along, I’m excited to be a family. I’m excited to be a Barsetti.”
“Aww…” My mom hugged her. “You became Barsetti property the second my son laid eyes on you.”
Mom and I sat together on the comfy couches while Sapphire tried on different dresses then came outside to show us on the pedestal in the center of the room. We sipped champagne and snacked on the chocolate-covered strawberries they provided.
“I’ve liked all of them so far,” Mom said as she sipped her champagne. “There’s nothing that doesn’t look good on her.”
“I know,” I said with a laugh. “Even when she’s pregnant, her body is still amazing.”
“That baby is going to be so beautiful, no matter whether it’s a boy or a girl.”
“What do you hope it will be?” I asked.
“I honestly don’t care. Your father and I still can’t believe we’re going to be grandparents. Time flies when you’ve been happily married for so long.”
I immediately thought of Bones, the man I was crazy for. I would never go to a boutique like this and try on dresses so I could marry him. When I put on one of those white gowns, it would be for a different man.
Not Bones.
I gripped my glass a little tighter as the sadness circulated in my veins. I would never love another man the way I loved Bones, so my wedding might feel anticlimactic. It might be a relationship of convenience. It might be a marriage to someone like Matteo, a family friend that my father would like.
Mom noticed the way my smile fell. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, of course,” I said quickly. “I was just thinking about how Conway and I grew up together…and now he’s getting married. I have an awesome sister because of it, so that makes it more special.”
“We are lucky,” she said. “I knew Sapphire was right for him the second I met her.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She put him in his place. Not a lot of women have the spunk to do that.”
I chuckled. “Good point.”
“Your father really likes her too. He has a lot of respect for someone who has the courage to start over in a new country. She’s not after Conway for his money, and he can tell she loves him for him.”
“She does…”
Sapphire came out in another beautiful gown. “What do you think?”
“It doesn’t matter what we think,” I said. “Tell us which one you love, and we’ll love it too.”
She stood on the pedestal and looked at herself in the mirror, her hands moving to her distended belly self-consciously.
“Your baby bump is sexy,” I said. “Stop worrying about it.”
“It’s beautiful,” Mom said. “When I was pregnant with Conway, Crow was even more—”
“Mom, please don’t.” I almost covered my ears so I wouldn’t have to listen to the rest of her sentence.
Mom grinned. “So we can talk about your personal life, but not about mine?”
“Not when it’s about Dad…it’s gross.”
“You think me being madly in love with your father for thirty years is gross?” she asked incredulously. “Wait until you have your own family someday, Vanessa. You’ll be more in love with your husband than on the day you married him.”
I thought about Bones again, unable to picture myself loving anyone the way I loved him.
“I think it’s sweet,” Sapphire said.
“Because she’s not your mom,” I reminded her.
“I pretty much am,” Mom said. “So, what do you think of the dress?”
“I really like it,” Sapphire said. “But…I’m not in love with it.”
“Not a big deal,” Mom said. “There are plenty more to choose from.”
“Yeah,” I said. “We can drink champagne all day.”
Sapphire continued to examine herself on the pedestal, considering the fit of the gown and the sparkle in the fabric.