Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 84756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
The silence following my words is tense, then Aunt Aida murmurs, “Whatever you want, cara.”
“I’m happy with the fourteen guests you’ve mentioned,” I say, and when Savannah’s done taking my measurements, I give her a thankful smile.
“I’ll have the dress adjusted.” She collects her belongings. “Thank you, ladies. I’ll call to make an appointment for next week. I hope you all have a lovely day further.”
“Drive safely,” I murmur.
“Thank you for coming to us. Let me walk you out,” Mrs. Accardi offers.
I sit down again and glance at Aunt Aida. To ease more of the tension left behind by my strong reaction, I ask, “What are you going to wear to the wedding?”
“I have no idea. I have a closet full of gowns that I’ve never worn. I’m sure we can find something.”
“Oh.” My eyebrows lift. “Should we go look now?”
“Why not.” She chuckles as she holds her hand out to me.
I get up and hook her arm through mine.
Walking to the elevator, I say, “I really love it here at the mansion.”
“I’m happy to hear that, cara. This is your home now.”
I press the button, and when the doors slide open, we step inside. My eyes land on Mrs. Accardi, and I quickly stop the doors from closing.
“Why are we going up?” she asks as she joins us.
“To decide what Aunt Aida’s going to wear to the wedding,” I bring her up to speed.
“Caro Dio,” Mrs. Accardi gasps. “I haven’t even thought about what we would wear.” She lets out a sigh. “If we don’t find anything in our closets, Savannah will just have to arrange gowns for us.”
The elevator stops on the second floor, and I follow them to Aunt Aida’s suite. When I walk into the room, I curiously glance around, seeing as it’s my first time in her private space.
The décor is soft pink and creams with paintings of cherry blossoms on the walls.
“Gosh,” I whisper. “Your room is pretty.”
“I’ve always loved cherry blossoms.” A sad expression tightens her features. “Before I lost my sight, I visited Japan during springtime. I’ll never forget how beautiful all the cherry blossom trees looked.”
My heart.
Taking her hand, I give her a squeeze before I tug her toward her walk-in closet. “Let’s find you a gorgeous dress.”
“Here are the gowns,” Mrs. Accardi says.
She starts to look through them, and when I see a pink, floral-print, A-line gown, I gasp, “That one.”
Moving forward, I grab the hanger and pull it out of the closet. “Wow. This dress is stunning.” Turning to Aunt Aida, I rush closer and take hold of her hand. I brush her fingers over the fabric as I say, “It’s pale pink silk with floral-print lace.” When her fingers slide over the sleeves, I say, “They’re three-quarters.”
“Gabriella’s right,” Mrs. Accardi agrees. “You’ll look so beautiful in this dress.”
A soft smile tugs at Aunt Aida’s mouth. “Then I’ll wear it.”
On impulse I hug Aunt Aida, then feeling awkward, I quickly pull back. “Sorry. I got overexcited.”
She lets out a chuckle. “You can hug me anytime. I don’t mind.”
“Are you going to put on the dress so we can see if it still fits?” Mrs. Accardi asks.
“Yes.”
I wait in the walk-in closet while Mrs. Accardi takes Aunt Aida to the bathroom. A few minutes pass before the door opens, and then I stare in wonder at my future mother-in-law.
“How does it look?” Aunt Aida asks.
“So pretty,” I murmur, the awe clear in my voice. “You’re breathtakingly beautiful.”
“Thank you, cara,” she says, a pleased smile on her face. “Okay, let’s get me out of the dress so we can find you something to wear, Greta.”
When they walk back into the bathroom, I press my hand to my happy heart.
Even though I miss Damiano, I’m enjoying every second I get to spend with Aunt Aida and Mrs. Accardi.
It feels like I’m gaining two mothers who actually care about me.
Chapter 26
Damiano
My phone starts to ring, and seeing Dario’s name on the screen, I answer, “You better have good news for me. My men killed the fucking uncle.”
“Miguel’s in Miami.” I can hear the relief in his voice, and it finds an echo in my chest.
“Wheels up in thirty minutes,” I order. “Let the others know we’re meeting at the airfield.”
“On it.”
Ending the call, I lock eyes with Carlo. “Dario found Miguel. The fucker’s in Miami.”
Climbing to his feet, he says, “Let’s go.”
As I walk out of the lounge, I signal for Vito and Emilio to join us.
When they catch up to us, I mutter, “Get a group of men to meet us at the airfield. I want them heavily armed. We’re attacking Miguel.”
“Got it, boss,” Emilio says, immediately pulling out his phone to make the call.
We hurry out of the club, and once we’re all in the SUV, Carlo starts the engine. “Fucking finally.”