Page 78 of The Wedding Crush

But then the corners of her mouth pull down, and I sense she’s suppressing a smile. She’s putting two and two together. My attire, checking the time, now uninviting Carina, it’s all a riddle she’s intent on solving. Mother’s highly sensitive intuition is firing on all cylinders.

There’s no denying to Victoria Fortemani that this is about a woman.

But she doesn’t know who.

It’s the only card up my sleeve. I’ve got her full attention now.

“What if I wanted to bring someone to Dante’s wedding? Don’t you think it’d be hard enough for this woman to imagine herself in our family, especially when her spot is still occupied by my ex-wife in her delicate condition?”

If I’d have blinked I might’ve missed her sharp intake of air.

I’ve surprised her.

Only, I’m not sure about which part—that I’m mentioning bringing a wedding date, that I’m at the point I’m considering this woman’s inclusion in our family, that Carina is pregnant, or all of the above.

I’ve given her a lot to chew on.

As I watch her incessantly blinking, grappling to digest it all, I refuse to lead her.

“It seems I’ve missed a great deal in these past few weeks.”

“Indeed.”

She worries her lips, nodding like she’s still turning over everything in her head.

“Delicate condition?”

Of course, she starts with the gravest news. Reduce worry, and end on the best note,she always says.

I shrug, ambivalently. “Yes, it would seem so, if her social media is any indication.”

She shoots me a pointed stare, scrutinizing my seemingly cavalier response.

“I see.” A small sigh seeps from her lips. “I wasn’t aware.”

“At the end of the day, I’ve made my peace with it. We gave our marriage one hundred and ten percent, and now, we’ve grown apart. Together, we made a choice to consciously uncouple so we can both live happilyevenafter divorce. She’s finding hers, and I’m…working on mine.”

Mother releases a hysterical laugh like she’s exhausted by all the neologic language people use to sever ties. To her, whether by death or divorce, losing a spouse isn’t something she takes lightly.

It’s why she hasn’t remarried since we lost Dad. I suspect, why she’s maintained a relationship with Carina, and even entertained sending an invitation.

She loves to the roots.

“Very well then.” Her downcast gaze settles on the door where light rain is coming down. Then a faint smile curves her rosy lips. “I will do as you’ve asked and call her today.”

“Thank you.”

Again, she considers me, and I’m guessing I know what else is nagging at her.

“Is there anyone else you’d like to tell me about? Someone special, perhaps…”Anyone else I’d like to tell her about.

My cheeks burn under her teetering smile.

“No.”

I wonder if I should reconsider, tell her that, somehow, without my consent, Avery’s snuck into my life and possibly my heart. In a matter of weeks, she’s become important to me, and there’s aslightchance I might be falling for her in a way I’d never fallen, not even in my marriage.

With us, although I suspect I wouldn’t mind, it’s not about building an approved nuclear life together. It’s about passion and purpose and feeling good with a person who knows my entire mess, and still makes me laugh. She finds silver linings, plays twenty questions on video chat, makes up ridiculous dances, and genuinely, wholeheartedly loves with everything she has.

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