Page 99 of Mine Again
“We were engaged. And then bam. He vanished. Years ago. Gone. Dead now. Probably.” I swallow hard. “But I promised him I’d wait.”
“And now?” Dario asks gently, his voice softer now.
“Now I’m in Vegas, in a glittering maze, about to marry a man I started talking to less than a month ago.”
He steps back, giving my hair a final, satisfied fluff. “At least your hair’s fabulous.”
I laugh. It comes out as a weird, snorty giggle that ends with tears streaking down my cheeks. My mascara’s probably halfway to my chin.
“Oh, honey, no,” Dario clucks, springing into action.
He grabs a sponge and a brush, dabbing and sweeping with quick, practiced strokes until I look flawless again. I blink at myself,impressed.
Meanwhile, I keep drinking.
The more I sip, the further away Luca seems, and it’s like I’m watching this whole thing from somewhere above, floating near the ceiling light.
“I do like him,” I mumble, squinting at my reflection. It’s getting fuzzy. Not metaphorically. Literally blurry. “Sebastian is kind. Stable. A great kisser.”
“See? Priorities.”
“And he listens. My father never did. All he ever wanted was a son.”
“And he didn’t get one?”
“Nope,” I snort. “Five girls. So he started what we now call the Seal-the-Deal Alliance Plan. Marry us off to the highest bidder.”
Dario pauses, halfway through dabbing under my eye with his sponge. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish. After he died, we found a color-coded spreadsheet. Suitors. Alliances. Timelines. If it had a logo, it would have been a wedding ring strangling a dove.”
Dario claps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. “That’s dark. I love it. Please tell me there was glitter on it.”
“No glitter. But lots of Italian, Irish, and even Russian names. The list had chapters, one for each of us.”
He eyes me like he can’t decide if I’m joking or confessing. It’s definitely not the former.
“Was Sebastian on it?”
“No. I found him myself.” I hiccup-giggle. “Actually, he found me.”
Dario shakes his head, setting his brush down, crossing his arms as he studies me like I’m his final masterpiece.
“I’d love to hear more, but it’s nearly eight, and I finished just in time.”
“Eight already? That came quickly.” Too quickly. I bring my champagne glass to my lips again.
“You sure you want to do this?”
I almost choke on the bubbles, the question taking me by surprise.
“Yeah. It’s my way out.”
“Out of what, exactly?”
“The spreadsheet, the politics… a miserable life. Sebastian’s a good choice. I think.” I swirl the last sip of champagne in my glass and shrug. “Even though I learned today that I know little about him. But hey, I’ve got a lifetime, right?”
Dario grins, removing the cape and leaving me in the silky robe the chapel provided.
