Page 20 of His Scandalous Siren
Nine
It was her wedding day. Why did it seem more as if she were about to attend a funeral than something that should, at least for her, be a joyous occasion? None of this should be happening. At least not like this… Sofia had always dreamed of the day she’d marry the man she loved. That man had been Andrew Marsden for as long as she could remember. Never had she expected that he would marry her, but not love her, too.
Her breathing became ragged and as she tried to force air into her lungs. Panic seized her and that made it even harder to breathe. She couldn’t do it. Sofia could not marry him when he didn’t feel the same way as she did. After a time she would grow to hate him and he might even hate her too. What kind of life would that be for either one of them?
“Sofia,” a female said from the doorway. She turned and met her mother’s gaze.
“Mama,” she greeted her.
“Don’t you look lovely,” Pearla, Contessa Leone, said. There was a catch in her voice as she spoke. “First Rafael and now you. Soon Gabrielle will find love too, and all three of you will have your own families.”
“Don’t cry,” she told her mother. “You’ll have me crying too.”
She was already barely keeping it together. If her mother lost it, then she wouldn’t be far behind her. Sofia was ready to run and hide. If Drew didn’t know where she was, then he couldn’t force this wedding to happen. The more she thought about it, the better that sounded.
“It’s a mother’s prerogative to cry at her daughter’s wedding,” she told Sofia. “I reserve the right to do so during the ceremony.” She cupped Sofia’s cheek in her palm. “You’re going to be so happy.”
If only she could believe that. “How can you possibly know that?”
“Because I see how you look at him. He’s the one that hits you here.” She tapped Sofia’s chest. “If you didn’t love him, this wedding wouldn’t take place.”
Sofia sighed. “What if my love for him isn’t enough?” It was a question she hadn’t been able to say aloud before. Now she wished she hadn’t. Hearing the words had only made her anxiety worse.
“Darling,” her mother said. “Every woman has doubts on her wedding day. It’s perfectly normal, but I don’t want you to worry. Once the excitement is over, you will settle into your life together.”
“You had doubts about marrying Daddy?” Her parents loved each other deeply. Their relationship was what had given Sofia hope she’d have love in her life.
Her mother chuckled softly. “I don’t speak of it, but my wedding day was far from planned. At least the first one…” She shook her head. “I barely knew your father when a captain forced us to say vows. We said them again some time after that. Once we knew, we wanted to spend the rest of our life together.” She sighed. “But the beginning…it wasn’t so wonderful.”
That made Sofia take a different look at her parent’s marriage, and her pending one. They had started wrong, too. Maybe there was hope for her and Drew. Sometimes it took some time for love to grow. Shouldn’t she give him some time to love her back?
“How did you know it was right?”
“It’s different for everyone,” her mother said. “I wish there was a simple answer to give you, but life isn’t that simple. Trust yourself and you’ll know.”
“Am I interrupting?” a man asked.
“Daddy,” Sofia said. Happiness filled her at the sight of him. She loved both her parents, but she had a special relationship with her father.
“You make a beautiful bride, sweetheart.”
Her gown was an A-Line princess gown with short sleeves. The silk dress had a V-neck that dipped down just above her décolletage with a beaded band around the waist. The train had a beaded lace tulle that swept a foot behind her. A lady only married the man of her dreams once and she had wanted a dress that made her feel beautiful. So while she hoped that the day would be different, she had still planned on it taking place. “Thank you,” she said, then smiled. “Are they ready for me?”
“They are.” He glanced at her mother. “I’ll escort you to your seat, then come to walk Sofia to meet her groom.”
Her mother kissed her cheek. “Remember that this is what you want. That you love that man waiting for you to join him? Everything will work out how it is supposed to.”
Sofia prayed her mother was right. “I love you,” she told her mother. “And I love you too, Daddy.”
“We love you too, poppet.” He hugged her. “I’ll be back soon.”
He left with her mother and that gave Sofia some time to herself. Time to think and consider what she wanted. Did she want to go through with the wedding? She placed her hand on her stomach. What if she carried his child? It was still too soon to know with any certainty, but she feared that Claudine had been right. She hadn’t gotten her monthly yet, and if it didn’t come that was a good indicator she had a baby on the way. It would be foolish not to marry Drew then.
But was that a good enough reason?
Sofia sighed. There was so much to consider and her time was running out. She had to decide what to do, and fast. This wedding was mere minutes away from starting. Soon it would be too late to make a different decision.
Her father returned. “It’s time to walk you down that aisle.”
