Page 30 of Mine to Love
“I would love one,” she says. The two of us walk toward the stovetop with smiles on our faces. Ru and Delilah quickly join us. And the four of us enjoy a comforting breakfast together that reminds me of home—the one I once had and the one I’m creating.
26
Along with an invitation,Ana sent dresses for Delilah and I. Delilah sits beside me now with Ru at her feet. We’re on the second row of wicker-back chairs facing the beautifully decorated altar. Well, I should say makeshift altar. Ana and Damon’s wedding is, as she said, at her brother’s house in the French Quarter. Though,houseis an understatement. The property is absolutely huge. It takes up at least one city block with a massive, open-air courtyard in the center.
The sand-colored brick, light-stained wood and iron accents, make for the perfect backdrop for the fairytale garden themed wedding. Strands of greenery and twinkle lights drape overhead, along with expertly placed crystal chandeliers. Half of the courtyard is fitted with the chairs we sit in now, the color of which perfectly matches the existing wooden doors of the home. Large arrangements of white roses sit at the end of each row, framing the stone-paved aisle that Ana will soon walk down.
At the end of the aisle, the altar is framed by a huge crystal chandelier hung from seemingly out of nowhere and a flower arch made of white and pink roses and tons of greenery. More flowers are placed around the bottom of the arch to fill out thebackdrop for the sure-to-be gorgeous wedding photos. It truly looks like we’re sitting in the middle ofBeauty and the BeastmeetsCinderella.The grandeur but also the whimsicalness is utterly magical. And that’s just the half of it.
In the center of the courtyard is a white platform for dancing, again, surrounded by white and blush roses and plenty of candles. On the opposite end of the courtyard, long wooden farmhouse tables create a U-shaped seating arrangement for guests to eat and mingle during the reception.
I caught a glimpse of the table-settings when we walked in. Crystal glasses, white and gold-trimmed plates, and enough silverware to suggest a multi-course meal are set out for the wedding’s forty or so guests. Candles of various lengths in crystal cylinders line the tables, which are surrounded by even more greenery and roses on both sides.God!I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, so otherworldly. And, getting back to the point, the dresses Ana sent for Delilah and me match the decor perfectly.
Delilah’s is a solid sage green with a velvet bodice and tulle skirt. She loves it and has taken every opportunity available to twirl around in circles. Accompanying it is a small clip for her hair adorned with tiny white and pink roses, as well as a special collar for Ru, with the same grouping of flowers.
My dress is made of a stretchy satin-like material, which is surprisingly comfortable and cool as we ease into September. It has a square neckline and thick, tank-like straps, which makes my cleavage look amazing, perhaps too amazing. When we walked in with Gio, I couldn’t help but feel the eyes on us. Though, perhaps the guests were just noting him. He looked dashing in his crisp navy-blue, three-piece tux. But, in this dress, for once, I actually felt like…like I didn’t standout for the wrong reasons while next to him. That thought tugs at my lips, drawing a small smile.
The bodice of my dress cinches me in at the waist while the draping around the hips hides my lower stomach and accentuates my curves in a way that makes me like them. I’ve got to give it to Ana. She knows how to make a girl look good. I glance down at the light green fabric, still smiling. The color is so light it almost looks silver, which may seem a bit off for the wedding. But it’s the perfect hue to show off the floral print. Scattered about the dress are various groupings of blush pink flowers adorned with greenery.
To finish the look, I curled my hair, did my makeup the same way Ana did the first day we met, and paired the outfit with some nude heels and a necklace I don’t remember picking out but found amongst my things. It’s a chocker made of diamonds with a larger, oval-shaped diamond in the center. There was a set of matching earnings too—tiny diamond studs with a larger, oval-shaped diamond dangling from them. I saydiamond, but there’s no way they’re real. If they are, I can only imagine how much the items cost, easily one million dollars given the size. Alas, I don’t care if my jewelry is the fakest thing in this entire home. I’ve never felt more beautiful, more fancy, more like a princess existing in my very own fairytale. Though, to say I feel like I belong would be a stretch.
When we arrived at Aidan’s, there were armed guards with headsets watching the entry. After the valet took our car, one of the armed attendants scanned Gio’s fingerprint before we could enter. I guess that was their version of a guest list. But the fingerprint system? How excessive? It’s similar to Gio’s system for accessing his guns, which is actually quite smart. But for a wedding? What kind of crashers are they expecting?
There are armed guards, dressed in suits so that they blend in with the wedding guests, positioned around the perimeter of the courtyard. They lurk in the shadows of the arches leading into the air-conditioned areas of the home and perch on theiron balconies overlooking the space. I’ve also noticed a couple of surveillance cameras here and there. I’m sure there are plenty more that have gone unnoticed. The place is a romantic, flower-filled, candle-lit fishbowl that is being guarded as if it’s ground zero and not a wedding. Though, the amount of security isn’t why I feel out of place. It’s the fact that it’s so normalized no one is phased by it.
Everyone here seems to know one another. I mean, I suppose they should. Ana said it would be a small, family-only affair. I supposefamilyincludes closest friends. Regardless, all the guests come from the same world of luxury, fancy clothes, expensive parties, and,apparently, excessive armed security. I suppose my comment about the decor being otherworldly should extend to the entire aura of the evening. It’s not just Gio who is an enigma. It’s everyone in his world, his world as a whole.
Somehow, I found myself a part of it. Somehow, I found myself on the other side of a glass door I never knew existed. I suppose that’s the point, isn’t it? This world exists right alongside my old one, the normal one. It hides in plain sight, only allowing you entry by a shift of fate and a chance encounter.
Yes, this world is a fairytale. And, yet even fairytales have villains. Perhaps that’s the reason for the guards, the reason for Gio’s guns, and a gate with a constantly changing code. They’re trying to preserve the fairytale. The question is—from who? I would spend more time on that thought if there was any part of me that felt unwanted guests would succeed at breaching the premises.
As I look around, taking in all the decor and the guests, I find Gio atop a balcony along with Damon. He left to give him a pep talk not long after we arrived, but not without first showing us to our seats and introducing us to those in our row. While there is an empty seat next to me for Gio to return to, on theother side of Delilah is a dark-haired, slender woman named Sophia. I recognize her from the photo in Gio’s living room. The introduction was brief. All that was clear is that Gio used to work for her family, a family she quickly assured us all that he’s a part of. It seems like an interesting arrangement, one I don’t fully understand. To be honest, I don’t even know how Gio and Damon are connected other than just being friends. But they seem like so much more than that.
On the other side of Sophia is her husband, Cassio. And the last seat in our row is occupied by another dark-haired woman named Ariana. Our introduction was an exchange of names only. They are all absolutely gorgeous and dressed to the nines along with everyone else here.
Gio smiles as he and Damon inspect the spectacle of chatting and laughing attendees. It’s nice to see him smile. Nice to see Damon smiling too. He seems to be doing a lot better than the last time I saw him, which is good, considering it’s his big day. I’m sure Ana is just as excited. And, if the decor is any inclination, I can only imagine her dress. Thoughts of the two of them make me think of my own wedding. Though, the wordweddingfeels misused in describing my and Clive’s nuptials.
I lower my eyes to the back of the chair in front of me as the scene plays out behind my blue gaze. We didn’t send out invitations. We didn’t plan a perfectly curated ceremony. It was the weekend after he proposed, taking place at the restaurant/ bar I worked at, which was a cabin-like tavern in the middle of nowhere. The location and lack of decor wouldn’t have mattered if he’d truly loved me and had been marrying me for the right reasons. But, alas, love was the last thing on his mind.
I suppose the quickness of our courtship was part of his masterplan. He didn’t want to give me any time to come to my senses. With my parents both dead and my few friends from high school moved on to different phases in their lives, therewas no one around to speak reason to me anywayorwitness the biggest mistake of my life.
The guests were anyone who was there to dine or drink and a few regulars. The truckers passing through on their long hauls got a hoot out of the entire ordeal. They toasted us, half drunk, with foaming beers held high over their heads. It might as well as have been a Sunday night football game. The only thing that made that day even remotely like a wedding was the white dress I had left over from senior prom and the notary Clive had befriended while out drinking who just so happened to be ordained.
My wedding wasn’t special or beautiful or sentimental. But it was legal. Little did I know I was signing away all my independence and would barely escape the union with my life. I suppose the saddest part is that no one noticed how wrong it was. They all, in their sad, drunken, pathetic, low-life state, thought it was normal for an almost forty-year-old man to marry an eighteen-year-old girl just barely out of high school. And, if they noticed, they didn’t stop it. That notion leaves me scratching the inside of my wrist.
Catching myself, I do my best to shake off the funk threatening to spoil the evening and decide to strike up a conversation with my nearest neighbor, Sophia. “So, Gio used to work for your family? He hasn’t told me much about his work or your family’s business.” I know I could be more graceful with my nosy question, but I’m just trying to get the words out before I can’t get any out at all. Sophia turns to me with a smile. The picture in our living room doesn’t do her justice.
“Well, Gio is being modest, as always. Gio and my brother, Alister, are old friends from college. He’s been one of the most important people in my family for almost twenty years. But, yes, he was employed by my family’s corporation as the head of security. In fact, he still is. While our needs have slightlychanged in recent months, he still handles various things, all in the name of protecting us and our entities.”
Sophia glances at Cassio with a raised brow. It’s as if they have an entire conversation with just their eyes. Alister—he must be the man in the photos with Gio. Notably, he isn’t here. I wonder why.
Cassio brings his palm to Sophia’s back. Gently, he strokes her exposed shoulder blade with a single finger. It’s a simple, loving, soothing touch. Not unlike the caresses Gio has given me. That thought makes my heart feel warm and eases some of the restlessness inside me. “As for our business,” Sophia turns back to me while Cassio continues his gentle caress. “We are in the goods and services industry. My brother likes to joke that we own half of New Orleans.” At that, Cassio chuckles and I smile because what else is there to do? “But two-thirds would be a more accurate accounting.”Oh, wow.She isn’t joking.
As Sophia’s eyes dart behind me, I sense the end of our conversation, along with Gio’s presence. I turn to face him just as he sinks down in the seat next to me, immediately wrapping his arm around the back of my chair, much like Cassio has his draped around Sophia. The similarity is undeniable, confusing, and yet strangely exciting, just like mine and Gio’s night together.
“Enjoying yourself, angel?” Gio asks. I nod with a smile just as the violinist strums the chords of a hauntingly beautiful song, prompting us to stand.
Gio motions for Delilah, Ru, and me to stand in front of him since he’s the tallest and positioned at the end of the row. I step in front of him, sandwiched so close to him I can feel his breath along the side of my neck. It leaves little goosebumps on my skin that have me pinching my eyes closed and sucking in air.
