20. Lizzy
LIZZY
“What do you think?” Zoey asks, turning around from staring at her reflection in the mirror. “Do I look okay?”
My vision blurs as my eyes fill with happy tears. “Stunning,” I whisper, wishing my parents could be here for this day.
They would’ve loved seeing their only son getting married to the love of his life. Their absence has to be on Hunter’s mind as much as it is on mine.
“Oh my goodness,” Lulu squeals. “You’re fucking beautiful, babe.”
“Like a storybook,” Tate adds.
The gown is the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen. I can see why Zoey lost her damn mind when they couldn’t find it and she thought she’d have to wear something off the rack. Nothing would compare to the layers of lace and satin that fit her body like a glove.
The door to the bridal room opens, and Zoey’s parents walk in. Her dad is the first to stop dead in his tracks as his gaze lands on his little girl.
“Baby,” he whispers, his voice wavering like he’s getting choked up. “You’re so…”
“Beautiful,” her mom breathes as she moves toward her daughter with tears streaming down her face.
I love Lucio and Delilah and the way they love their girls. Their gentle tenderness with each of them. Lucio doesn’t hide his feelings or emotions, showering their daughters with compliments and hugs.
I use the moment to escape, needing a break. As soon as I am in the hallway, I press myself against the wall and melt into the cold stone. I’ve never been more thankful for a strapless dress in my entire life.
“Are you okay, darlin’?” a man asks in a deep voice.
Raising my gaze, I find a man I barely had time to speak to last night. “Pike, right?”
He nods. “You need help?”
“No. I’m good. I just needed a minute.”
He leans against the wall next to me. “They can be a lot at first.”
I smile and laugh softly. “They love each other so deeply.”
“Shit parents?” he asks me, scratching at his beard.
“No, dead parents.”
“Got that too, but mine were shit on top of it.”
“I’m sorry,” I say to him.
“The Gallos more than make up for it. Learn to embrace their over-the-top love, and you’ll be fine.”
“It’s that easy?”
“It wasn’t for me at first. Gigi’s dad was also my boss. It made for an interesting start to our relationship.”
“Really?” My mind reels with how that had to have worked. There’s turmoil, and then there’s turmoil . “That had to suck.”
“Sometimes, but the family loved me, even though I came with a lot of baggage that followed me.”
“Followed you?”
He shakes his head. “It’s a story for another day.”
Damn. I was hoping for a distraction, but Pike isn’t willing to give me one. “I want to hear everything someday.”
“Someday,” he says as he pushes off the wall. “It’s almost time. I’d better get back before Gigi comes looking for me.”
“It was nice talking to you,” I tell him as he straightens his suit.
The man fills it out nicely too. He and Gigi are the type of couple that makes people stop dead in their tracks to admire their beauty.
It’s weird calling a man beautiful, but it’s as if he stepped right out of a biker magazine cover shoot.
“You too. Enjoy today. It’s a day to celebrate and soak in the Gallo goodness.”
“I will,” I tell him before I watch him walk away.
The door to the bridal room opens, and Delilah walks out, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “Lizzy,” she says, her voice soft and wavering. “You look stunning in that dress.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Gallo.”
It’s impossible not to gobble up their praise.
“You too,” I add, because she’s just a girl too, and who doesn’t love a compliment.
“I need to take my seat. We’re about to start.”
That’s my hint to get my ass inside to do final preparations before we walk down the aisle.
When I step back into the room, Mr. Gallo is at Zoey’s side, holding her hands. “I love you, sweetheart,” he tells her. “I wish you as much happiness as your mother and I have had for over thirty years.”
My heart squeezes from the way he looks at her and the gentle sweetness of his words.
“Thanks, Daddy,” she says to him.
He leans forward and kisses her cheek before releasing his hold on her hands. “We’d better line up.”
Zoey’s eyes move across the room, landing on me. “Lizzy, are you ready to be my sister?”
My body warms at the thought. “More than anything, babe.”
A moment later, Amira comes bounding into the bridal room, dressed in the cutest soft-pink dress. “Auntie!” she screeches as she lunges for me.
I bend over to grab her before she has a chance to knock me off-balance, making this day a complete disaster. “Baby girl, don’t you look adorable.”
“Dad’s getting married,” she tells me, as if I don’t know, but I can see the excitement on her face.
“He is.”
Amira’s gaze moves over my shoulder, and she gasps. “You look like a princess,” she says to Zoey.
“Hey, sweetie. You look like a princess too,” Zoey replies. “How’s your daddy doing?”
“He’s happy and can’t stop moving,” Amira says.
Hunter has to be nervous. It’s not easy to have a roomful of people staring at you. I hate the idea of walking down the aisle today, but I know everyone will be looking at Zoey and barely paying attention to me. It’s my one saving grace to stop a complete panic attack from taking over.
“You ready?” I ask my niece.
She gives a stiff nod. “Ready.”
“Let’s do this, people,” Lulu says as she claps her hands. “It’s showtime.”
My belly rumbles as I set Amira back down on the floor. I concentrate on my breathing as I grab the bouquet, wrapping a strand of ribbon around my finger to give myself something to fiddle with when the nerves become too much.
Lulu arranges us in the order that we practiced last night at the entrance to the church. “The men are inside and will take your arm as soon as you walk through the door,” she explains.
“We know, Lulu,” Amelia groans. “We didn’t forget since yesterday.”
Lulu gives Amelia a look I can only describe as sour. “Thirty seconds,” Lulu calls out before dashing to her spot in front of her sister—the matron of honor.
When the doors open and all the guests stand, my knees wobble. “Shit,” I whisper and follow it with an apology because this isn’t the place to let my mouth run wild.
Amira steps into the church, eating up the attention as she throws the flower petals wildly in the air. The people in the pews can’t take their eyes off her, and I don’t blame them. She’s a cute little thing, even though she’s growing bigger and older with each passing day.
Amelia’s next to go, and Nino takes her arm, walking her down the aisle. Iris and Brax go next and then Tate and Wylder. I move forward, my body nearly shaking with nerves as I step toward the doorway, waiting for my cue to move.
But when I glance to the side, Mason’s there. He’s staring at me, smiling, and every bit of uncertainty vanishes. He moves into the doorway, taking my arm before I have a chance to take a step forward.
“I got you,” he whispers.
No truer words. He’s like an anchor for me. He tethers me to the earth at a time when my nervous energy is liable to cause me to float right off the ground.
“Hey,” I whisper back.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
I’ve never liked nicknames, but the softness of that word on his lips always makes me melt. I hope there’s never a day when he stops using it when he talks to me. That’ll be the day when I know the love is gone.
“Ready?” he asks as his brown eyes search mine.
“Ready,” I tell him, and somehow my voice doesn’t waver or crack.
This is my first time walking down an aisle. Somehow, I’ve escaped being a bridesmaid my entire life, and I’m not sad about it either. But today, in front of Mason’s family, my steps feel sure and strong with him at my side.
The walk is quick before we peel apart, him going to his side of the church and me to mine.
I should have my eyes focused on the back of the church and Zoey, but I can’t stop staring at my guy.
My future is across the aisle from me, and I hope someday we’ll be here to celebrate our wedding in front of the same group of people.
Movement at the altar catches my attention, and I turn, finding my brother’s gaze trained on the back of the church. Much like me, the very sight of his love makes his body calmer.
I’ve wanted this for him. I couldn’t have picked a better woman to be his forever. Not only does he get a new family, but so do I.
We are no longer alone and never will be again.