Chapter 14
Angelina
T he morning of my wedding, I woke up alone. Gianna had enforced a strict "no seeing the bride before the ceremony" rule, which meant Dez had been banished to his penthouse while I spent the night at a luxury hotel suite with my bridesmaids.
Well. Bridesmaid, singular. Maya.
When I realized that my uncle was willing to hurt anybody who was close to me after my mom passed, I put distance between me and friends. Severing ties and protecting the people that I cared about. I’d sent them invitations to come, but hadn’t included them in the wedding party.
Maya sat at the vanity getting her makeup done, chatting with the makeup artist about foundation shades, while I stood at the window in my silk robe and stared out the window. In mere hours, I'd be married. I was excited, but had to admit how much I missed my old life. My mother…
"You okay over there?" Maya called.
"Yeah." I turned to face her. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"That things were different before my mom passed and how much I miss her. About how three months ago, I didn't know Dez existed. And now I'm marrying him."
"Cold feet?"
"No." I was surprised by how certain I sounded. "The opposite, actually. I just... I can't believe this is real. That he's real. That someone like him would want someone like me."
The makeup artist was a woman named Violet who Gianna had flown in from New York, looked up sharply. "Someone like you? Girl, have you looked in a mirror? You're gorgeous."
"It's not about looks," I said, though the compliment warmed me. "It's about... everything else. My life is complicated. My family situation is a disaster. I come with an uncle who wants me dead and a company that's barely holding together and a deadline that forced me into this?—"
"Stop." Maya stood, crossing to me. "You're spiraling. And you need to stop before you ruin your makeup."
"I haven't had my makeup done yet."
"Pre-emptive concern." She took my hands.
"Listen to me. Dez is not marrying you because of a deadline or a business arrangement or whatever practical reason you want to hide behind.
He's marrying you because he fell in love with you.
I've seen the way he looks at you, Angelina.
Like you hung the moon and are the most precious thing in his world. "
"It’s only been three months. Maybe it’s moving too quickly."
"And yet you know him better than most people who've been together for years." She squeezed my hands.
She was right. Somehow, in three months, Dez and I had built something deeper than I'd built in years-long relationships.
"And he knows you," Maya continued.
Tears pricked at my eyes. "He does.”
Violet said cheerfully, waving me over. "Come on, bride. Let's make you so beautiful that your husband cries when he sees you."
Four hours later, I stood in front of a full-length mirror and barely recognized myself.
The dress was perfect. Ivory silk that hugged my curves before flowing into a subtle train.
Off-the-shoulder sleeves that made my collarbones look elegant.
A neckline that was sexy without being inappropriate for a church ceremony.
My hair was swept up in an intricate updo. The pearl white nail polish Dez had insisted on months ago gleamed against my dark skin. My makeup was a flawless, soft, romantic look that enhanced rather than hid. And the jewelry?—
Dez had sent over a set this morning with a note.
Something borrowed from my mother. She insists you wear them.
-D
Diamond earrings and a matching necklace that probably cost more than my car. I was wearing his mother's diamonds. The weight of it, the significance, made my chest tight.
"Wow." Maya appeared behind me, already dressed in her deep burgundy bridesmaid gown that complemented my ivory beautifully. "Angelina. You look?—"
"Like a bride?" I tried to joke, but my voice came out shaky.
"Like a queen." She handed me my bouquet, white roses mixed with blood red peonies. "Dez is going to lose his mind when he sees you."
A knock at the door made us both turn.
"Come in," I called.
The door opened to reveal Gianna in a stunning burgundy gown, her hair in perfect waves, looking every inch the society princess she was.
"Oh my god," she breathed. "Angelina. You look fantastic" Her eyes filled with tears. "Damn it, I promised myself I wouldn't cry before the ceremony."
"Too late," Maya said, already dabbing at her own eyes.
Gianna crossed to me, taking my hands. "My brother is the luckiest man in the world. I hope he knows that."
"I think I'm the lucky one," I said quietly.
"You both are, but don’t tell him I said that." She squeezed my hands. "The cars are here. It's time. But Dez has a surprise for you." She stepped back into the hall and waved for someone to step inside.
My heart stopped.
Because walking through that door, all dressed in matching burgundy gowns with their makeup done and hair styled to perfection, were four women I never thought I'd see today.
Charmaine, tall and lithe with deep mahogany skin and locs styled in an elegant updo that must have taken hours.
Lisa, light brown skin glowing, her natural curls framed perfectly around her face in a twist-out that looked like art.
Imani, medium brown skin, short natural hair sleek and sophisticated, wearing the most gorgeous smile I'd ever seen on her.
Karla, rich dark skin, the shortest of us all, practically bouncing with excitement in her heels.
"Surprise," they said in unison.
I couldn't breathe or speak . I could only stare at my girls, my sisters, standing there looking absolutely stunning.
"How…" My voice broke. "How are you here?"
"Your husband is very persuasive," Charmaine said, stepping forward. "And also very thorough about making sure we'd be safe."
"He called each of us personally," Lisa added. "Explained everything. About your uncle, about why you'd cut us off, about the protection he could offer if we agreed to be here."
"He assigned security to each of us," Imani said. "Has had people watching us for the past month to make sure we were safe. And then he very politely asked if we'd be willing to surprise you by being in your wedding."
"He even paid for our dresses," Karla said, doing a little spin. "Custom made to match Maya’s."
How did they know Maya? I looked at Maya, who was grinning through her tears.
"I helped with the planning," she admitted. "But this was all Dez. He wanted you to have your people here. All of them."
My legs gave out. Charmaine and Lisa caught me, guiding me to sit on the edge of the bed before I fell.
"I can't believe…" I looked up at them, tears streaming down my face. "I pushed you all away. I disappeared for six months. And you just came?"
"Of course we came," Imani said, kneeling in front of me. "You're our sister, Angie. You think we wouldn’t understand why you had to protect us? You think we wouldn't move heaven and earth to be here for your wedding?"
"But my uncle?—"
"Is going to have a very bad day if he tries anything," Karla said cheerfully. "Because apparently we each have extremely competent and surprisingly attractive bodyguards who take their jobs very seriously."
"Plus," Charmaine added, "we're bridesmaids in a Moretti wedding now. I'm pretty sure that comes with some kind of diplomatic immunity."
I laughed through my tears, and suddenly they were all hugging me. Maya joined the pile, and we were crying and laughing and ruining our makeup together.
"Okay, okay, break it up," Violet called out, armed with makeup wipes and touch-up supplies. "We have six crying women and thirty minutes until showtime. Let's move, people!"
We separated, still sniffling, while Violet went into emergency repair mode with Gianna’s help.
"How did he convince you?" I asked, needing to know. "Really. What did Dez say?"
Charmaine smiled. "He said, 'My wife thinks she has to face everything alone. I want to show her she doesn't. Will you help me prove it?'"
"And then he showed us the security arrangements," Lisa added. "Background checks on every guard. Detailed protection protocols. Emergency procedures. The man is thorough."
"He told us about the embezzlement evidence," Imani said. "About how he's going to help you take down your uncle after the honeymoon. He wanted us to know you'd be safe. That we'd be safe."
"And then he said please," Karla finished. "Very sincerely. It was actually kind of adorable watching him ask so nicely. He’s hot by the way."
There was a round of agreement and I giggled.
He is… I pressed my hands to my face, overwhelmed by emotion.
My husband had done this. Had found my friends, convinced them, and protected them.
He’d even brought them here to stand beside me on the most important day of my life.
Because he knew I needed them and he understood that protecting me meant more than just keeping me physically safe—it meant surrounding me with love.
"I have to marry him right now," I said. "Like immediately. Can we skip to the part where I say 'I do'?"
"Absolutely not," Gianna said firmly. "You're going to walk down that aisle properly, with all five of your bridesmaids, and make that man wait to claim you as his wife. It's tradition."
"Plus," Maya added, "he's probably dying right now knowing you're about to see this surprise. Let him suffer a little longer."
I laughed, wiping my eyes carefully so I didn't smudge Violet's repair work.
"Okay," I said. "Let's do this. All of us. Together."
My five bridesmaids gathered around me, each one beautiful, strong, and here for my special day.
Dez had made it possible. They loved me enough to take the risk.
Because of that, my heart was incredibly full right now and I knew without a doubt that Dez was my person, no matter how we’d gotten here.
"Ready?" Gianna asked from the doorway.
I looked at my girls, at the life I'd thought I'd lost and the future I was about to claim.
"Ready," I said.