Epilogue
Six months later
They say some things are better left unsaid, but in my experience, the things we don’t say that end up hurting us, and the ones we love, the most.
In my case, I proved it to be true, and I swore to myself and my fiancée I’d never let it happen again.
No walking away from fights. No shutting each other out. No secrets.
Since making those promises, we’ve only grown closer, spending every day together, building a life, making memories. It’s hard to believe it’s been half a year since I proposed. Time is a thief, but with our wedding just three weeks away, it feels like it’s now standing still.
I’m more than ready to make her my wife.
“I’m just saying—” Sully shoves a cookie into his mouth, then makes a show of chewing it quickly to continue his thought. “I don’t see why I can’t give the best man speech at your wedding.”
“Perhaps because you’re not the best man?” Sly reminds him, shaking his head. “That honor is mine.”
“How is that fair?” Sully's finger sweeps through the air between me and Sly. “You hated each other not that long ago.”
“True. But he’s married to my sister, and I’ve let go of the past.”
“As have I,” Sly agrees with a nod.
“I can’t believe the wedding is so close already!” Vinnie takes a seat on the floor at her husband’s feet, pulling their baby from his lap. As she lifts her shirt in preparation of feeding my niece, Emilia, I look away quickly.
“I, for one, feel like it’s taking way too long to get here.” Raina scratches behind Mickey-D’s ears, who’s laying next to the couch, then she slides onto my lap. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close.
Tonight was our turn to host our biweekly dinner, but because of a few scheduling conflicts, only Sully, Vinnie, and Sly were able to make it. The rest of our group has other things going on due to the holidays.
We’ve all gathered in the living room, where the fireplace radiates heat and basks us all in a warm glow of light.
It snowed today, and Raina was ecstatic about it.
Somehow, she talked me into going up on the roof and having a snowball fight with her.
Not that there was a ton of snow to work with, but she managed to get a few good shots on me.
“I’ve told you several times I’d be fine going down to the courthouse and making you my wife sooner than the wedding date.” I squeeze her hip. “It’s not like I don’t have connections there—we could go now if you want.”
She slaps my chest lightly. “You can wait three more weeks.” Pressing her lips against mine, she gives me a quick kiss.
“I have an idea.” Sully jumps to his feet, turning to us. “What if I got ordained real quick? On the Internet! Then I can marry you two.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” I mutter under my breath. “No, Sully, you are not going to marry us. We have an officiant already scheduled.”
“Come on, it might be fun!” Raina jabs me in the ribs with her elbow. “You know he’d totally nail it, too.”
“And I can be the MC at the reception.”
I groan. “Sully, how many different jobs do you want at our wedding?”
“How many are you offering?” He waggles his eyebrows in a very Sully-like manner.
Raina wraps her arms around my neck and leans in so only I can hear. “I can’t wait to marry you.” She presses soft kisses against my cheek, under my ear, and down my neck with gentle affection.
Our friends slip into quiet conversation and the song changes on the speaker system, playing an acoustic version of the song we’ve chosen for our wedding dance. Scooping her into a bridal carry, I stand, then walk to the center of the room and deposit her on her feet.
After I turn the music up, I go back to her and offer my hand. “Dance with me?”
“You don’t dance.” She grins, and I wonder if she’s thinking about that night we danced together at the charity gala.
I think about that night often, not only because it was the night I agreed to be her lawyer, but because something truly shifted in my mind at that point.
Public displays of any sort of intimacy were never something I partook in, but pulling her onto the dance floor that evening felt right.
It felt natural, and I remember wondering to myself why I had never danced with her before.
Now, in our home we share together, I spin her, relishing in the soft giggles she rewards me with, before pulling her body close. Resting my other hand on her lower back, we start to sway.
The next time we dance together will be at our wedding. I can’t even begin to describe how elated that makes me feel.
This woman is my everything, my forever, and my always.
“I didn’t used to dance. Past tense. But that’s only because I was saving them all for you.”
Raina
Three weeks later
“Are you ready for this?” Vinnie fluffs my veil, extending it out around me, then lets it fall so it drapes perfectly around my body.
My heart feels like it’s liable to explode at any second. The clock taunts me with every tick, counting down the moment until I become an official member of the Paladino family.
Growing up, Vinnie and I dreamed this day would happen. We’d hoped I’d fall in love with one of her brothers, and we’d get married, making us sisters forever.
It wasn’t long after when I started doodling Luciano’s name in my notebook as a freshman in high school. Though he never looked twice at me, I couldn’t help but gawk over her gorgeous, college-aged brother.
Now, if I had the chance to meet my younger self for a drink at the bar, I’d tell her to hold on to that hope. Her chance of happiness with the man of her dreams was a reality she’d one day bask in. And I know she’d be proud.
Planning our wedding has been a dream I never want to wake up from. But actually being here, on the day of, ready to walk down the aisle, is something different entirely.
There are no words to describe it. I’m getting everything I ever wanted.
I grin at my best friend. “I’ve been ready for this for far longer than I care to admit.”
“I can’t believe we’re about to become sisters!”
“Legally become sisters. We’ve been sisters since day one.”
“You’re right.” She hugs me tight, careful not to squish my hair. “You look stunning. My brother won’t know what hit him when you walk down the aisle.”
“If that man doesn’t cry, I swear.”
We both laugh, and a knock on the door interrupts us, signaling that it’s just about time. We break apart so she can answer it, and on the other side is another man I hold on a pedestal.
“Oh, angel,” my father coos the second he sees me, immediately swiping tears away from his eyes.
“Hi, Dad.” My father crosses the room in his three-piece suit and hugs me like he used to when I was a little girl. “You look gorgeous, Raina. Luciano is a lucky man.”
“He is,” I agree in earnest, and my dad smiles.
“Are you ready, kiddo?”
“I’ll see you out there.” Vinnie flashes me a megawatt smile and slips out the door to where Sly waits for her with their newborn daughter, Emilia, in his arms.
“I thought I’d be more nervous than this, but I’m just excited.” Taking one more glance in the mirror, I check my teeth to make sure they’re free of lipstick, then I loop my arm through my dad’s.
As we walk into the main foyer, the wedding procession begins, music floating through the air, and Cecilia and Sully begin their walk down the aisle.
Once Vinnie, Sly, and Emilia go, it’ll be my turn.
“You’re not nervous because when you marry the right person, every piece of you fits alongside them like you’re a perfect puzzle. I’ve never seen you as content as you have been over these last few months Raina, and as your dad, I’ve felt no greater peace than knowing you found your happiness.”
“Dad—” My heart lodges in my throat, but I don’t want to cry, so I force the emotions back down.
He squeezes my hand, and we both watch the maid of honor and the best man make their descent down the aisle.
We give them a few moments, and I count to ten in my head before my father steps forward, leading us into the doorway.
The entire world fades away the moment mine and Luciano’s eyes meet from across the room.
I don’t see the crowd of people, or the scattered petals of flowers along the aisle.
I don’t hear the music, or feel anything other than joy.
I witness the moment his breath catches, and his face morphs into an onslaught of emotions I’ve never seen on him before.
His eyes roam my body, taking in every inch of my gown.
Then, a single tear rolls down his cheek. He doesn’t bother wiping it away.
And suddenly, I’m fifteen again, seeing Luciano for the first time. I thought I loved him then, but it’s nothing like it is now. My love for him has only grown stronger over the years, but in the end, it doesn’t matter how much time has passed because some things never change.
I’m still obsessed with my best friend’s brother.
And now I’m going to marry him.
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