72. Perks of being a DeVille
Chapter 72
Perks of being a DeVille
Ariana
“ Y ou ready, baby girl?” Mom asks as she steps into the hallway.
“Yeah, Mama. I’ll be right there,” I tell her, my eyes still on my future mother-in-law. Tina clears her throat and rushes into the bathroom behind me, slamming the door.
Mom’s eyes follow her before coming back to me. “Do I even want to know?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Probably not.”
“Alright then. Let’s go find your sister.” She holds her hand out for me.
And that’s that.
Lil’s just finishing up breakfast. I reach out and tug on the locket around her wrist. “Mine.”
She swallows her last bite and huffs. “Fuck, I thought for sure she’d wait until you were in the dress, not wearing booty shorts and Luca’s shirt.”
After grabbing another coffee from the cart, Mom ushers us to the room we used when we tried on dresses. It’s set up for pedicures, manicures, hair, and makeup. She wasn’t kidding about having big pampering plans.
I hope Luca snuck in here and had the makeup professional cover up that hickey earlier. Lil’s good and all, but she doesn’t have the airbrush stuff. Yet. She’s eyeballing it really hard, though.
We change into cute pink silky pajama sets with robes and settle into massage chairs for our pedicures. “Why don’t we have any of these?” I glance at Mom. “We should have some in the theater room.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Closing my eyes, I sigh as my muscles relax. “I should have registered for one.”
“Or two,” Lil says. “We could read in them.”
Becca and Callie join us, and we take our time getting ready, snacking on cheese, crackers, and fruit along the way.
In the walk-in closet, I change into my new strapless bra and thong, pull the garter up my thigh, and carefully step into my dress so Lil can zip me up.
Mom’s already tearing up when we walk out. Thank god for waterproof mascara. It’s going to get a workout today. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
Smiling, I hug her to me. “Thanks, Mom. We all look pretty snazzy. I bet the guys all look good, too.”
I sip yet another iced coffee, keeping it far away from my dress. It’s almost gone when there’s a knock at the door. “Ladies, I’ve been told to tell you there’s five minutes until we should be starting, as long as you’re all ready.” Shit, hearing my dad’s voice is making me blink back tears. Nope, can’t do that.
“Is Luca in the backyard, babe?” Mom asks, cracking the door open.
“Yes, my love.”
Mom opens the door wider, and Dad steps in. “Okay, let’s go get into our places so Marco can walk Ariana to hers.”
“Lil, here are the rings,” Dad says, handing them to her. She slips them into her pocket and grins at me, then holds her hand out for Callie. Mom and Becca follow, leaving me and Dad alone.
Just like Mom, there are tears in his eyes. I point at him. “Don’t start that. Then I’ll start, and I can’t get married with puffy eyes.”
“Ah, my sweet girl. I’m just happy. Today is one of my favorite days. Today, I get to walk you down the aisle and give you away to the man who adores you, who would do anything for you, and who loves every bit of you.”
“It’s a pretty fucking good day, Daddy,” I sniffle but smile. He takes my hand in his.
“Are you ready then?”
“So ready.”