“I wish things were different.”
“But they won’t be.”
“No, they won’t,” she agreed softly. “You know what? I’ll send you a photo if you promise to send me some from your wedding.”
I smiled. “Done.”
“Sofia,” Mom called. “We have to leave soon!”
I glanced at the clock. My first fitting was in an hour. The seamstress had hurried to get my dress done before all the others.
“How’s Mom?” Fina asked. I didn’t miss the longing in her voice. We weren’t the only ones who had lost something when Fina left. She had lost her entire family. Even if she was the one who’d left, her worry for her children hadn’t really left her much of another choice.
“She’s in full wedding-planning mode with both my and Samuel’s weddings.”
Fina didn’t say anything, so I blabbered on. “She’s desperate to have grandkids. If it were up to her, Emma and I would get pregnant right away.”
“She’s got grandkids,” Fina whispered.
My skin heated. “That’s not what I meant. Just . . . just grandkids she can take care of.”
“I know. For a while I hoped there would be peace, but I’ve given up hope. I doubt Dante, Dad, or Danilo will ever agree to a truce.”
“But Remo and his brothers would?”
Fina hesitated. “Probably not.”
“Sofia,” Mom called again.
“I need to go.”
“I miss you, ladybug. Keep me updated and send me all the pics.”
“I miss you, too. And don’t forget to send me pics of Greta and Nevio.”
I ended the call. “I’m coming,” I shouted so Mom would hear me downstairs.
My phone beeped with incoming messages. I opened them, and almost did a doubletake when I looked at the first photo. It showed Fina with her twins. They had grown so much. Nevio was tall, already reaching Fina’s ribcage, but Greta was a couple of inches shorter and petite. The photo perfectly showed their attitude. Fina had her arms wrapped around both kids, but while it looked protective with Greta, the arm around Nevio’s shoulders seemed to stop him from running out of the picture. He looked sullen, but Greta smiled shyly into the camera.
“Sofia!”
I shoved the phone into my purse, slipped on my favorite sandals, and rushed downstairs. Mom looked flustered when I got down to the lobby. She’d been working 24/7 to make both weddings perfect. If she kept it up, she’d be burned out by the time the weddings rolled around. But it was clear that she needed something to keep herself busy.
“We’re going to be late,” she said, but a smile softened her stressed words.
For a second, I considered showing her the photo Fina had sent me, but then I decided against it, worried it would trigger more bad memories and emotions than good ones. Mom knew that Samuel was in contact with Fina, so she could have asked him for her number if she wanted to talk to her as well, but Mom just couldn’t bear it.
My wedding day.
I’d waited more than six years for this moment to come but the expected joy didn’t fill me.
When I’d been a young girl, I’d often imagined my wedding day. I’d dreamed about choosing my dress surrounded by Serafina, Anna, and Mom, fantasized about the endless joy and admiration on my husband’s face when he first saw me.
Fina hadn’t been there to help me choose a dress. I hadn’t seen her in six years and only once talked to her on the phone. She wouldn’t be at my wedding.
Deep down, I was glad. If she were present, Danilo would have only eyes for her, and even without her there, I’d have to battle her memory. He’d be thinking about another Mione sister when I walked down the aisle toward him. I’d stopped hoping for admiration from him on my wedding day.
Anna nudged me, one brow rising. “Hey, what’s up?” She leaned closer so Mom wouldn’t hear her, but she was busy chatting with the stylist anyway. “Is it because of Danilo?”
Of course, it was. Most of my dark moods over the years had been because of him.
“You are so beautiful,” Anna whispered, her face lighting up. “Enjoy it. Trust me, everyone will be speechless.”
I soaked up her excitement and let it carry away my dread and worry.
I wanted to be excited about my wedding. It was a day I had been looking forward to for as long as I could remember. I wouldn’t let anything ruin this day for me. I smiled, really taking in my dress. I looked beautiful. The stylist had put up my hair in an elegant chignon with the hairpiece attached to my crown so we could fix the veil on it later. Mom came up behind me and touched my shoulders, peering at my face in the mirror with a wistful smile. She was a few inches taller than me, and her hair was blonde. Both features that Serafina had inherited but not I. “You’re such a beautiful bride, Sofia.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Mom.”
She walked around until she was right in front of me. “Is there anything you want to know before tonight?”
I flushed and quickly shook my head. Anna winked at me and sank down on the couch, stifling laughter. Mom and I had had the talk ages ago, and I didn’t want to repeat it. Anna and I had talked about everything I really wanted to know. Memories from that fateful night several months ago resurfaced, my desperate attempt to convince myself that Danilo wasn’t still obsessed with my sister, and the brutal realization that he was. That experience had been painful. I didn’t want to experience either again. Yet tonight, we were expected to consummate our marriage. Danilo certainly would want to do it, not because he desired me, but because he needed to lay claim to me before someone else could.
“Sofia?” Mom asked, touching my cheek lightly.
I blinked, bringing my focus back to the moment. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
A look of understanding passed her
