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“Why don’t you girls have your breakfast out on the patio? The car will be by in an hour to take you to the bridal boutique.” Handing the bags of food off to Aurora, he kissed her cheek. “I’ll be out running my own errands, but I’ll be home for dinner. Be good.”
Aurora rolled her eyes but then smiled sweetly at Dante. “Thanks,” she said shyly before leading her friends to the quaint, umbrella-covered table out on the terrace. The weather was perfect, mostly sunny with a warm breeze. Her friends managed to sit and wait until the pastries and coffee were distributed before bursting into conversation.
“Oh my god, Aurora. This place! That man!” gushed Missy before taking a giant bite out of a custard filled bomboloni. She looked at it with wide eyes before adding, “This pastry! Yum!”
Aurora laughed. “Glad you approve.”
“Well I’m not sure I do yet,” Jackie said skeptically. “It all seems really fast to me. I grilled Dante on the drive home from the airport, and he seemed pretty normal, but I don’t trust it. Does he treat you well?”
Aurora knew Jackie would be the least trusting of the two, and she honestly appreciated it. She’d always had mama-bear energy and would do anything to protect her friends.
“It did all happen very fast,” Aurora agreed. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it at first, believe me, and I let him know that in no uncertain terms.”
Missy gasped and Jackie grinned before saying, “That’s my girl.”
“But you know, Dante has kind of grown on me.”
That’s an understatement. You wouldn’t want to be with anyone else and you know it.
“And he treats me really well. He looks out for me,” Aurora continued.
“And he’s hot,” Missy added.
“That doesn’t hurt,” Aurora admitted, a slight blush rising in her cheeks.
“So you’re just going to move to Chicago and abandon us then, huh,” Jackie said.
Aurora sighed. “That’s unfortunately part of the deal. But I’m going to find a vet school to go to there.” Aurora reached for both of her friend’s hands. “Promise you’ll visit me?”
“Of course we will! All the time,” Missy nodded her head and squeezed Aurora’s hand before nudging Jackie.
“Yeah, okay. I guess Chicago isn’t too far,” Jackie said. “But you’d better visit us too. This guy better not lock you in a tower or something.”
Aurora snorted. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“I’m just really happy for you, Aurora,” Missy said, getting a little teary, which made Aurora instantly tear up.
“Thank you for being here, you guys,” Aurora took a long sip of her coffee to keep herself from getting too emotional.
The conversation shifted to what her friends’ plans were for the next year until they finished their breakfast and made their way out to the waiting limo to go dress shopping.
The car wove through the streets of Milan as Missy chatted at Aurora and Jackie a mile a minute. It was definitely chatted at, not chatted to, because Aurora and Jackie were unable to get a word in edgewise. In fact, Aurora had noticed that Jackie had been oddly quiet for a while now, but she brushed it off as her being intimidated by everything that had happened that day. Aurora herself still wasn’t used to living in a grand estate and being driven around in a limo, so she could only imagine what her friends were feeling.
They pulled up in front of the bridal boutique, which was nestled in an opulent corner of the city’s most fashionable district. The driver walked around to open the door, and the girls filed into the shop. From the moment they stepped through the grand, intricately carved doors, it was clear that this was no ordinary bridal shop. The interior was a masterpiece of elegance, bathed in soft, flattering light that cascaded through crystal chandeliers, setting the array of meticulously curated gowns aglow.
Dante had definitely done his research.
As soon as they walked in, a woman who looked to be in her thirties approached them, holding a tablet of some type. Dressed in a chic, minimalist ensemble, she moved through the boutique with grace, her presence alone elevating the atmosphere. She smiled brightly at Aurora before speaking with a heavy Italian accent.
“Ciao! I am Isabella. You must be the future Mrs. Donato. Your husband called ahead to ensure you are completely taken care of today. Follow me, I’ll show you ladies the seating area and get you some champagne, then we can start pulling some gowns.”
The girls followed Isabella to the back of the boutique and behind a thick velvet curtain to a private seating area, where plush, elegant sofas faced a small platform surrounded by mirrors.
“Per favore, make yourselves comfortable,” Isabella, said, gesturing to the sofas.
Missy immediately plopped down on one of the couches, bouncing up and down a little. “This is amazing, Aurora,” she gushed.
“It sure is,” Aurora agreed, before looking over at Jackie. She still hadn’t said much of anything since they’d left the villa. “What do you think, Jackie?”
