“I’m so proud of you, girl.” She took a sip of her wine.
“Thank you. I was a little worried about the finances, but this was about doing something for myself this time and not letting anyone stop me.”
“You know Sebastian will help you with that.”
“That’s not what I want. I want to do it myself. I want to be independent and achieve something without relying on a man. So I can sit there and be like, ‘I did that’. I lost four years of being able to do that. Never again.”
We fell into a silence. The fire crackled behind us, and we took a moment to gather our thoughts, sipping the wine.
“You remember my dad, don’t you?” Serfina said.
I remembered Serfina’s dad, Dimitri, all too well. He used to tower over me, this big, stocky man with a full beard. His dark mahogany eyes used to dart around the room at everyone, like he was an eagle searching for his prey.
“Yeah, he used to scare me,” I confessed.
She let out a small chuckle. “He’s a big softy really. Well, with Anastasia and me, anyway. And Mum, obviously. He worshipped her. But when I told him I wanted to be a fashion designer, he immediately put his foot down. Because I was an Ivanov, and his daughters would live up to that name. I wasn’t able to follow my dreams, but you, girl, go for it. We will all support you, no matter what you do.”
Serfina’s dad was part of the Bratva and had moved from Russia to expand his business when he met Serfina’s mum. To keep them safe, they adopted Serfina’s mum’s last name, Costello. They had enough money to last longer than a lifetime when he stepped back after Serfina was born.
I took hold of her hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Serfina. I don’t know what I’d do without you sometimes.”
“Us girls need to stick together.”
“Speaking of … where’s Hayden tonight?”
“He’s out with Sebastian.”
Knots formed in my stomach. “Oh.” He was with Hayden?
She furrowed her brows at me. “Did Sebastian not tell you?”
I grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled my glass. “Oh, yeah, he did,” I lied. I really didn’t want to talk about Sebastian right now. He’d let me down again, and I just wanted to forget about it. “Anyway, how’s the wedding planning going?”
“Girl, I need your help. It’s hard, and there’s so much to do for next year.”
“You know I’m there for you. Every step of the way.”
“Good, because Hayden is no help. I ask his opinion, and all I get is ‘whichever one is your favourite’.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean, come on, at least say something,” she whined.
I let out a little chuckle. “Maybe he just wants you to be happy.”
“I know he does, but he knows I’ll tell him straight if I don’t like something. Maybe it’s better if I just do all of it.” She took a sip of her wine. “Though trying to get him in a suit all day will be another story.”
Suits were not Hayden’s thing. I think that night in Italy was the first time I’d seen him in one. You’d always find him in jeans or a tracksuit. He looked smart in them, don’t get me wrong, and they were always a designer brand, just like Sebastian—something those two had in common.
“He’d do anything for you. He completely worships you.”
“He does, doesn’t he. I feel the same about him. Honestly, Aria, the best decision I ever made was kissing him that day. I mean, I couldn’t have made it more obvious, but he still didn’t see the signs until that moment.”
I laughed to myself. The things Serfina had done to try to get his attention … After Sebastian realised Serfina liked him, weplaced a bet between ourselves about long it would take Hayden to clock on to it.
I’m proud to say I won that one.
“Well, you’ve got your dress sorted. At least you haven’t got to worry about that. What else is on the list?”
“Girl.” She pulled a folder from her bag and waved it. “Everything’s on the list.”
She handed me the folder, and I started looking through everything she’d already listed and had ideas for.
