Mom smiles warmly from my other side. “Everything is going to be beautiful, sweetheart. You and Ethan have planned the loveliest wedding. Just enjoy these last moments before tomorrow. You deserve it.”
Lillian nods, her own nails being filed. “Your mother’s right. Stop panicking. The day is going to be perfect.”
“I think it’s just the nerves talking,” Aria lets out a breathy laugh. “I don’t know why I’m so anxious.”
“It’s natural to be nervous,” I say, leaning across to squeeze her hand. “But you’re happy, and that’s all that matters.”
She smiles softly, squeezing my fingers in return. “Iamhappy. So fucking happy that I’m seconds away from crying.”
“Don’t cry,” I plead, already feeling my eyes well up. “You’ll make me cry, and then you’ll make Mom cry, and then the salon will turn into a huge crying fest.”
She fans her eyes with her free hand, laughing. “I’m not crying.”
“You totally are.” I tease, which earns me a playful smack on the hand.
“I’m not,” she denies. “Also. You deserve to feel this happy too, you know that, right, Sienna? Because this last week, seeing you with Milo, I haven’t seen you smile that much in, well…ever.”
Lillian, now finished with her manicure, sits on Aria’s other side and leans in to look at me. “She’s not wrong, Sienna. In all the years I’ve known Milo, I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you. You’re something special to him.Andyou both live in New York. It’s fate.”
Aria had said that once before, too, that its fate that both of us live in New York.
I feel my cheeks warm, but I focus on my French-tip manicure, subtly deflecting attention. “It’s not fate. We’re just having fun. The island makes everything feel… heightened. It’s been nice, for once, not feeling pressured by feelings or emotions.”
Aria, however, isn’t letting it go that easily. She turns in her chair, eyes narrowing playfully. “Nice? Sienna, you’ve been smiling like a fool since he came into your life. And don’t think I didn’t notice that ring you’restillwearing.”
My heart stutters. I glance down at my left hand to see the diamond ring from the fake proposal days ago still on my finger. I hadn’t even realized I was still wearing it… like it was natural. Like it belonged there.
“Oh,” I say, forcing a laugh as I quickly twist it off. “I forgot about that. It was just part of the dare.”
I slide the ring into my bag, tucking it carefully into the inner zip pocket to keep it safe. The girls laugh, but Aria’s gaze lingers on me a moment longer, soft and knowing.
“You kept it.” She says quietly.
I shrug, trying to play it cool even as my heart thuds. “It’s silly, right? How did I not realize I was still wearing it? Something that big and beautiful—I’m sure I would’ve noticed.”
Mom reaches over and squeezes my hand. “It’s not silly at all, honey. Sometimes the silly things are the ones that mean the most. You’ll understand that more once your brain isn’t scrambled.”
Looking at her with furrowed brows, I open my mouth to respond when my phone buzzes in my bag. Once. Twice. Three times. I discreetly fish it out and glance at the screen to see a string of messages from Milo.
Milo:
How much longer are you going to be? Ethan is driving me insane. He keeps asking me whether Aria will like his tie. I told him she’s marrying him, not the tie. He’s still panicking.
We’re at the pool, by the way. Come find me when you’re done. I miss your laugh.
Also… I keep thinking about this morning. The way you felt in my arms as I fed you. The way your lips tasted like pineapple when I kissed you goodbye.
Heat rushes to my face. I bite my lip, reading the last message twice. The memory of his hands sliding up my thighs, his mouth on me, the low growl in his voice when he called me his girl. It makes my thighs press together.
Lillian notices my flushed cheeks immediately. “Ooh, who’s texting you? Your face just went full tomato.”
Aria leans over, trying to peek. “Is it Milo? Tell us everything.”
I tuck the phone away quickly, cheeks still burning. “It’s nothing. Just… checking in.”
“Checking in,” Aria repeats with a knowing grin. “That blush says it’s a lot more than checking in.”
I steer the conversation as best I can. “What time are we all meeting tonight?” I ask. The girls are having a sleepover at Aria’s villa before tomorrow’s wedding, and she’s practically bouncing in her chair at the mention of it.
