AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I laugh at her colorful metaphor. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“No, but even so.” Mom pauses. “What I’m trying to say, darling is that it’s alright to have doubts. It’s alright to be unsure and not to know what to do. Even all this money, this lifestyle – it’s not worth a thing if you don’t have real love, you know?”
I bite my lip. “Is that why you and Dad divorced?”
Mom shakes her head instinctively but then thinks better of it. “Well, we did love each other at first. But people change and grow apart, and we didn’t work hard enough at growing together. That’s the mistake we made. And when we didn’t love one another anymore, we couldn’t be happy together. We couldn’t carry on.”
“I do love him,” I say, patting the back of her hand to try to reassure her. “I love him so much, Mom. And I know it’s quick, but I’m absolutely sure of it. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Like… like I could die of happiness. I would die, to save him. I would do anything for him.”
“Even so, that doesn’t mean you should.” Mom stays serious for a moment, then flashes me a quick smile. “Just make sure that you’re not his personal maid, alright? You deserve to have him bend over backward for you just as much as you do for him.”
“I don’t think I would ever be able to bend that far back,” I say, laughing through tears in my eyes. “He’s given me every single thing I’ve asked for, and more that I didn’t. He told me he’s going to spoil me for the rest of his life.”
“And the day he stops spoiling you, you can just call up your old Mom and come back home,” she says, patting my hand back with tears in her own eyes now. “Alright. Let’s stop this and call those two lovely ladies back in – I think I’m going to need a touch-up of my makeup.”
With Mom’s approval, it feels like everything is falling into place. And when I get into the vintage Aston Martin to travel to the church, my heart is hammering in my chest, like a bird trying to get out of a cage. A bird that knows the thing it wants more than anything else is right around the corner, and the quicker it gets there, the quicker it can have it.
When we reach the church, dad steps out of the car and offers me his arm. “Are you ready?” he asks. He’s come around to this idea much better than he did at first, and though he still has his doubts, I know they come from a place of love. Over time, I hope I can prove to him that he doesn’t need to worry about me.
I’m walking into the rest of my life, and I can’t wait for it to begin.
“I’m ready,” I tell him. As I stand, a veritable army of dressers, bridesmaids, church staff, and my parents hover around me, straightening out my dress and making sure I still look perfect. I don’t think I’ll ever look this good again.
“Let’s go, then,” Dad says. He swoops down and kisses my cheek, and I smile to see how watery his eyes are already. Before I can say anything else, I hear the first strains of the bridal march – our cue to walk inside.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Nico
The doors of the church open, letting in brilliant sunlight, and I feel my jaw hit the ground.
She is always beautiful to me, but today, Liliana looks more beautiful than I have ever seen her. My Lili. Dressed in white from head to toe, just like she was that very first day I saw her. Now she clutches a beautiful bouquet of purple and pink flowers and walks at her dad’s side. So many things have not changed at all since we met, and why should they? It was only a short time ago. But so many things have changed, too.
Now I’m the luckiest and happiest man in the world, and back then I didn't even know what I was missing out on.
I feel happiness choking up my throat, constricting my chest, and all I can do is blink back the tears in my eyes so that I can watch her. I don't want anything to cloud my vision. I want to remember this day for the rest of my life through my own eyes, even if we may have hired the best videographer around to capture it for us. So I keep my eyes on her, and I can't help but feel the love radiating out through my eyes and drenching over her, showing my raw emotions to anyone who cares to look.
She pauses beside me, giving me a watery smile and tossing her hair back slightly, even though it is neatly placed on top of her head. She hands her bouquet to one of her bridesmaids, a friend from home, and then we're standing in front of the priest who is ready to marry us.
