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“I’ll talk with a therapist.”
My eyes rounded. “Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll go with you. If you want me to.”
She nodded. There was nothing she couldn’t do.
I beamed at her. “Can we get married now?”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Muriella
We’d barely steppedthrough the screen door to the kitchen when Vivian seized me by the hand and dragged me up the stairs as if she’d been there a thousand times.
“If we’re going to make it by sunset, we’ve got to hurry,” she stated, and sat me down in a chair in what appeared to be a guest bedroom.
And then suddenly there were six other women in the room, which was too small for the frenzy going on. I was fussed over by multiple sets of hands. Getting ready with Vivian could be frantic enough, but with all these women, it was a lot to take in.
“Hurry for what?” I asked casually, unsure if anyone was listening to me over the chatter.
All motion stopped, and silence filled the room.
“The wedding,” Vivian answered.
“What wedding?”
“The one between you and Stone. Now stop fuc—fooling—around,” she said sternly, eyeing the other ladies.
There was a knock on the door. It opened a crack, and Carlos stuck his head in.
“I don’t mean to interrupt—” He was clearly uncomfortable.
“Yes, you do,” Ruby said and grinned. My brother’s cheeks turned red, and Ruby pinched one. “You’re almost as good lookin’ as your sister.”
Carlos cleared his throat and hesitantly stepped into the room with white lace draped over his arm. “I brought Mama’s mantilla with me. You always wanted to wear it when you were a little girl, so I thought…” He shrugged sheepishly. He had an air of authority, but seeing him now—vulnerable—softened me. I worried my father’s influence had turned him into someone from whom there was no coming back. It pleased me to see I was wrong. He had our mother’s heart.
“Yes, Carlos. I’d love to wear it. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“I’ll just hang it here and leave you to it.” He draped the white lace headdress on the doorknob and placed the combs that went with it on the dresser.
“I’m glad you’re here.” I reached for his hand. It felt like we were closing the door on a past both of us wanted to forget.
“You’ll be a beautiful bride.”
A collective sigh went around the room when Carlos excused himself.
“It’s not every day you see a man like that around here,” Stone’s mother said, fanning her face with her hand.
“Not anywhere,” Mulaney chimed in.
“Can we open a window or something? He left it smokin’ hot in here,” Vivian said, and I shot her a disapproving look.
“You’re a newlywed, and that’s mybrother.”
“I’m supposed to appreciate the gifts God bestows on me. Isn’t that what Father Jude said?” she asked innocently.
“You’ve already received yours.”
“And he’s going to reap the benefits—”
