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“Whatever you want,amore.”
After we were clothed, we headed to the back exit, where the driver he hired for tonight waited.
Tonight, I stepped outside my comfort zone, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Two daysuntil I was to become a husband.
Tomorrow, Anastacia would leave the house and the next time she returned, she would be my wife.
She had been adamant she didn’t want a bachelorette party, so I didn’t push it. There was no point; she knew her own mind, and that was one thing I’d grown to admire about her along with many other things. She didn’t know just how much I admired it.
Tonight was the night I had planned with the help of my mother, a night that Anastacia deserved, a night she would hopefully remember for as long as life allowed. Red had taken her to visit her parents for the afternoon, so I had time to plan and prepare everything.
“Here, let me take those for you, Ma?” I asked my mother as she carried in the last dozen white roses.
“Oh, it’s fine. I can manage a few flowers.” She smiled as she placed the vase on the kitchen counter. “So, have you planned everything?”
“Pretty much, let’s just hope she likes it.” I returned her warm gesture as it was obvious, she wasn’t used to it since I barely smiled until now even with my parents.
“What’s not to like?” She patted my hand, the one that would soon wear a wedding band, one that Anastacia had chosen, one she wouldn’t let me see.
“You’re right.” I looked at my mother’s face, beaming with adoration.
“How long do we have?” She clapped her hands with delight and rolled up the sleeves on her cream cashmere jumper.
“A while. Red took her to see Florence and Victor.” I shrugged off my leather jacket and threw it on the back of the kitchen chair.
“Then we have plenty of time. I know Victor has missed his baby girl, so he’ll want to spend as much time with her.”
“Yeah, I kind of stole her away, didn’t I?” It was true; I backed Victor into a corner when I ordered Anastacia to move in before the wedding.
Honestly, it was to make her life a living hell. I wanted her to hate the thought of marrying me. I intended to watch her every move and ensure she wouldn’t be able to give my men the slip like she did with her father’s, but she proved me wrong time and time again. Anastacia Fedorov had captivated me in ways I never thought possible, I hated the idea of marriage, but now, I couldn’t wait to slide that ring onto her finger and have the whole world know Anastacia had become a Ricci.
“Lorenzo?” My mother piped up from the sink.
“Sorry, did you say something?”
“Yes, I agreed with you.”First time for everything.“The way you ordered Victor around was incorrect, but I can see it was the best decision for the both of you. You needed to find your footing with one another.” She smiled over her shoulder as I joined her to wash and prepare what I needed for this evening. “How do you feel about her?”
“What do you mean?” I knew what she meant but I was stalling.
“Don’t play those games with me. I know you better than you think.”
“She means a lot to me.” I sighed.
“Sure, that’s all?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I placed my palms flat on the counter, getting irritated slightly.
“Because the man who first met Anastacia did everything in his power to piss her off, did everything to act like an arsehole.” She laughed as she turned back to the chopping board. “And now, the very same man takes her on dates, makes her smile, and even causes her to gush about him to her parents including her father.”
“She does?” The surprise on my face was apparent, especially to my mother who didn’t even to turn her attention to me.
“We met them last week and it was Victor who informed us of all your recent activities.” I could tell she was smiling; I could tell how happy this made her. “Your father is incredibly proud of you, Lorenzo; he knew you would open yourself up to Anastacia.”
“I don’t know how to deal with the shit I’m feeling, Ma,” I huffed out as she placed the knife down, her expression soft and loving. “Anastacia hated me just as much as I wanted to hate her. I wanted her to back out of the marriage, I wanted her to be the one to cause a war between the two families, but she didn’t. She stuck around, she took whatever I threw at her, she slowly let me in.”
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”
