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He doesn’t move a muscle, and the silence is deafening, so I continue, and when I do, I inject every drop of sincerity into my words as I hold his eyes unwaveringly.
“I’ll get over it. It’s a stupid infatuation.” I shake my head with an attempted smile before dropping my finger and gently cupping his cheek. “Besides, it’s best not to complicate our marriage by making it into something it’s not before it’s even begun, right?”
His eyes are sorrowful, almost pained, as he nods. “I’m sorry, Rey. I never wanted to hurt you.”
I turn slowly as I swallow my emotions before ambling up the stairs without a backward glance.
Too late.
* * *
“Thank you for doing such a wonderful job at this late notice, Yvette.”
My seamstress waves her hand at me. “It’s been no problem, Miss Marquez.”
I twirl once more, checking the dress in the mirror one final time before nodding at my reflection.
It truly is the dress that little girls’ dreams are made of, and I wish so much that Lita was here to see it.
Maybe I can wear it to Sunrise Harbor…
Alex had said I could have whatever I wanted, and for most grown women, that would mean a bridal gown simply dripping with jewels and gems. However, for me, I had wanted a plain white satin dress that sat off my shoulders, Hepburn-style, and that cinched at my waist, falling to the floor in beautiful waves – and Yvette had delivered precisely that.
No bells. No whistles.
Just me.
“I will make the final adjustments and have it prepared for the big day.” Yvette’s eyes widen playfully. “Will you be staying here with Mr. DeMarco between now and then, or will you move elsewhere?”
I stop for a moment, realizing I haven’t thought that far ahead, but I’m saved from answering when the elevator chimes and Alex steps off.
He’s back from his friend Vaughn’s club, and his face looks troubled until his eyes land on me.
All the breath leaves my body when he stops dead in his tracks.
“Christ, Rey.” He blinks heavily, his sole focus on me.
“No, no, no, Mr. DeMarco.” Yvette steps in front of him, trying to shield me unsuccessfully as I make a dash toward the stairs. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Rey, wait.” I stop just as I reach the stairs, and turn to face him.
His whiskey eyes hold mine, roving over every contour of my face, never once descending lower than my chin, but I feel his perusal as intimately as if it were his hands caressing me.
“You may leave, Ms. Williams. I’ll have the dress couriered to your workshop shortly.”
His words are sharp, though he softens them with a “Thank you so very much.”
I can hear her gathering her things from my spot at the base of the stairs, but my eyes don’t leave Alex’s. They couldn’t even if they wanted to – and they don’t.
Once Yvette has left us, we continue to stand enthralled in one another’s eyes until I break the silence with a whisper, “It’s bad luck to see the bride—”
Alex’s swift strides eat the space between us, and he cuts me off when he kneels at my feet. His eyes hold an ocean of sorrow and nothing short of a million and one regrets in their unusual depths.
“Rey, I’m so fucking sorry to have blurred the lines between us. That wasnotmy intention, I prom—”
“You didn’t blur any lines, Alex.” I cup his cheeks in my hands. “I know where we stand. I know what we are. And my dumb crush will pass soon, I promise. What we haveright nowis too precious to screw up. I know that.”
I lean forward to kiss his forehead gently, and when I straighten, he stands with me.
