Page 52 of Pride


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“I’m starving,” I say as I go to pay for the dress.

Auntie Olivia grabs my hand and shakes her head. “This is my gift to you. You may not be too thrilled with who you are marrying, but you are going to looking amazing, anyway.” She hands over her credit card.

The assistant takes it and then says the price, making me almost faint as it’s ten thousand dollars.

“You can’t pay for—”

“Quiet. I can and I will. Now you can buy me lunch,” she says, leading me out of the shop.

“What about the dress?” I ask.

“They’re shipping it to a seamstress in Washington who will do the adjustments.”

I give her a pointed look. “Please tell me that this entire trip isn’t about wedding shopping.”

She smiles. “No, only the dress. The rest of the weekend we will sightsee like normal tourists.”

“Thank God for that.”

“What do you want to see first after we eat?” she asks.

“The London Eye looks pretty cool.”

Olivia pales as I know she hates heights, but it’s fun to wind her up. “Oh, but I—”

“I’m joking. I know you hate heights. How about Buckingham Palace?” I suggest.

All the tension eases from her shoulders as she laughs. “Sounds great.”

I smile at her, but deep down I can’t help but feel this heavy weight still bearing down on my chest. This is where I’m going to be carted off to once I’m married to Isiah and it couldn’t feel further from home. All I want is to stay in Washington and never marry. If only I had a way to freeze time and keep my life exactly the way it is.

17

ISIAH

“Where is Bella?” I ask as I sit down at the Benedetto family table for dinner.

I never expected to be so easily welcomed into the family, so much so that they’d ask me to stay under their roof. Inviting the wolf into the sheep’s pen to feast.

“She’s gone to London this evening for a weekend away with Auntie Olivia,” Luciana announces tactlessly.

I stiffen at the mention of my hometown. “London?” My attention moves to her father. “And she didn’t think to invite me to show her around my backyard?”

Gio smirks. “It’s a girls’ weekend. I’d hardly think she’d appreciate her husband to be tagging along, do you?”

“A girls’ weekend in my hometown.” I stand. “I will join her.”

Gio’s brow furrows. “I think it’s best you remain here.”

“I think it’s best I go and join her.”

We enter a staring match, one which I won’t back down from.

“Why exactly is it important for you to be with her this weekend?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I expected to be the one to show Bella around London. Couldn’t she have gone to Paris or some other city?”

Gio sighs. “Very well, do what you want.”

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