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I stare at her, wondering how the hell we reached this point tonight.
“I’m going to need another round of shots when we leave this chapel,” she says. “And then another after that.”
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Gina
I tryto crack open an eyelid, but the effort is too much.
I know a hangover when one has me in its clutches. This one is more like a death grip, and it may finally be the last straw for me.
“I can’t drink anymore,” I whisper, but I don’t think my lips moved.
A loud bang sounds in the distance, so I press my head into the pillow to block my left ear, but another bang filters into my right ear.
“Stop,” I manage to say. “Just stop.”
“Gina!”
I know that voice and the series of loud raps that follow tell me that my brother is in my vicinity.
This feels like a throwback to when I was in high school, and I had too many beers with my best friend.
My mind wanders to her and the promise we made that we’d never lose touch. We did when I went to college, and she went to Europe. She married some random guy she met in Germany and now owns a bakery there.
“Gina! Open the damn door!” Dominick’s voice ends my trip down memory lane.
I finally open one eye far enough to see sunlight filtering into the bedroom of my hotel suite. “What time is it?”
Not expecting a response fromanyone, I jump when there’s a murmur next to me.
My gaze darts in that direction.
Stretched out on his stomach, wearing his suit pants, white button-down shirt, and shoes is a man. It’s not just any man. It’s Daniel.
“No,” I say in a panicked tone. “No.”
“Gina Calvetti!” Dominick’s voice is even louder than it was a minute ago. “Open the door now!”
In my rush to get out of bed, I stumble, striking my left hand against the nightstand. “Dammit.”
That quickly turns into an “oh, fuck, no,” when I gaze down at my hand and see a plain silver band wrapped around that finger.
“It was a dream,” I say, darting to my feet. “It was a dream, Gina. You’re still asleep.”
“I’m calling you again!” Dominick yells from the corridor outside the door to my suite. “If you don’t answer, I’m going to break this door down. You better be all right, Gina. Please be all right!”
I race toward an armchair near the bed to grab a fluffy white robe that I tossed there after I showered yesterday. I’m still wearing the red dress I had on last night, and since I’m limping, it’s obvious that I have only one shoe on. I spot the other near the entrance to the bedroom.
Quickly wrapping the robe around me, I call out to my brother over the sound of my ringing phone. “I’m coming, Dominick!”
I kick off my shoe and rush out of the bedroom, closing the double doors behind me. I lean against them briefly, look up to the ceiling, and say a short prayer, “Please don’t wake up. Please stay asleep.”
As I approach the door to the suite, I spot Daniel’s suit jacket lying in a heap on the floor. I pick it up and toss it behind the couch before shoving my left hand into the robe pocket. Unlocking the door, I swing it open to find my brother on the other side.
“Gina,” he whispers my name as he embraces me. “Thank fuck you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I lie because I’m pretty sure I’m married to Daniel Lawton.
