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I take a long time picking out another dress from the stack in my dressing room. I’m sure Mia is getting impatient. Gemma’s probably bored, and Mom must be anxiously waiting for me to come out.
I finally pick a dress to try on—a plain white one with long sleeves that shows no cleavage and has no frills. The perfect boring dress to marry a boring man.
I’m in the process of pulling it up my legs when someone knocks on the door. “Cecilia?” It’s Theo’s deep voice.
The surprise of him being right outside my dressing room makes me squeak and trip over my dress. I land against the wall with a hard thud.
“Cecilia?” The dressing room door is wrenched open, and there’s Theo, staring at me in my half-naked form. We both pause.
His mouth gapes open, and I’m sure my expression is one of shock.
“I thought you were hurt,” he says.
“I … no.” It’s then I realize he can see my bra and bare stomach. “Uh …”
“Shit,” he mutters before quickly turning around. His strong back muscles tense. All I want is to reach out and touch him, but I hold back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think … Of course, I should have. You’re in a dressing room. I just … I heard a thud and wanted to make sure you were all right.”
His words pull me out of my surprise, and I finish pulling the dress up my body. “It’s ok. You can turn back around.”
He does slowly, and when he sees me fully dressed, he relaxes. “I’m sorry.”
I wave a hand. “Don’t worry about it. It was an accident. You were just making sure I was okay. No one can fault you for that.”
Theo nods like he’s trying to reassure himself. “Right. Your family was just wondering when you were going to come back out.”
“I wasn’t sure which dress to choose. Do you like this one?” I ask, waving my hands down my body.
He takes a second to scan me. It sends goosebumps over my skin. “It’s … nice. I don’t know much about wedding dresses.”
“Of course. It’s ugly, isn’t it?”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.” I point at him. “It’s written on your face. I don’t want to marry Salvatore, so I don’t want to wear my dream dress.”
“Understood.” He glances behind him. “I should really head back out. You’re all right?”
No. “Yes,” I tell him. “I’m …”
He nods before turning away. But before he fully leaves, he looks back at me and says, “For what it’s worth, the other dress suited you better. You should wear that one.”
I blink as he walks away. I swear, that’s the most Theo has ever spoken to me before.
I look back at my dream wedding dress and realize he’s right. I’ll only get one wedding. Sure, it’s not with a man I want, but I might as well wear the dress I want to wear. Salvatore doesn’t deserve it, but if I can see Theo’s face again while I wear it, looking at me with such awe, it’ll all be worth it.
My father diedwhen I was ten years old.
It was all a blur, from the day he actually died to the day of his funeral. All I remember is crying and crying and praying and praying. I cried because I missed him, and I prayed in desperation to bring him back to the land of the living.
Riccardo Moretti.
He was such a strong, tall man. He filled up any room with his boisterous laughter and kind eyes. He even read me bedtime stories despite how busy he was. He made time for his family.
And when he was gone, everything went into chaos.
At his wake, he had an open-casket, and I could see him lying there, looking alive and yet actually dead. I was between Antonio and Mia as my family walked in a line to look at him. Antonio was trying to be strong and not cry while Mia was a mess.
I just clutched my cross tighter—the one he gave me—and prayed everything would be all right.
