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TWENTY-FIVE
Anna
The week flew past, but somehow everything seemed to fall perfectly into place so Nic and I would have a beautiful but small wedding. Seated at a table in the private room at The Modern, a beautiful restaurant in Midtown, surrounded by my family, I couldn’t imagine the strings Nic had pulled to make it all happen, let alone how he’d managed to secure an appointment for the priest from his church to perform the ceremony.
Every dish served, from the butternut squash risotto to the seared scallops and roasted beef tenderloin, had been beyond amazing. I didn’t think I’d had a meal quite so good before. I’d eaten so much that my stomach almost hurt. But, that didn’t stop me from sampling the desserts the waiter placed on the table. Delicious French butter cakes, molten chocolate doughnut holes, crème fraîche cheesecake—they were impossible to resist.
“Hurry up and finish your dessert, darling,” my mom urged. “I want enough time to steal you away for your last hoorah before we head back to the house.”
“No bachelorette party,” Nic growled, glaring at her.
“It’s not like I said I was taking her to see male strippers,” she huffed. “I’m her mother for goodness sakes, and she can’t even drink because she’s pregnant. What kind of trouble do you think I’m going to get her into?”
“I’m sure your men would appreciate the opportunity to take you out while Anna is otherwise occupied,” my dad offered, jerking his head to where several of Nic’s guys were seated across the room from us. They had been able to enjoy the meal, separately from the family, while Devon and his crew were on alert outside.
My heart dropped at the thought of the kind of trouble Nic and the guys could get up to while I went home with my parents. I didn’t think he’d do anything wrong, but I still didn’t like the idea of him roaming a nightclub, or heaven forbid a strip club. Nic was way too hot not to attract attention from any woman in his vicinity. Feminine eyes followed him wherever he went, I’d seen it myself.
“Chin up, bellissima,” Nic murmured in my ear. “I have no need for a bachelor party. The only person I want to celebrate our upcoming nuptials with tonight is my blushing bride.”
I dropped my head onto his chest, uncaring of who was watching. “But aren’t they going to expect you to do the traditional bachelor thing?” I mumbled into his shirt.
“Their expectations don’t concern me, Gianna. What you and I want is the only thing that matters.”
“I want to come home with you,” I admitted softly. I knew my parents were looking forward to honoring tradition and taking me back to their house for the night before my wedding, but their home wasn’t mine anymore. Mine was with Nic and Sophia.
“That’s what I want, too,” he replied. “It can be their wedding gift to us.”
“I thought we weren’t doing the whole wedding gift thing.” My response was barely audible, since I was reluctant to remind him that he hadn’t been able to accomplish what I’d asked him to do for my present.
“About that,” he drawled, pulling an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “It turned out to be simpler than my lawyer expected.”
With trembling fingers, I pulled the paperwork out and stared at it with tears streaming down my cheeks. “How?”
“My investigator discovered she’d died from a drug overdose four years ago. He provided my lawyer with a copy of her death certificate, who added it to his petition to the courts.”
I probably should have felt sadness or pity for the woman who would never know Sophia, but I only felt relief and overwhelming happiness that we’d overcome this obstacle so easily.
“Why are you crying, Mommy?” Sophia asked, climbing off her chair and crawling onto my lap.
“Because Daddy gave me the best news ever, sweetie. These papers right here”—I waved the envelope—“say that I’m officially your mommy.”
“You guys are so silly,” she giggled. “I already knew you were my mommy.”
With those innocent words, I was shattered, but in the best way possible. As I cried happy tears with Sophia in my lap, I felt Nic pull us both into his arms and heard my dad talking to my mom.
“Forget about your plans for the night, Olivia. Our girl has her family to tend to. We’ll meet her at the church in the morning.”
They didn’t just meet me at the church in time for the wedding. My mom spent two hours fussing over me, making sure my hair and make-up were perfect before helping me into my dress. She reluctantly left me to go sit down when my dad came to get me. Standing at the end of the aisle, with my hand at his elbow, I was joyous at having my family with me on this special day. But, I only had eyes for one person, and he was standing in front of the altar waiting for me.
