Chapter 87
FREYA
The weight of the diamond on my finger felt surreal. I kept staring at it, the huge, brilliant round cut catching the light in ways 1 wasn’t used to. It was too much too bright, too expensive. I shifted my gaze nervously, almost certain someone would notice it and try to steal it. I felt vulnerable with it on, like it was a glaring brget on my hand.
“God, there’s so much to be done. A wedding’s really hectic, man. At least the wedding cake’s taken care of, Reyna muttered, pacing back and forth across the room her mind clearly racing with a thousand to–do lists. Her face was a picture of both exhaustion and excitement, hands brushing through her hair as if she couldn’t find a way to calm the frenzy inside, I could relate. Planning my wedding had somehow turned into managing an empire of decisions, and it was all on me
“You do it for a living. How can it be difficult for you? I said absentmindedly, my eyes still glued to the ring. The sheer size of it–Aiden had told me he hadn’t picked the biggest one in their collection. I didn’t want to know what that one looked like. This was already enough for me to feel like the center of unwanted attention.
I hadn’t even stepped outside with it yet, and the thought of being followed or approached made my s
y stomach churn.
“Well, those are not my best friend’s wedding, Reyna shot back, her voice tightening with a sense of responsibility that mirrored my own. “It has to be better than anything ever done before”
I raised an eyebrow, both amused and slightly shocked: “Wow, you’ve gone completely crazy.
She didn’t blink an eyelid, just gave me that look–the one that let me know she was going in, no matter how improbable. “Yep.” Then, because the whole wedding had seemingly not been enough to open up her emotions, she ended with a soft smile. “Anyway, I thought for sure I would still have been maid of honor even if you were there with me. I mean you’re all set now for new bestie.”
It wasn’t that I’d replaced Reyna–she was irreplaceable–but the fact that Bianca had come into the picture so quickly after that mess had made me feel disloyal.
I had
Bianca was sweet and efficient, a refreshing breath of calm in the whirlwind that was my life. She had started managing my accounts, and I h admit, she was good at it. But she was also five years younger than me, which made me feel like the more experienced one in our growing friendship
But at lea
least she’d earned my trust.
“Shut up, you jealous boar. I couldn’t help but laugh, trying to push down that nagging feeling of guilt
“Well, I am jealous, Only a hule” Reyma said, her face scrunching up as she held her fingers apart to show just how “little” she was jealous.
“You’re my
best friend no matter what, I told her reassuringly. I felt that warmth surround our friendship all too often and nothing would change the fact that people in my life were also going to make no change in the way we could be. Bianca and Erica would definitely be among my bridesmaids, however, no one else would substitute for Reyna. “I wouldn’t have anyone else for my maid of honor.”
Reyna placed a hand dramatically on her chest, as if my words had restored her entire being. “Okay, that makes me feel a bit better.”
1 smiled, happy to let her worry ease. Then, trying to distract her from the endless tasks piling up for the wedding, I decided to stir the pot a bit.. “You know what else is gonna make you feel better? Roman is coming to the wedding-
Reyna’s reaction was instant, her e
eyes flashing, “What the fuck do I care about him?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You don’t. Her face scrunched, and she turned away like she didn’t care, but I knew her too well. The truth was, I had seen sparks fly between the two of them at the charity event last month. I wasn’t blind. They had exchanged glances, and there was something between them
I wasn’t sure if Reyna even noticed it, but I definitely did. Roman, with sharp, cold eyes and a son of aura of someone who has seen too much darkness in life, was not someone who would be taken home to meet Mom. He sa mafia guy, for crying out loud.
Still, there had been thus moment
“No,” she mumbled, her voice light, almost defensive, “I didn’t
I chuckled softly, refusing to back down. “I saw you guys checking each other out at the charity event last month.
She shot me a look that could have killed. “You’re overanalyzing” Her voice was clipped, but I could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced of her own 1/2
7:03 AM
Chapter 87
words,
Okay, if you say so,” I said, leaning back in my chair with a knowing smile. Reyna might not admit it, but I could see the way her eyes darted to the door every time someone mentioned Roman, like she was waiting for him to walk in As much as I wanted to play on that, my mind started going back to the wedding the little details I needed to get done, all these small things that were just piling up.
There was the florist, and God forbid trying to secure a venue had been a nightmare; the guest list felt like it was growing an inch an hour. Yet it was in all that disorder 1 found one thing that cheered me up; this marriage was not about Aiden or me, but about every individual who had stood by
And that, really, was what I felt most thrilled about. Thinking of my ring, then there came a thought probably I was afraid. Perhaps the wedding and everything associated with it was just too large, too much to bear, too much of a complication. And then I thought about what I was doing it all for. This was what mattered. far more than the bedlam, the wedding cake, the preparation.
Aiden and I were constructing a life together. There wasn’t any diamond in the world that could make it anything but priceless.
