What was she saying? She’d wanted to kill Stefano with her shoe. She should have known a marriage begun in blackmail could only end badly.
And yet... A lump rose in her throat, and she had to blink back tears.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” said the girl in the wedding dress. “I won’t let you down.”
It was Kebe, the young model Tess had defended in Paris. When the girl had heard Tess was showing her debut collection in New York, she’d volunteered to walk the runway for free. She’d also promoted the event to her half-a-million followers on social media, causing the event to promptly sell out.
Tears rose to Tess’s eyes at the girl’s kindness even as she chided gently, “I told you, call me Tess. I’m not a princess anymore.”
“You are to me,” the girl said firmly.
“Tess?”
Turning around, Tess saw her uncle standing uncertainly in the doorway, holding baby Esme.
“Uncle Ray.” Coming forward, she hugged him, then took her baby in her arms.
“Your friend—Mrs. Moretti—thought you might want to see Esme before the show,” her uncle said awkwardly. He shook his head in amazement. “Look at you, Tessie. You’re a designer. Just like you said you’d be.”
Tess cuddled her baby in her arms. “I feel lucky.”
“It’s more than luck.” Her uncle hung his head. “I should have believed in you more. Encouraged you.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “You took me in, Uncle Ray. You gave me a home.”
“I gave Serena a hard time, too. Because I never thought crazy dreams could actually come true.” His eyes looked suspiciously wet. “But now, seeing you...it makes me wonder if maybe I should follow a crazy dream of my own.” His voice became a whisper as he patted her shoulder. “Your mama would be so proud.”
For a moment, Tess was too overwhelmed to speak.
Taking the baby back in his arms, Uncle Ray said gruffly, “We’ll be cheering for you out there. Every step of the way.” Smiling, he said to Esme, “Wait till you see all the amazing things your mama has done.”
As Tess watched them leave, those words echoed in her ears. Wait till you see all the amazing things your mama has done.
At that, her shoulders straightened. Her fear melted away.
She wished—how she wished—that Stefano could have loved her. She still loved him in spite of her best efforts. No matter how many times she told herself that she’d loved an illusion. She loved the man he could have been, and suspected she always would.
But she’d be grateful for what remained. Her family. Her friends. Her daughter. She’d do everything she could to make them proud today. And even if she failed, she’d never stop trying.
“All right,” she said firmly to the models. “Let’s go!”
Tess hovered in the back of the large, elegant tearoom as the first model sashayed past the potted palm trees and gilded mirrors. The tea tables had been cleared out, replaced with a long catwalk surrounded by chairs.
The models entered one at a time, some of them dancing, all of them smiling. Music played, lighthearted and free. It was fun, playful, casual.
Tess blinked back tears as she watched the models wearing her designs. To her surprise and delight, with each new outfit, the audience’s applause grew louder. Finally Kebe came out on the catwalk, gliding serenely in the wedding gown. The music built, and holding the blue tulips triumphantly over her head, she turned back to where Tess shyly hesitated.
“Come on, Princess!” she called. “Come up here!”
With a deep breath, Tess went out to face her public.
There was thunderous applause. She gave an awkward wave, then stopped as the tears in her eyes spilled over, as full as her grateful heart.
Perhaps she couldn’t have what she’d wanted most. But at least there was this—this one moment—
She saw a flash of red as someone handed her a huge bouquet of red roses. Hallie must have arranged flowers. She looked past the long-stemmed red roses to smile at the person hidden behind them.
Then her breath left her.