Best Man for the Bridesmaid

But even with all of that, she couldn’t hide from this piece of reality forever. The backs of her eyes stung, and she blinked repeatedly. The life she’d always known—Lizzie and Jules joined at the hip—was over.

She was now alone in this great big world.

* * *

The smiles.

The I-love-you looks.

The kisses.

Stefano couldn’t wait to bolt for the door. His younger brother certainly had it bad for Lizzie. Whatever was going on with the wedding, they certainly weren’t about to call it off. Maybe they’d already eloped. Stefano ground his teeth together. The thought of his brother doing something so impulsive—so reckless—had Stefano’s whole body tensing up.

He knew what it was to love and lose. He knew the pain...and the guilt that ate at him. He didn’t want Dante to end up like him or their widowed father. DeFiore men inevitably ended up alone—one way or the other. Dante knew all of this; he just chose to ignore it. Avoidance, it was a DeFiore trait. So was stubbornness. And he couldn’t forget to toss in a driving need for independence.

“What has you so quiet this evening, big brother?” Dante clapped him on the back.

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“Really? Do tell?” Dante moved through the open floor plan from the ultramodern black-and-white living room to the stainless steel galley kitchen.

“Nothing you’d be interested in hearing.”

“Aka it’s vineyard business.” Dante pulled open the fridge and perused the contents. “Want something to drink? Looks like Lizzie stocked up on everything for her sister’s arrival.”

“I’m good.”

Dante withdrew a bottle of water and unscrewed the top. “Okay, what’s eating you?”

Before Stefano could think up something to tell his brother besides the truth, the women returned. Thank goodness. He could now escape before the lovey-dovey stuff started again.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Lizzie smiled. When her eyes landed on Dante, she glowed with happiness.

“It really is amazing.” Jules twisted her hands together, looking a bit uncomfortable as the lovebirds radiated toward each other as if by magnetic force. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense—what did you have to tell us about the wedding?”

Stefano’s gaze moved from Jules, with her now sad eyes and her drawn face, to the happy couple who looked as though they belonged on the front of a Valentine’s Day greeting card. With their arms draped around each other’s waist, they looked lovingly into each other’s eyes. Stefano glanced away. He truly wanted it to last for them, but the DeFiore statistics were against them.

“Shall we tell them everything now?” Lizzie stared adoringly up at his brother.

Stefano’s gut rolled nauseously. There was only so much sugary sweetness he could stomach before he became ill. Had he and Gianna ever looked that ridiculously in love? If they had, he couldn’t recall.

“Tell them,” Dante prodded. “It isn’t like it’s a secret. And to pull this off, we’re going to need their help.”

The smile faded from Lizzie’s face. “I guess you’re right—”

“Guys, what is it?” Stefano hadn’t meant to lose his patience, but he really did want to get out of there. He needed to head back to the vineyard, where he could lose himself in work and forget the lovey-dovey stuff as well as Jules’s little purple butterfly that still tempted and teased.

He felt Jules’s narrowed gaze on him. He ignored her as he crossed his arms, willing this to be over. Soon.

“Well, the thing is,” Lizzie began, reaching for Dante’s hand, “the reason we couldn’t pick you up at the airport is that the studio contacted us for a teleconference.”

Jules implored her sister with her big emerald eyes. “Would you just tell us what they said?”

“They want to spotlight our wedding on the show—our very own cooking show.”

“That’s wonderful!” Jules rushed over and hugged her sister.

Stefano held his place. His gut grew uneasy. There was more to follow. He was certain of it.

When the girls pulled apart, Lizzie continued, “The thing is we have to have the wedding in the next two months—”

“What?” Jules’s eyes grew round. “That’s not possible. Do they know what it takes to plan a wedding?”

“They were really excited about the idea. They said it could really boost ratings.” Lizzie clutched Dante’s hand. “I...I told them we could do it.”

“You did what?” Jules’s face filled with color as she pressed her lips together.

Stefano didn’t know if Jules was going to yell or cry. And Lizzie looked upset, too. Honestly, he didn’t know what the big deal was. The only thing you needed was the bride and groom, and the rest was a bunch of froufrou.