Best Man for the Bridesmaid

The memories stuck a sword of guilt through his gut. Her death was on his hands. He may not have done it, but he was the cause of it. If only he had kept his mouth shut. If only they hadn’t argued—

“Dante, you’re worrying me.” Lizzie stepped up to him. “What is it?”

“That was the studio on the phone.”

“But didn’t we just talk to them yesterday? I thought everything was settled.”

“It was. And then the execs looked at the footage we filmed this past week for the upcoming series.” Dante ran a hand over the back of his neck. “They don’t like it. They say that it isn’t fresh enough. They want to change the backdrop and the menus.”

“What?” Lizzie stepped back. Her mouth fell open, and her eyes widened. “They can’t do that.”

“They can. And they have.”

Well, this certainly wasn’t the news Stefano was expecting. And he was surprised to feel a huge wave of relief. Though he believed his brother was headed for trouble, he didn’t want to see him get hurt. It wasn’t his place to say anything. Dante would have to make his own decisions—for better or worse—all by himself, just like Stefano had done with Gianna.

He relaxed and settled on the couch in the office. He didn’t know why his brother had wanted him and Jules to stick around. She moved to the couch and sat down, too. Even at this respectable distance, she skewed his thinking. His only tangible thought was how her gentle floral scent reminded him of sunny days and grassy fields. And that was not good. He’d forfeited his right to enjoy a woman’s presence the night Gianna had died.

“Do you have any idea why we’re here?” Jules leaned closer to him.

“You’re here because this impacts the wedding,” Dante said before turning to Lizzie. “There’s no way we can do what they want for the show and complete the wedding preparations in time.”

Lizzie’s hands settled on her hips. “But they said they wanted the wedding for the show.”

“They said a lot of things, but we can’t do everything. I’m sorry. We’ll have to reschedule the wedding.”

Stefano didn’t want to say that this was an ominous sign—a warning—but he did think it was a chance for his brother to slow down and think through his choices. Still, the crushed look on Lizzie’s face dug at him. They really didn’t deserve so many problems, but it wasn’t as if he could do anything to help.

“Are you saying you don’t want to get married anymore?” Lizzie’s voice wavered.

“Of course I do.” Dante reached out and caressed her now pale cheek. “You know I love you. Maybe we can just make it something quick and simple.”

Jules moved as if to stand up, and Stefano grabbed her arm, stopping her from interrupting. They really needed to figure this out for themselves. Certainly if there was such a serious problem between him and Jules, he’d want to figure it out for himself. Not that they’d ever be planning a wedding or anything.

When Jules’s puzzled gaze turned to him, he shook his head. Her frosted lips pressed into a firm line, and her brows drew together. But she remained seated. Together they waited to see what their siblings would decide.

“But I have my dress picked out.” Lizzie pulled away from Dante. “This isn’t fair. This television show is messing everything up. We should quit.”

“You’re forgetting we signed a contract. And I don’t think you really want to walk away from this. I see how you light up in front of the cameras. You’re a natural.”

Lizzie sighed, and her shoulders slumped. “But it’s our wedding. What are we going to do?”

This time when Jules went to stand up, she gave Stefano the death stare when he reached out to her. Boy, that woman was as stubborn as she was beautiful. What exactly was she going to offer to this conversation? He had to admit that he was quite curious. Still, it wasn’t for them to interfere.

Jules’s mouth started to open, but he beat her to the punch. “Jules and I should be going. Let us know what you decide to do.”

All eyes turned to him. There were also two sets of raised brows and one frown. Everyone’s face held an unspoken accusation. What in the world had he said that was so bad?

“Don’t mind him.” Jules turned her back to him. “We’re here to help you. I think the real question is, do you still want to go through with the ceremony as planned?”

Dante and Lizzie gazed into each other’s eyes.

“Yes.” They spoke in unison.

Somehow that answer did not come as a surprise to him. Love made people do foolish things and gave them the illusion that they could overcome anything. But there were some things in life that even love couldn’t conquer.