‘Hey, is that how you thank me for blowing off a job with royalty to come and be your maid of honour?’
‘I wasn’t planning to have an elaborate wedding at all until you intervened!’ Dani said under her breath. ‘His family aren’t supposed to know anything about what’s really going on here.’
‘By that you mean the fact that you’re having hot sex with your soon-to-be husband?’ Hermione said dryly. ‘That’s utterly scandalous, Dani. How will they ever recover?’
Dani suddenly regretted the instant messages she’d been firing back and forth with her best friend. ‘Be serious. It’s not a real marriage—none of this is
real—and it’s only going to hurt them once they find out it’s all lies.’
‘Is it all lies, though?’ Hermione asked softly. ‘Because the look on your face in that picture you sent me of you two out on the boat... It’s the first time I’ve seen you look happy in a long time. Does he make you happy?’
Dani swallowed hard, turning around to hide the sudden flood of wetness to her eyes. Yes, he made her happy. He made her feel stronger than she’d thought she was capable of being. He made her feel beautiful and powerful and utterly devastated all in the space of one day. He made her feel far too much for it not to be utterly catastrophic to her soul once he eventually walked away. Because he didn’t feel anything for her other than a fleeting physical attraction and a responsibility to keep her safe.
‘Dani...’ Hermione spoke softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. ‘Did I mess up here? I just thought of the wedding you lost out on before, and the awfulness of the past few years, and I wanted something beautiful for you.’
Silence fell between them. Then Dani exhaled a slow, shaking breath and turned to press her face into her friend’s shoulder. ‘Thank you. I’m really glad you’re here now.’
They were interrupted by the arrival of Renata and Nicole, holding champagne glasses. Sharing a pointed look with Hermione, she joined their toast to a beautiful wedding and a happy marriage to follow.
‘I’m sorry now that I didn’t buy a proper dress.’ Dani frowned, realising for the first time that the simple beige linen dress she’d packed was really not going to be appropriate any longer. She watched as the three women exchanged a look of pure mischief, and then Hermione leaned towards Dani’s future mother-in-law and whispered in her ear.
‘I asked these ladies to wait until I got here to surprise you,’ Hermione said, and smiled, pulling her by the hand towards the house.
Dani followed Hermione upstairs to the master bedroom—Valerio’s bedroom. At some point it had been filled with boxes of flowers and small bags bearing designer labels. Hanging on the frame of the four-poster bed was a large white garment bag.
Dani felt time stop as Hermione slid the zip downwards and revealed the most spectacular blush-coloured gown she had ever set eyes on. It was the dress Dani had pointed out to her friend at a fashion week over a year ago, when she had confessed that her ex had influenced the choice of her first traditional white wedding gown, which she’d had to embarrassingly return when he jilted her.
Hermione had been outraged, but had never brought up the conversation again. Clearly she had not forgotten.
In a blur, Dani was undressed and zipped into the gown, awed at how it fitted perfectly to her body like a second skin and flowed in all the right places.
‘You remembered... How did you get this?’ she breathed slowly, her hands stroking the material with awe. It was the same one. There was no doubting it. Even down to the hand-sewn rose-shaped gathering on the bodice.
‘Your fiancé called my office yesterday, the moment he realised the wedding was going to be more than a simple affair. He asked me to choose the perfect dress as a wedding gift—and to bring myself, of course.’ Hermione moved beside her, tipping her face up and wiping away a small errant tear that had slipped out. ‘This is a real wedding, Dani. You both just haven’t realised it yet.’
Dani thought of Valerio’s thoughtfulness in helping her tackle her fear of the ocean. The way he’d held her as he told her how beautiful she was. The way he’d looked into her eyes as they made love. The sense of overwhelming rightness between them.
Now she was being told that he had gone so far as to make sure she had her best friend here, to obtain her dream dress... It was more than anyone had ever done for her before... It was too much.
She was overcome with the need to know what it all meant. What they meant to one another.
‘I need to go to him.’ She turned to Hermione and saw her friend’s eyes light up with glee. ‘There’s no way I can marry him without laying everything out on the table, consequences be damned. I’m done with being afraid.’
‘I like this change in you.’ Hermione hugged her close. ‘And I hope that man knows how lucky he is.’
They both knew there was no way Renata would allow Dani to leave without asking a million questions and worrying, so Hermione offered to spin a story and cause a distraction while Dani slipped away.
She briefly considered the speedboat, and a dramatic exit, but she wasn’t quite that adventurous yet. So she walked up the driveway to the small hut that housed the two security guards and turned on her best smile, matched with her most authoritative tone. She didn’t have time for any of their safety protocol nonsense.
‘I need to see your boss. Right now.’
Valerio had just stepped out of the shower when he heard the door to the master cabin burst open. Like something from a dream, Dani walked into the bathroom, her eyes filled with blazing emotion.
‘You’re wearing the dress...’ His voice was somewhere between disbelief and wonder, and a part of him was cursing fate for throwing this vision at him when he had been preparing to go to her and call off their entire wedding. ‘Why are you here?’
‘I had a whole speech planned on the drive over...’ Her voice shook as she looked down and realised he only wore a towel. ‘Oh, God... I should go.’
Valerio gripped her wrist and pulled her back towards him. ‘Don’t.’