by Lilly Wilde
“Will do.” What had I done? I was only ten minutes in and it already seemed like a tedious business meeting.
“If you and Aiden are really open as far as dates go, I was thinking about something in late spring,” Sienna suggested. “That will allow us time to review and choose the best venues.”
“Actually, we were kind of set on a destination wedding.”
Sienna looked up from her tablet. “Not here in Chicago?”
“No. Aiden’s suggested Italy.”
“Italy? Why am I just hearing this?”
“He only told me this morning.”
“Aria, as we move forward, you’ll need to tell me these things as soon as they come up. Italy is certainly beautiful, but I think we’ll have better planning opportunities if we keep it local.”
Oh, here we go. “It’s what we want, Sienna.”
“But you said Aiden wants this. He’ll do anything to make you happy, so if you don’t choose to get married in Italy, tell him.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want it.” Obviously you don’t choose for us to get married in Italy, though.
She pursed her lips. “This is your wedding, Aria. I still think some things are best decided by the man, but not in this case. You need to have say in where it takes place, so if Aiden is—”
“Sienna, stop it. Aiden is not forcing his will on me. I actually think it would be great. I mean, Italian is a part of my ethnicity. Maybe I should go there and get in touch with my roots, as they say.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and placed her tablet on the desk. “I can be a tad bit overzealous when I’m planning an event, and this will be the most important of all, so I want it to be perfect.”
“I understand.”
“I didn’t know you were part Italian. What about the other side of your ethnicity?”
“African-American and Cuban…and before you ask, I don’t know anyone from either side of my family. My father was Italian, but I can’t remember him ever speaking of his family, and Mom was African-American and Cuban. Her side of the family turned their backs on her when she married.”
“Why?” she asked. “Were they against the marriage?”
“I’m not sure what happened. My grandparents were a mixed-race couple, so I know it wasn’t due to racism or anything like that. I think something happened with Dad that made them cut ties. I never knew what it was, and they never really spoke of it.”
“Oh,” she replied, with a sympathetic smile.
“It’s okay, really. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
But why is it all I’ve ever known? It doesn’t have to remain this way. “And you know what they say—you can’t miss what you never had.”
And it dawned on me, that I didn’t want it to remain this way. I needed to find my grandparents. I wanted to know my family—all of my family. I would have to ask Aiden to help me out with that.
“Well, those days of an absentee family are behind you. You have us now. You’re going to be a Raine, and family is very important to us.”
I looked at her and thought about the stories Aiden had told me about the Raines.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, her face full of shame.
“I’m pretty sure you do.”
“You’re wondering why I didn’t do more to protect them—to protect Lyric.”
“Yes, but you’ve already explained, and this is a difficult subject for us both, so we don’t really need to rehash anything.”
“I’m filled with such regret and guilt for allowing Connor to sway me into his vision of what was best for my children. There’s no excuse—none,” she said. She was quiet, and then it appeared as though she’d floated to another place and time.
“When I was young, we, well my family back then, were poor. Very poor. I met Connor after I graduated from high school and we fell in love. While he wasn’t the man he is today, he had dreams—big dreams—and he had this picture of how it would all look, how I would fit into it. And it was always at his side. And I dreamt of that, too. I dreamt of not having to worry about money—not having to make a choice between food and a bill. I had everything sorted out—the house, the family, the vacations, the power, the wealth. And my vision was pretty close to the real thing. Not until you came into our lives have I ever stopped to think anything different. You’re changing this family, Aria—you and Lyric—and I think we just may have a chance to be the family we need to be…not the one I made up in my head. You’ve made Aiden so very happy. And you two have my full support. I know I’ve apologized, but I must say it again—I’m sorry for being so unpleasant to you. I hope you can one day forgive me.”
“Thank you, Sienna. It had gotten to a point to where I was starting to not care if you or your family ever accepted me, but after yesterday and even today, I’m glad you have.” I still wasn’t so sure of Connor’s acceptance and quite frankly, the way he was manipulating Aiden—I couldn’t care less.
“Connor and I have been the source of a great deal of unhappiness for you and Aiden. I’m apologizing for us both, because I don’t think my husband will—at least not just yet anyway. Just as something drove me to be the person I am, the same applies for Connor.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She looked as though she were about to speak, but changed her mind. “That’s not my story to tell.”
Connor had already shared some rather poignant details of his past with me. Would Sienna have been surprised to know that? Was there more to Connor’s story than what he’d said? With that man, one never knew. His chameleon-like abilities allowed him to fit himself perfectly to almost every scenario.
“Perhaps one day, we’ll all be able to let go of the illusions and truly become the family we present to the world.”
“Stranger things have happened.” While my conversation with Connor did explain some things, I saw no sign of apologies or changes coming from that man anytime soon.
“Yes, they have. So no more sad talk—let’s talk about happier things—like the beautiful wedding you’re forcing me to rethink.”
I let out a sigh as I forced my attention to the tablet, swiping through several of the pictures. “I see you already had plans.”
“Several. As I mentioned, I’d selected a wedding planner, but based on the change to Italy, I think it’s best to use someone with more international experience, and I have just the person. You’ll love her. Her name is Emilie Tomassi and she’s exactly who we need.”
“Okay. If you say so.” This is your party, lady. I’m just here for the booze. She was really going to make a production of this, but why should I be surprised? She would make sure this was a picture-perfect Raine event.
“Justine will contact the family publicist to work up a draft for the wedding announcement. I want that to go out first thing tomorrow, so we’ll need to get a stylist and photographer here later today.” She pressed a button on the phone and lifted the receiver. I listened, gazing in wonderment as she gave Justine elaborate instructions for our clothing, and then even more precise details for my hair and makeup—Sienna was really in her element. Once the call ended, she looked back to me. “Although the wedding is out of the country, we’ll plan for approximately three hundred guests. There are some very important people who simply must be in attendance. Is there anyone you’d like to include?”
The first two people who flashed in my mind were definite no’s, so I said, “Raina Willis. She’s an employee of RPH.”
“Okay. Anyone else?” she asked, obviously confused by my very short list.
“Other than my sisters and a couple of their friends, there’s no one else.” How could I have isolated myself from so many people for so many years?
We spent the next two hours going over her ideas and how we would revamp things. The wedding team would fly to Italy six weeks before the wedding for the planning stages and they would fly there a second time one week before the big day. I didn�
��t think all of that was really necessary, but what did I know about international weddings? Sienna explained that there were several things that were actually required for non-Italians, especially if we wanted to marry in one of the palaces, which she insisted was a must.
Sienna was going on and on about this and that. I started to feel numb. I had to pinch myself to avoid zoning out. I almost screamed for joy when Lyric awoke. He made a few restless noises and started crying after that. That was my cue, so I told Sienna I wanted to get him home. She followed me upstairs to collect Lyric and then gave him a kiss good-bye and we were off, but not before she reminded me to expect the stylist and photographer at our place within the hour. I didn’t know how I’d be able to suffer through all I knew was coming.
Chapter Four
“Ugh!”
“What’s wrong?” Aiden asked.
“It’s your mother. I just know I have a few gray hairs after that meeting.”
“Meeting? I thought you were going over just to tell her she could plan the wedding.”
“Oh yeah? How long do you think something like that would take?” I asked.
“Not very.”
“Exactly. Which means you knew my announcement would result in a meeting, and you made no attempt to bail me out.”
He grinned. “So the meeting didn’t go well?”
“How would you define well?” I asked and tossed a pillow at him.
“I’m sorry, babe. I’m sure she’s very excited.” He reached out and tugged me to him and then lightly swept his lips over mine. “This is her first wedding for one of her children and she gets to be in the driver’s seat, so she may go slightly overboard.”
“Slightly? I could manage slightly. I get that she’s excited and happy for us, which is a huge upgrade from how she felt about us in the past, but this is overkill.” I stepped away and scanned the room for my laptop. Aiden grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward him.
“You know what? This is our day…your day and it should be about what you want. If we need to tell her to step back, let’s do it.”
I considered his suggestion as he elaborated.
“We could take Lyric, fly to Italy and be married without all the excess.”
“Speaking of which, I told her about Italy and she was none too pleased. What’s with the tunnel vision regarding the wedding happening in Italy anyway?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. My family vacationed there a couple of times, and I guess it stuck with me.”
“That’s all there is to it?”
“Yeah, what else could it be?” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and then kissed me chastely on the lips. “So, do we make a run for it?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m fine, I’ll deal with it. Oh, a stylist and photographer should be here—” I glanced at my watch, “—in about thirty minutes. Your mother wants the wedding announcement to go out first thing tomorrow.”
*
The next morning I was awakened by the steady ping of my phone. There were three missed calls and four texts from Sienna. I scrolled the messages and then placed the phone on the bedside table. She would just have to wait. I was still recovering from the huge dose of her I received yesterday.
Aiden and Lyric were in the nursery, their normal morning father-son time. I pulled myself out of bed, showered and dressed for another day of wedding plans.
After breakfast and some time with my two favorite guys, I plopped down on the sofa and pulled out my tablet. “Have you seen the online articles?” I asked Aiden. News of our engagement was everywhere I looked.
“Only those that Brooklyn sent to me. I don’t typically peruse those unless it’s to thwart a lawsuit.”
“Oh. Maybe I should try that, because it’s overwhelming and just weird to know that something as common as a wedding is getting this type of attention. And I don’t know how your mother got these out so quickly!”
“Hurricane Sienna at her finest,” he said.
Within hours, we were the featured couple on the websites of all the major newspapers and magazines. And there was picture after picture of Aiden and me in various poses from last night’s photo shoot…which is exactly what it was. There were about five clothing changes and three backdrops.
“I think it’s time you procured an assistant,” Aiden said.
“I already have one.”
“I’m referring to a personal assistant. You’re going to need one.”
“Why?”
“Don’t second-guess your decision to marry me when I tell you this, but your life is about to change even more than it already has.”
Actually, I hadn’t given much thought to how marrying Aiden would affect me outside the realm of the Raine family. I was already wary about having the staff know every move we made. How the hell would I handle the scrutiny of the public? “I don’t think I’ll change my mind.”
“In that case, there’s one more thing. A publicist wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.”
“What? Why? You don’t have one.”
“I do. You’ve never met him.”
“Oh,” I frowned. I hadn’t anticipated any of this.
“It’s going to be okay, don’t worry. I’ll have Brooklyn line up some prospects, and I can help you choose.”
“Okay.” This was only the tip of the iceberg. There was much more to being a Raine than just wearing the name. “As long as I can continue to vent to you, I’ll survive. And you need to step up to the plate and do your part—that would be a tremendous help. Well, that and routine visits to the spa. I need a massage—someone to rub out the kinks Sienna’s injected.” I reached into my pocket for my phone. I hoped I could schedule something for later this afternoon after round two with Sienna.
“I’ve done my part—I had a productive morning. I’ve got my groomsmen all lined up.”
“And you think you’re done?” I looked up from my phone and glared at him. If he thought he was doing just that, he had another thing coming, especially after having seen Sienna in action.
“Well, sure. I’m the male part of this equation—that’s what the groom does. He buys the ring, proposes and selects friends to stand up for him. So I’d say, yes, I’m done,” he said, with absolute certainty.
“Sadly, you’ve been misinformed. I’ll be getting a list to you later today.”
“But, Aria—”
“I’m serious, Aiden. Your mom was all up in arms as it was, and now that we’ve added Italy to the mix, it’s that much worse, and I refuse to suffer through it alone.”
“I’ll speak with Mother—ask her to take it down a notch.”
“Oh, so now you want her to take it down a notch? But just a few minutes ago, you were Team Sienna because this was her first wedding. Forget it. You’re not taking this from her. So stop trying to wiggle out if it.”
“I’m a guy. I don’t care about food samples and place settings. I’ll just be in your way.”
“We’re doing this together or we can call the whole thing off.”
He held up his palms to me in defense. “Okay, okay. Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I’m pretty positive I’ll need some time at the spa after today.”
“You must be forgetting something,” he said.
“Such as?”
“We’re between jobs at the moment. We can’t afford to run off to these expensive spas whenever the mood hits.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. What was I thinking?” I laughed and reviewed the internet search results. “You’re so silly.”
“And you’re beautiful.”
I looked up from my phone and smiled at him. “You always know exactly what to say to either put me at ease or frustrate the hell out of me.”
“What can I say? It’s a gift. And by the way, I’m not kidding, Aria. I’ll give you a massage. Drop the phone…and take off your clothes.”
He was actually serious. “If yo
u take on the role of my masseuse, I’ll need to schedule you in for an appointment tomorrow and again the day after, because your mother and I are meeting with the wedding coordinator on Thursday, and we have the cake thing with someone named Antoine on Friday. And since this is all about our day, you’re coming, too.”
“I don’t think so, Aria. I have plans.”
“Cancel them,” I said.
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” I asked.
“Can’t.”
“So what are these plans?”
“It’s a secret,” he said.
Just what we need…more secrets. “Uh huh. Are you sure you aren’t just making this up to get out of your duties as a dutiful fiancé?”
“Positive.”
“Both days?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“But I didn’t tell you the time.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “I don’t want to go. I’m sure you’ve noticed that Mother can be rather pedantic, and I don’t have the patience to sit through it.”
“Oh, but I do? Hell no. This is for both of us and you’re going.”
“If I go, who’ll watch Lyric?”
I couldn’t believe he was protesting this much. “Dianna would love to watch him. If she can’t, there’s no reason he can’t come with us. Besides, if he gets fussy, we’ll have a reason for an early exit.”
He was silent, obviously trying to come up with another excuse.
“That’s the final offer,” I said.
“Okay, I’ll come—but only because I’m madly in love with you.”
“Whatever. Now…the part about me taking off my clothes. Can we get back to that?” I asked.
He grinned and we headed upstairs. Once we were in the bedroom, he helped me undress and I went to the bed and lay on my stomach.
“I think if this massage is to be effective, I should get undressed, too,” Aiden said.
I looked over my shoulder to see his naked body crawling toward me.
“If you say so, Mr. Raine.”
He straddled me, and I felt his manhood tracing over my thighs, and then at the center of my back. After one slow kiss on my neck and a soft caress of my shoulders, the tension immediately left my body. He oiled his palms and then his strong hands were rolling over my skin.