Wedding Dreams

by Kallypso Masters

  But what if they did all come? Angelina refused to let Mama go into debt over this one-day event. In Italian families, it was still traditional for the bride’s family to pay for the reception.

  “Please go over your list again.” Squaring her shoulders, Angelina continued, “Limit it to about one hundred, not counting the ones we already have on our list, so that everyone will fit in the church and at the reception.”

  “Mama,” Marc began, “we were hoping for something more intimate with family and friends anyway. I’m sure you understand.”

  Thank God he’d spoken up, because no way could Angelina accommodate that many people, no matter where it was held. She wanted to make homemade pasta and bake the traditional cookies that would be given to guests at the reception and to take home as favors.

  Mama D waved away her son’s concern. “This will be the wedding of the century. You can’t restrict that to just a small group.”

  Even Prince William and Kate Middleton had capped how many attended their wedding and receptions.

  “Our family is loved and respected,” Mama D continued. Almost as an afterthought, she added, “Both of our families, of course.”

  “I want to be married in my family church,” Angelina said firmly. That was nonnegotiable.

  “We have family coming all the way from Sicily,” her mama said, making eye contact with no one in particular. “Between my siblings and my late husband’s family, all of whom will want to be at the wedding, we could have that many as well, Angelina. We can have additional chairs placed in the side aisles to accommodate more guests.”

  “Honestly, Mama, you don’t think our business associates will care anything about the wedding ceremony,” Carmella said. She turned to Angelina. “What if we do separate invitations for the reception than for the ceremony and keep the wedding small and intimate and in your church, but hold the reception at Bella Montagna?”

  “Guests from Aspen and Denver wouldn’t mind waiting on the wedding party to arrive at the resort if we held a cocktail hour for them,” Mama D added.

  Angelina’s dream of an intimate church wedding seemed safe at the moment, but how would her family be able to afford the wedding of the century and the monstrous price tag that would accompany it?

  Once again, things were getting out of hand.

  “Of course, the D’Alessio family would pick up the tab for that cocktail party. Right, Mama?” Carmella asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  “The Giardano family will be paying for the reception after the wedding,” Tony chimed in. “Wherever it is. Sis, how about Breckenridge for the reception?”

  Breckenridge would have plenty of places for a crowd that size, but if they were going to hold a lavish reception, where better than at Marc’s family resort? However, did she want the guests attending the wedding to have to drive an hour to get to Aspen and the reception? Breckenridge was only twenty minutes away but not nearly as connected to their families. What should she do?

  Angelina glanced up at Marc, who looked miserable, too. “We could do separate invitations,” she suggested. “Family and close friends will be invited to the wedding, while the other guests would only receive invitations to the reception.”

  Angelina’s stomach churned again at having to decide who among her friends would be reception only. How else could they please both sides of the family, though? At the moment, Marc’s idea about eloping sounded like their best solution.

  Still, how could she trample her family’s dreams or budget? “Mama, what are you most comfortable with?”

  She patted Angelina’s hand. “Whatever will make you happiest, my Angel.”

  Angelina turned to Marc. “Why don’t we discuss this in private and come back and let them know our decision next week?” She hated making decisions like this, certain that whatever she chose would displease someone.

  Marc leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Amore, I don’t want you stressing a minute longer. Whatever we agree to, we’ll make sure everything important to us is a part of our special day.”

  Angelina trusted him to make that happen. “You know what we want,” she whispered back. “Tell them.”

  Marc smiled at her before focusing his attention on the others at the table. “Angelina wants to be married in her church surrounded by a select group of friends and family in a more intimate ceremony.” Angelina breathed a sigh of relief knowing that would be where she walked down the aisle toward the man of her dreams.

  Both their mothers nodded, his somewhat more reluctantly. Tony and Carmella merely smiled.

  Before anyone could say anything, he continued. “And we’ll open up the reception to a larger group, but no more than four hundred guests. Mama Giardano, if you’re in agreement, we can hold it at the resort, with the D’Alessios picking up the tab for a cocktail hour held before the wedding party arrives. The Giardanos will be in charge of the reception, and I’m sure Carmella and Sandro will agree to extend the family discount.”

  “Absolutely!” Carmella agreed. “I wouldn’t hear of anything else. The meal and drinks at cost and no charge for the ballroom rental.” As co-manager of the resort, she had the authority to make that decision.

  That should make the family budget stretch much further.

  “That would be fantastic, Carmella,” Angelina said but wanted to be sure her mama and Tony found it acceptable. “How does that sound to you both?”

  “Wonderful, baby,” Mama said.

  “The Giardanos don’t need any handouts,” Tony argued, narrowing his gaze at Carmella. “We’ll pay the same price everyone else would.”

  Angelina rolled her eyes. Why did men have to be so pigheaded? They were close to reaching a consensus. Surely Rafe would be happy as long as she and Mama were happy.

  She’d talk with Marc and Carmella later on to make sure the reception tab was discounted to make it closer to what her family could afford without hurting anyone’s feelings. She smiled up at Marc, who nodded as if he knew her inmost thoughts.

  He continued, “If we need to transport large numbers of guests between the resort and the church, we’ll rent buses. Then we won’t have to worry about anyone driving home after drinking too much.”

  What a great idea! Marc had been paying more attention to details than even she’d been aware of.

  Marc stood and helped Angelina to her feet, effectively bringing this planning session to a close. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Angelina and I need to audition a band for the reception.”

  They had no such appointment scheduled, but Angelina wanted to get away as much as he did. As early as they could manage their schedules, Marc would be richly rewarded with the best blowjob she’d ever given him.

  Chapter Two

  Angelina looked at the racks and racks of dresses, completely overwhelmed. Karla and Savannah had pointed out numerous dresses they liked on the hangers but not on Angelina. Megan had taken so many photos of dresses Angelina would never see again that her delete finger was going to be sore. Carmella seemed to love anything Angelina came out in, but perhaps her mind was on getting back to the resort.

  Mama, on the other hand, didn’t care for anything that didn’t have lace up to and surrounding her neck. Mama had no problem saying no to the dresses. She’d already nixed five in this salon—before Angelina had even gotten out of the dressing room—on top of the dozens of dresses she’d shot down in the other two boutiques they’d been in today.

  Angelina’s primary goal was to please Marc, but she didn’t want to disappoint Mama while doing so. However, with a June wedding, no way did she want long sleeves and a Victorian high neckline. Marc thought she had a sexy neck, and she planned on wearing her hair up to show it off.

  How was she going to please both of them while also finding a dress she loved?

  “Oh, Angie, you have got to try on this one!” Karla said, showing her a lace-covered dress with three-quarter sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. The scalloped lace on the neck shimmered wit
h beautiful beadwork giving it some sparkle without being gaudy. The bodice was perhaps a little lower cut than Mama’s opinion of what was decent. She prepared herself to have yet another dress rejected.

  “Let’s take you back and try it on,” the showroom attendant said, undoubtedly seeing Angelina’s enthusiasm already starting to wane. When Mama stood to join them, Amanda turned to add, “Ladies, have a seat and enjoy some refreshments. We’ll be right back so you can see the bride in the next dress.” Out of earshot of the others, Amanda turned to Angelina and said, “You look like you needed a little break from the crowd.”

  Angelina stared at Amanda, her mouth having dropped open. “How did you know? My frustration wasn’t too obvious, was it? I’d hate to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

  Amanda laughed, shaking her head as she opened the door to the dressing room. After hanging the gown on the hook, she stroked Angelina’s upper arm comfortingly, keeping her from working herself into a panic. “Not at all! I’m in awe of your patience, in fact. But trust me. I see this daily. Everyone comes in excited and hopeful, but the entourage tends to follow their own preferences. After the bride tries on a few dresses, she starts to lose her vision of what she wanted in the first place.”

  “I’m not sure I know what I want at this point. But I really need to find my dress today, if possible. I’d hate to tie everyone up for more shopping at such a busy time of year, but this is my last appointment.”

  “It’s hard to know what you like when everyone has a different opinion about what she thinks is perfect on you.”

  Angelina had thought she’d found the one multiple times until Mama or someone else in her entourage had shot each one down.

  “Don’t let time pressure you to settle. I don’t have any more appointments after yours, if you’d like to keep trying on more dresses. We don’t close until seven.” That was almost two hours away, longer than her original appointment.

  “I really appreciate this, Amanda.”

  “No worries. Now let’s see if we can find what you and Marc will love. What do you think he would want to see you in?”

  “I’m sure he’ll love anything.” Or nothing at all, more precisely. Suddenly, she remembered their conversation at the planning session last month. “Do you have anything with a keyhole back?”

  “Absolutely! In fact, the one Karla pulled for you does.”

  “Really?”

  Amanda flipped the dress around on the hook, and for the first time, Angelina saw the expansive keyhole that would expose most of her back. This one revealed even more than the dress she’d worn to daVinci’s the night she’d found Marc again. A tingle went down her spine as she imagined his hand pressing low against her back while they danced.

  “Marc would love that!”

  Amanda pointed toward the chair near the small table. “Before we try it on, I want you to sip some water. Take a breath.”

  Angelina responded easily to the familiar commands as her gaze fell on the dress hanging across the small room. She already could picture herself walking down the aisle and twirling around the dance floor in Marc’s arms with that dress on.

  “Ready to try on Karla’s choice?”

  Angelina stood, removed her robe and lifted her arms to have the dress lowered over her head and down her body. Unlike some she’d tried on earlier, this bodice fit like a glove and molded her girls perfectly. It would hardly need any alterations if she ordered this size. With a five-month estimated delivery time on the dress, she wouldn’t have time for extensive alterations.

  “I wish my bras fit this comfortably.”

  “It really is a one-of-a-kind fit, and you can have some alterations done if you wish. Maybe switch to cap or long sleeves when you order it from the designer.”

  “Oh, no! These are just right for a June wedding. I get hot easily.” Especially with Marc around; he’d told her he’d be wearing his sexy dinner dress uniform that day.

  “Let’s hook you up in the back for the full effect.” Amanda fastened the bodice just below the nape of her neck and flounced out the fit-and-flare skirt. When she stepped away from the mirror, Angelina got her first look.

  She took it all in. Everything inside her told Angelina this was her dress.

  “Breathe, Angelina.”

  She expelled a nervous laugh before taking a deep breath but never took her eyes off her reflection in the mirror.

  The dress hugged her hourglass curves and made her hips look sexy, not wide. Tears flooded her eyes, which hadn’t happened with any other dress she’d tried on today. She accepted the tissue Amanda held out to her. “It’s weird to be crying and feeling like you’re floating on air at the same time. This dress is beautiful.”

  “You’re an absolute vision in it.”

  Her eyes stung as she whispered, “It’s everything I dreamed of—and so much more.”

  “Trust me. When they see how hard you’ve fallen for this gown, the rest of them are going to be in love with it, too.” Amanda’s assurances helped drain away any lingering panic Angelina felt.

  Angelina dabbed at her eyes so she could take a closer look then swiveled to see the back, one of her best assets. The keyhole bared her from the lower shoulder blades then tapered to a low vee just above the base of her spine. From there, a row of buttons covered in the same material as the dress extended over her ass down to where the skirt flared out about mid-thigh.

  “Are those buttons functional or only an illusion?”

  “They’re completely functional. If you’d prefer, we can replace the covered buttons with pearl ones.”

  “No, these are perfect.” Those buttons were as suggestive as hell. “Marc is so going to love stripping me out of this dress.”

  Amanda laughed. “I’m sure he will. That’s probably the favorite part about wedding dresses for most grooms.”

  Angelina swished the lace-covered, flared skirt as she shimmied her hips back and forth. The dress made her feel sexy and princess-like all at once.

  “So gorgeous! Not only the dress, but I feel gorgeous wearing it.”

  “It’s a fabulous look on you, Angelina.” Amanda picked up the veil they’d chosen because it most closely resembled Mama’s. “I know you plan to use your mother’s veil on your big day, but let’s put this one on before we go out to wow your mama and friends.”

  “Sorry I left mine at home,” Angelina apologized. She’d been solely focused on finding a dress, not on how it would look with Mama’s veil. “But the veil might hide some of the back so my Mama can get beyond the expanse of flesh I’ll be displaying.”

  One thing was certain, though. Mama’s veil would be ditched after Mass, because Angelina wanted to show off her back in this gown at the reception. She’d have her hair in an updo with flowers or something that wouldn’t be mussed by the veil. Something easy to undo on her wedding night so she could feel his hands in her hair the moment they stepped into their honeymoon suite. Marc loved having her hair cascading down her back.

  “We want them to get the full effect from the first time they see you in this gown, because you’re absolutely glowing. And this type of veil will be perfect,” Amanda said as she attached a cathedral-length veil with blusher to the back of Angelina’s head, below the haphazard bun. Amanda stepped back to check everything out, untucking some of the scalloped lace in the neckline.

  Angelina did a half-twirl and checked out the back view again. “With the veil, the dress is demure enough for Mama to find acceptable inside the church, but then anything goes when Marc sees this back after I remove the veil for the reception.”

  “Absolutely stunning. Are we ready to let them know you’ve found your dress?”

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded. She’d let no one convince her this wasn’t her dress. Holding up the skirt so it wouldn’t drag, she followed Amanda back to the showroom.

  “Here comes our bride, ladies!” she announced. “And she’s found her dress!”

  “Angie! I knew the minute I saw that dr
ess that it would be perfect for you!”

  Megan snapped photos for the wedding story album. Savannah covered her mouth, speechless, but her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Finally, she whispered, “It’s so perfect on you.”

  “My brother is going to be blown away when he sees you, Angelina,” Carmella said.

  “I know! I feel like it was made just for me!” Angelina had purposely not looked at Mama yet so as not to burst her euphoria, but the silence from that end of the couch was deafening. Turning toward Mama, she couldn’t believe tears were streaming down her mother’s face.

  Did that mean she hated it or loved it? Angelina held her breath. Her eyes welled up again when Mama smiled through her tears and said, “I wish Papa was here to see you.”

  That did it. The dam exploded, and she found herself seated next to Mama, hugging her as both of them cried for who would be missing out on her wedding day. She hadn’t longed to see Papa this much in such a long time. After dreaming of having him walk her down the aisle since she was a little girl, the reality hit hard that she could never have that dream fulfilled.

  When she thought she would be able to control her emotions again, Angelina pulled away and searched Mama’s face. “So you love it, too, Mama?”

  Unable to speak yet, she nodded vigorously before clearing her throat. “It is perfect in every way. You’re going to be the most beautiful bride, Angelina.”

  Mama hadn’t seen the revealing back yet, but no need to put a damper on this moment. Besides, nothing Mama might say to the negative would change her mind. Resolute and without waiting to be asked the question familiar to everyone who watched the popular show, Angelina turned her head towards Amanda, keeping her back from Mama’s gaze, and said, “I’m saying yes to the dress!”

  A chorus of cheers erupted in the showroom, and she hugged Mama, her bridesmaids, and her matron of honor when she heard a champagne cork pop. Everyone turned to find Amanda pouring a flute of bubbly for each of them.