Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Still, today was not for solving problems.
Today was for starting the next chapter.
“Are you absolutely sure you want to keep doing this?” Toni asked, softening as she looked me over. “I mean, you could probably just retire and live a really comfortable, fun life.”
I looked at her and arched a brow. “You could just retire and live a really comfortable, fun life,” I shot back.
Toni rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Fine. But I mean it, Serenity. You want another ENS?”
“I do,” I nodded. “And this is fun, which is why I’m done with it for today.” I raised both of my hands in the air to show her I wasn’t making a play for my phone. Again. “I swear it.”
The truth was, I’d only checked my email because everything else was done. Hair and makeup had finished up about twenty minutes ago, doing final touch-ups after I stepped into the fitted silk gown with the delicate lace overlay. It was elegant without trying too hard. At least I thought so.
When I first stepped into the dress today in full makeup, I’d barely recognized myself. Not because I looked all that different, just better, but because I finally looked like a woman who belonged exactly where she was. It was a feeling I’d been searching for my whole life, not that Enzo completed me, but he and Mattie completed the picture I always wanted but had denied myself for too long.
I felt beautiful.
“Thank you,” I said quietly to Toni. “Thank you for being here. And for taking over ENS in Texas while I try my hand at this crazy plan.” At first, I thought it was crazy, but with each passing day, I knew it was more than that. This was exactly what I was meant to be doing.
Toni waved me off as I knew she would. “I’m happy to do it, honestly. It’s a nice change of pace now that the kids don’t need a full-time Mommy, and when they do, they love greeting people at the office.” Her gaze softened at the mention of her kids. “And I needed to see for myself that you were okay. That you’re…happy.”
“I am happy,” I admitted. “Really happy and totally healthy.” There was something about the California air and sunshine that had brightened my mood and my life. Or maybe it was being loved so thoroughly by Enzo and Mattie.
The bruises were long gone, so that part wasn’t a lie; I was completely healthy. But the nightmares still stopped by for a visit now and again. They came less often these days, quieter too. Some days they were easier to shake off than others, and I cherished those days almost as much as the days I woke up from a sound—and dreamless—sleep. Healing, I’ve learned, isn’t linear. It’s real and messy.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I murmured, lifting the champagne flute someone had pressed into my hand earlier.
Toni grinned. “You’re getting married.”
“I’m getting married!”
Enzo had proposed three more times after that dinner announcement, and each one was more ridiculous than the last. And totally perfect in its own way. The first time was at a fancy restaurant in Beverly Hills inside a private room overflowing with candles. The next one was a sunset proposal on the beach. And my favorite proposal was the one he whispered against my ear in the middle of breathless, tangled sheets, when I’d said yes before he’d even finished asking.
And now here we were. Getting married.
A soft knock interrupted the quiet inside the bridal suite. The door opened and Aunt Valentina appeared, stepping inside looking as regal as ever in lavender silk that draped over her shoulders. She looked at me for a long moment, her eyes suspiciously bright. “You look stunning, Serenity.”
“Thank you, Aunt Valentina.” I smiled. “Lavender really is your color.”
She chuckled softly, a blush staining her cheeks. “We are ready for you.”
Toni squeezed my hands once before stepping aside, and together we moved into place behind Ella, whom I’d asked to be a bridesmaid without hesitation. She looked radiant, proud, and steady in her youthful beauty.
When the music began, I walked down the aisle alone. Not because there was no one to give me away, but because I didn’t need to be given. I was walking freely, giving my heart and myself freely to this man.
Enzo stood at the front, looking gorgeous in his navy tuxedo. Every inch of him was beautiful, and he was watching me like I was the only person in the whole damn world. When I reached the front of the aisle and stopped in front of him, he leaned in just enough to whisper, “You look like a dream come true.”
He didn’t look away from me once throughout the ceremony. And his green gaze tore through me as he recited his vows, promising to love me forever. My breath caught at his heartfelt words and the intensity behind them.