Ana
I didn’t need to try on a second dress. The lovely gown Armani suggested fit like a glove and covered my body in all of the ways I prefer. It must have cost a fortune, judging by the quality of stitching and the Italian label I didn’t recognize. But when I asked to pay for it, Armani scoffed and told me not to insult him by asking a second time.
There was no room for further argument as he put a veil in my unstyled hair and asked if I wanted it trimmed shorter. When I told him I didn’t want a veil at all, he took it off to look at me without it for a long moment.
We shouldn’t hide this pretty face, should we? He eventually agreed, tossing the fabric aside. After giving three pairs of short heels to choose from, he left Jade and me to get out of our dresses. She’d tried on this over-the-top, glittery ballgown-style dress that made her look like a sparkly cupcake in the best way.
Though I didn’t want to try another, I told her to keep going. She opted to show me the sleek, baby blue dress Armani found for her to wear to the wedding instead. We decided she would stand by my side as my only bridesmaid, and I was relieved to know I wouldn’t be standing in front of the crowd all on my own.
A few hours after sorting our dresses, Jade is finishing the final touches on my hair. Time has gone by mercifully fast. With her babies keeping us busy, and another quick visit with Doc, I’ve been able to maintain a relatively high spirit.
Nothing about today has gone the way I imagined my wedding would when I was a young girl, but I couldn’t be more appreciative to my best friend for her part in ensuring everything goes smoothly. She and her brothers have made sure that no one bothers me with decisions I don’t want to make, nor problems I don’t have the capacity to handle.
“I’m so happy Cesar took a nap,” Jade tells me, sighing in relief. “I was worried he would have too much energy to sit with Dmitri for the ceremony. If he screeches during the vows, I’m going to turn redder than a tomato.”
“I won’t mind,” I promise. “He makes people smile.”
“Yeah,” she says wistfully. “He does do that.”
The dreamy look in her eye makes my heart swell.
“You look stunning by the way,” Jade adds, arranging a half-halo, diamond hair piece around the back of my head. “I wish I could do my makeup the way you do. It looks professional, seriously.”
I open my mouth to thank her when three soft knocks sound against the door to her room. Jade smooths out my last curl, smiling at me in the mirror before turning to go see who’s there.
I don’t immediately recognize the manly voice that comes through, nor am I able to see him from my chair at Jade’s vanity. But it quickly becomes clear who’s on the other side.
“You’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding,” my friend softly protests, taking a step forward to make the crack in the door smaller.
“Yes, well, I listened to that superstition last time and my wife and son are still dead. You’ll forgive me if I don’t put any stock in frivolous traditions the second time around.”
“Cassio…”
“It’s okay,” I interrupt, getting to my feet and approaching from behind Jade. “I’m not even in the dress yet. Give us a few minutes?”
My friend gives me a sad smile and dips her head. “I’ll be right in the next room.”
She quickly maneuvers out the door and allows her brother to step inside. I may not be in my dress, but he’s certainly in his wedding attire. It’s a black three-piece suit, tailored to him perfectly. His black tie and white shirt are crisp, like they’ve never seen a single wrinkle. And his trousers… I shouldn’t be looking at how nicely they fit his frame.
Once the door clicks shut, Cassio meets my eyes with his crystal blues. They’re soft but assessing. I’d forgotten how handsome he was, or maybe I’d never looked at him long enough to think about it. His bone structure is strong, with its lovely defined lines and distinctly masculine shape. He used to have stubble all over his jaw but he’s clean shaven now. And his smooth brown hair is longer on top, giving him some wavy texture that draws my attention.
Blinking out of my observation, I hope that he hasn’t caught me gawking at him. Luckily, he either hasn’t seen or doesn’t care if he has.
“Doc told me he gave you something?”
I swallow a small wave of embarrassment, feeling an unnecessary hit of weakness. I wasn’t strong enough to go into my wedding without medication, not while knowing my mother won’t be here to see it. She won’t ever see anything ever again. I shouldn’t feel ashamed for finding strength difficult to hold on to, but it seems I can’t control much of anything going on in my mind now.
“A light mood stabilizer,” I explain, looking down at my hands. “It’s only half the dose of what he gave me before. Are you upset?”
“No,” he answers without hesitation. “Merely concerned with how you’re feeling. You’re not too fatigued, are you?”
The sincerity in his words helps me relax. I don’t know why I assumed Cassio may be angry or offended by my choice. This family has been nothing but patient and understanding with me thus far.
“I’m okay.”
I’m not. But physically, I’m fine.
And I’m not tired. The medicine can make people drowsy, so I realize why he would ask. Having your bride pass out from exhaustion while walking down the aisle isn’t a good look for any groom—let alone one who is doing this entire ceremony for appearance’s sake.
“I apologize that I didn’t come speak with you sooner.” He shifts slightly on his feet. “I’ve been packing, mostly. And organizing our trip.”
“It’s fine.” I shrug. “I didn’t expect you… I didn’t expect anything more. You’re already helping me by agreeing to this.”
His head tilts. “Expect more.”
“W-what?”
I must have misheard him.
Cassio takes a single step forward, erasing most of the distance between us. We stand mere inches apart now.
“Expect more from me, Ana. This marriage is arranged, but it is very much real. Expect me to act as a husband should. I should have made time to come and see you sooner. I’m going to do better, and you should feel comfortable calling me out if I don’t.”
I don’t think I breathe the entire time he speaks, feeling more and more shocked with each word that passes his lips.
“Is that what you came here to say?” I ask, forcing my voice to remain steady.
“It’s part of it,” he confirms.
“But not all?”
“No.” Reaching into his back pocket, he retrieves a small black box. Startled by the implication, I stare at his hand as nerves rush through me.
“I wanted to give you this,” Cassio continues. He cracks open the jewelry case, revealing a sparkling ring. It’s a silver band with a square blue stone cushioned in the center with small diamonds surrounding the edges.
My hand flies up, covering my mouth before a gasp can escape.
“It’s a Moretti family heirloom,” he says, plucking the gorgeous piece between two fingers. I find my left hand captured and don’t flinch at the touch, reveling in how secure I feel in his presence. “My great-grandfather mined the stone himself, on a small island off the coast of Italy. He and his brother found a small deposit near this cave they used to explore as boys. It’s a blue diamond, and my great grandmother asked for it to be made into her engagement ring, since it reminded her of his eyes.”
Bloody hell.
“Cassio, that’s…” I breathe out, trying to find the right words. “This ring must mean so much to your family. How can I possibly accept this? “
The man doesn’t listen to my protest, choosing to slip the ring onto my left finger instead. It glides on without struggle; somehow the fit is flawless.
“Seems as if it were made for you,” he notes, nodding to my hand as he releases it. “The ring does mean a lot to our family. And that’s exactly why I’m giving it to you.”
It’s undeniably beautiful, and I don’t want to take it off.
“Are you sure?” Gulping, I wiggle my fingers to watch the gemstones shine. “It wasn’t hers, was it?”
As soon as the question comes from my mouth I want to shove it back in. I would never want to share a ring with another woman, especially one that my husband-to-be loved, but that was horribly insensitive.
“I am so sorry,” I blurt out quickly. His body has gone stiff, and I immediately feel terrible. “I don’t know why I just said that. You’re being so kind to me, and I never meant—”
“It wasn’t.” He cuts off my rambled apology. “Isobel was buried with her ring, it was her mother’s.”
“Please don’t feel like you need to explain yourself.” I wring my hands and wince. I cannot believe I’m already making a mess of things with Cassio and we haven’t even been married yet. “I’m all out of sorts, I don’t normally behave this way, I promise.”
“You’re allowed to ask,” he offers, posture softening once again. “We’ll get to know each other and questions like these won’t feel like an invasion after a while. Communication is how we develop, Ana.”
“You’re being too nice to me.”
“It’s not difficult, I assure you.” He offers a small, heartening smile. “Since we’re running out of time, we should get to the crux of why I’m here.”
My throat constricts with nerves. “There’s more?”
He’s already checked on my health and given me a family heirloom that is probably worth more money than a car. It appears my groom is more intense than I expected.
“Indeed,” Cassio tells me with a nod. “I have a proposal for you.”
“We’re already getting married,” I attempt to joke, cringing at the lame reply.
“We are.” He offers a smile. “But I wondered, perhaps, if you would be interested in adjusting the type of marriage we are about to enter?”
Frowning slightly, I ask, “Is something wrong with the contract?”
“No, no,” he denies. “This kind of adjustment doesn’t need to be noted in any contract. It’s above the typical laws of men.”
“Oh?”
“Have you heard of a Moretti Blood Marriage?”
I must look as bewildered as I feel, because Cassio chuckles and doesn’t wait for my answer before offering clarification.
“I’m not surprised, it’s a centuries old tradition in our family. A ceremony that few Morettis have chosen to partake in. Essentially, you wouldn’t just become my wife, you’d become a Moretti.”
Blinking at him wildly, I wrap my arms around my stomach. “What does that even mean?”
“Instead of becoming Dante Moretti’s daughter-in-law, he would recognize you as his own blood. As far as our family is concerned, you would be Jade’s sister. All of my brothers would consider you one of our own. It’s like a marriage and an adoption, all in one.”
“That sounds… are you serious?”
“It’s not something that is done often. We all know about it, we all understand it, but not many of us choose to do it. Moretti men already consider marriage a life commitment, but a blood marriage is so much more.”
“And you want this? With me?”
“I do,” Cassio pledges. “I want you to have more than a husband, Ana. I want you to have a family. Someone took yours far too soon, and I don’t mean to replace them, but I want to give you everything I can. My family is the biggest strength I have to offer, so let me share it.”
My heart is beating so fast, I can feel it drumming in my neck. I can’t deny that it’s an attractive offer, nor that I want to greedily accept.
“How do we do it?”
Cassio breathes out, like he’s relieved that I haven’t shot him down. He insists that we take a seat, and for the next few minutes, jumps into an in-depth explanation of how the ceremony will go. I know he called it a Moretti Blood Marriage, but I didn’t expect to actually bleed.
The reality of the new type of wedding doesn’t scare me away. In fact, it draws my interest the more he talks. He tells me the specific words needed to be exchanged, and the way we’ll be bound. He also says that we don’t need to prepare anything differently, and that all of the required elements will already be in the vicinity.
Before I know it, I’ve already agreed to participate.
“It might hurt,” he eventually warns. “Just a little.”
“What could possibly hurt me more than the pain I’m already drowning in?”
“I’m so sorry, Ana,” he says, hesitantly threading his hand in mine. His hold is comforting, and our fingers tangle neatly together despite their difference in size.
“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this brave act,” I admit in a whisper, my throat going tight. “I feel like I’m seconds from cracking, Cassio. How do I make it stop?”
“You’re strong, Ana. Stronger than you probably ever thought you could be.”
“I don’t feel strong.”
“You can do this,” he insists.
My lips tremble. “H-how?”
“Remember why you’re doing it,” Cassio advises. “Remember that somewhere out there, the people responsible for tormenting you could be watching. Don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing your pain. These bastards want you to break, Ana, and you’re allowed to. But they don’t get to see that from you, do they?”
My head shakes and he hums in encouragement.
“No, they don’t.” His large hands wrap around the top of my arms, offering a firm source of solace. “Once we’re done here, and on that plane, you break however you need to. I’ll be with you through every step, but now, now you hold your head high, and you show everyone why you aren’t to be fucked with. Can you do that, Ana?”
“I can,” I determine, straightening my shoulders.
“Good.” He squeezes my arms softly before standing. “I’ll see you at the altar, forza.”
