Page 54 of Not Mine to Keep

“Rough night. He’ll be fine. No worries.” She played everything off with a shrug while standing alongside me, catching my eyes in the mirror now instead. “He’s a tough guy, but he’s a teddy bear underneath. Just don’t tell him it was me who shared that.”

Teddy bear?More like sweet and then sour (but on steroids).

“This dress, though. Just ... wow,” she murmured, fingering her wavy brown hair that had some blonde sun-kissed highlights in it.

I focused on the mirror, studying my “costume,” which was all it needed to be to me. The base of the dress was a mermaid gown dripping in sparkles, but I currently had the gorgeous detachable skirt covering it with a long train of tulle and lace.

The bodice of the gown cinched in my waist and featured a plunging neckline, and the back had sheer tulle with gorgeous pearl-like buttons.

“This is probably going to be the only time I ever witness my brother get married since he hates the concept of relationships ever since, um ... so, yeah.”

My ears perked up at that. “Ever since what?”

“And I know the marriage won’t last, but you’re just ... well, perfect,” she went on, sidestepping my question, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting an answer.

“That’s sweet of you to say.” I faced her, not in the mood to look at myself anymore. “I owe your family my life. I’m a stranger, and you’re helping me.”

“We’re not strangers anymore, and you can call me Izzy.”

“But Hudson calls you something else?” Embarrassment heated my cheeks. “No filter. See. Case in point.”

“I’m just trying to wrap my head around the fact my big brother told you that. He’s not all that forthcoming about details.” She tapped a black-painted fingernail against her lips as her eyes went wide. “Don’t tell me he told you about the kiss while he was acting drunk last night?” She spun away from me, setting her sights on the room, where the church’s history bled into every square inch of the space.

“The kiss,” was all I managed out, wondering whether she’d go on if I left the words hanging in the air. I could use a distraction from the fact I’d soon be kissing her brother before strangers and God.

An exaggerated sigh fell from her lips as she gathered the skirt of her dress and plopped down on a chair. “I was undercover as Hudson’s girlfriend, and Alessandro said we needed to look more couple-y. Hudson hesitated, so I leaned in and kissed him.” Her hand went to her mouth as if remembering the moment. “Only, he kissed me back. Like tongue and all.” She let go of the skirt and uncovered her mouth to point to her bare arms. “See? Chills. I have chills, thinking about it.” Her eyes swept up to mine. “I have no one to talk to about this, because my brothers would lose their minds if they knew Hudson tongued me. And I think we both enjoyed it.” She laughed.

“So maybe one day you and—”

“No,” she cut me off. “There can’t be an us. Hudson would never. He’s too loyal to Constantine, and he’d never cross that line with me.” She bunched her skirt and stood. “I need to forget it happened. Ihave bad taste in men, and although Hudson is a great guy, he’s like Alessandro. No plans to marry and have kids.”

“I barely know your brother, but I’m guessing there’s a reason Alessandro’s the way he is. Same for Hudson.”

She waved her hand. “I can’t believe I’m being all sulky and making things about me right now. I’m so sorry.”

“The distraction from this madness is welcome, trust me. Plus, I’ve never had a sister. Any sibling. So even if this is all fake ... you seem like a nice one to have.”

“Well, damn. Now I’m going to get attached to you, aren’t I?” She stared at me, blinking a few times as if unsure how to feel about that. “And it’s going to suck when you guys go your separate ways.” Her shoulders fell, and she shook her head. “So, do you have the something-borrowed-and-blue thing already? Or maybe you don’t want to do that because this isn’t a marriage of your choosing. I mean, way better choice to pick Alessandro over the other guy. And no worries, my brother won’t get close enough to a woman to ever break her heart, so you should be fine there, too.”

Don’t trust me with your heart.He’d warned me last night. For a playboy, he didn’t seem to fit the stereotypical model. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, and a playboy would think with his dick and not care, wouldn’t he?

When I’d yet to speak, she went on, “As for something blue, you’ll be giving my brother blue balls in that dress. So you’ve got that part covered.”

I snort-laughed, shocked I’d done that on a day like this, but she chuckled right along with me. “You and I make quite the pair, huh?” I tossed out, and there went my stomach again. Knotting up. Because yup, I’d be losing her from my life, too, when I walked away from Alessandro.

“Probably good we get along since we’ll most likely spend a lot of time together in New York this summer.”

“Wait, what?” I blurted in shock.

“Shit.” She winced. “I forgot you haven’t seen my brother since he negotiated the terms of the marriage with your dad.”

I gulped, feeling a little lightheaded now. “What were the terms?”

“That you get to live with him in New York instead of here for the next three months. Armani’s sending two of his men to bunk at your future husband’s penthouse to keep an eye on you, which means you’ll really have to sell the whole husband-and-wife thing.”

I didn’t want to spend my summer in Italy under the same roof as Armani. But the idea of living in New York instead of Franklin was just ...

There was also something I’d yet to tell Alessandro. Another message had come in from Braden before Marcello took my phone.

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