Page 93 of Lodged

“I can’t believe I’m marrying my best friend today,” I murmur to myself, still in awe of what’s happening. It feels surreal. In a few minutes, I'll be walking down the aisle to Gio in front of all our friends and family. I hear Rain’s voice through the bathroom door, a comforting reminder that I’m not alone.

“Hey, are you almost done in there?” she calls out. “You’ve got a big crowd out here waiting for you!”

“Yes, just a second,” I reply, studying my reflection. My thoughts are swirling, but I’m smiling. “Can you believe we’re getting married at the Biltmore? It’s the biggest private house in North America. What is this life!”

“Gio really pulled out all the stops,” she says, a smile in her voice. “Now, get out here, Ruru. I’m sure you look perfect.”

I laugh softly. “Thanks, Raindrop. It feels like a dream.” And she’s right—Gio has spared no expense for our wedding. All of our guests are staying attheBiltmore Hotel, and we’re spending our wedding night in this magnificent place. I never thought any of this would be possible—a small-town girl who’s been welcomed into a whole new world.

These past few months have been busy—returning to school for something completely different from what I’ve studied before has been harder than I anticipated, but Gio has been a great support through it all.

We commute together to school now that he started teaching a couple of classes and try to spend as much time together as possible.

“When do you want to get married?“ he had asked me one night.

“Summer,” I’d replied immediately, already imagining it. “We’ll both be on break, and we can take a nice, long honeymoon.”

And now, in just a couple of weeks, we’ll be heading out on a one-month road trip to Italy—one of the items on our bucket list. “I’m so excited to cross it off,” I’d told him while we were planning our little adventure. It took us months, but we have everything mapped out, from stunning places to stay to beautiful ruins and historic sites to visit.

The building for the environmental department got approved in record time, and they’ve been hard at work. I hope it’ll be up and running next year. In the meantime, Gio is doing amazing as a professor, and he even created an environmental club at our local high school. He takes the students on hikes and trips around the mountains and teaches them about our ecosystem and how to enjoy it while protecting it.

Gabo, Gio’s brother-in-law, is an architect and was very excited to help us design the place for my rehab center. I’ve even come up with a name for it: Serene Lookout. I want to make sure we not only offer physical therapy but also mental support. The wounds that can’t be seen are sometimes the hardest to heal. I’m living proof of that.

Gio’s siblings are here, with Luca as his best man and Isabella as one of my bridesmaids. Besides Rain, who is my maid of honor, I really didn’t have many female friends to stand up with me at the altar, so having Isabella and Karina, Luca’s wife, is a big deal for me. I hope we can create a strong bond, even though we live so far apart.

Luca and Karina came with their newborn, and he’s the most precious baby I’ve ever seen. Enzo Bianchi has everyone wrapped around his little finger. My mama and Granny have been hinting not so subtly at Gio and me that they want a baby to take care of, but I want to finish school before I become a mom. I want to dedicate all the time in the world to our baby. Or babies. I would have a dozen children with Gio, that’s for sure.

Gio’s friends Vicente and Penny are also here. Vicente will be a groomsman along with Gabo and my brothers, and Penny will be my other bridesmaid. It’s funny how, at one point, I thought Gio and Penny had something going on, but once I got to know her, I realized their friendship was genuine.

Penny has visited us a few times at our place in Azalea Creek, and I cackle each time Gio tries to convince her to move closer.“Come on, Penny,” he teased last month. “It would be so much easier if you moved here. We could just meet in person instead of over the phone all the time.”

Penny scrunched her nose. “Small towns are cute in theory, Gio, but I think I’m just too much and not enough for this place,” she replied, pretending to gag at the idea. Her aversion to rural life makes me laugh every time.

Vicente is here by himself, even though originally he had RSVPd for another adult and a child. From what Gio shared, he’s seeing a single mom and wanted to introduce her and her daughter to everyone at our wedding. I was excited to meet the woman who finally got the biggest playboy I’ve ever known to fall on his knees, but I guess we’ll have to make a point to visit them in London sometime soon.

“What’s the hold up, Ru? Do you need me to get in there and help?” Rain asks from the door, pulling me back to the present. I’ve been hiding in the bathroom, wanting to have some time to myself. I love having everyone here celebrating our love, but it can be overwhelming to be the center of attention when all you want to do is to marry your best friend.

“No, I’ll be out in a second. I promise,” I tell Rain as I take one last look in the mirror. My dress is breathtaking—a chapel-length train flows behind the ivory, handmade boho, A-line design. The illusion top is covered in delicate floral lace that trails down the sides, and the back of the dress is adorned with hundreds of tiny buttons, each fastened with care. An ivory leaf-vine headband rests like a halo on my free-flowing hair. At the center, a small clip shaped like a puzzle piece with the Sol de Mayo at its heart honors both Daddy and Gio—each in their own way. The puzzle piece is for my father, while the sun represents Gio’s heritage and his dedication to environmental causes.

“I miss you, Daddy. Wish me luck,” I whisper.

The moment I walk out of the bathroom, there’s a collective gasp. Right on cue, I feel the heat rising up my chest.

“Oh, my sweet darling, you look stunning.” Mama comes to hug me as her eyes mist over. “Here, I wanted you to have the ‘something old’ from me.” She opens her hand, and I see a beautiful, pearl necklace with a flower pendant. “Here, let me help you put it on.”

I turn and bend my knees so Mama can clasp the pearls around my neck. Once she’s done, I turn and give her another hug, my throat suddenly feeling too tight.

“And I made you a handkerchief as your ‘something blue.’” Isabella, who's an artist, approaches me and hands me a beautiful silk handkerchief—the blue is the same shade as Gio’s eyes. When I open it, I see she has embroidered our initials and today’s date on it. My eyes immediately water, and I start fanning my face.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to make you cry,” she says, and everyone in the room laughs. I dab my eyes with the handkerchief and give Isabella a big hug.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Thank you for loving my brother the way he deserves,” she says as she lets go.

I nod at her, damn tears and emotions clogging my throat.

“He’s the most special man I know,” she says, then hurries to add, “Besides Gabo, of course.” We all chuckle, and then she covers her mouth. “Don’t tell Luca I said that.”

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