Page 166 of His Juliet

I twirled in the full-length mirror.

The beadwork created beautiful lines on the otherwise simple silhouette, but the most dramatic part of the dress, by far, was the plunging neckline in the front and back. The top of the dress was structured enough that I didn’t have to wear a bra and my boobs still looked perky. It was more cleavage than I’d shown possibly ever, but I felt so sexy.

The dress clung to my curves, not hiding my wide hips or belly.

“It’s perfect,” Sienna said.

“You don’t think it’s unflattering?” I gestured at my midsection. The two of them shouted their disagreements, and Charlie joined in, too.

“Okay, okay!” I shouted, interrupting their fervent pronouncements that I was asexy goddesswith the prettiest tits they’d ever seen. My cheeks hurt from laughing. “Then I guess this is the dress.”

Happy squeals ensued, and we spent the rest of the morning talking about the wedding plans while we drank and snacked.

* * *

Romeo’s handskimmed my back as I curled against his chest in bed. It was almost midnight and he’d just gotten home thirty minutes ago. He was taking on extra work now so he could have everything set for our wedding day and “honeymoon” after. We had no plans to travel, but Romeo apparently had a full week of activities for us planned in the apartment.

I was just excited to have him to myself for a week.

“We talked about the guest list today,” I said. “And I was wondering if you had invited your mom.”

Romeo hardly ever spoke about his mom. They very occasionally talked on the phone, and I knew she lived in Italy, but other than that, she was a mystery.

His hand froze on my back. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s coming up kind of soon.”

When he didn’t respond, I propped myself up on his bare chest. “You haven’t told me much about her. Were you close with your parents growing up?”

His fingers played with the ends of my hair. “We were all close when I was a kid. My parents were amazing. They had an arranged marriage, but my father said he fell in love with her when my mom walked down the aisle. I had an amazing childhood.”

“I’m so glad you had that,” I said.

He wrapped both arms around me, hugging me to his chest. “I wish you had had that, too, angel.”

I hummed. “What happened then?”

“Matteo’s father, Aurelio Rossi, was Don. His brother, Aldo, was hungry for power and murdered Aurelio. Matteo and Sienna barely escaped with their lives. We spent the next two years at war—my family and many others supported Matteo’s claim, but some supported Aldo. They targeted everyone who supported Matteo. A group of Aldo’s men broke into my parents’ house and held them hostage for days. They tortured them, eventually murdering my papà. I barely got to her in time.”

I pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, wishing I could take away the pain. I was sure there was a lot he was leaving unsaid because it was too hard to speak, or because he wanted to shield me from it, but I appreciated him sharing as much as he had.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “It’s horrific you all went through that.”

He took a deep breath. “My mom moved to Italy after it happened, and things have been strained between us since.”

“Do you ever visit her?”

He shrugged. “I was in Italy a couple years ago and saw her. She has a new partner now—a woman named Francesca she met after moving there.”

“Does that bother you? That she’s with someone new, and a woman?”

He shook his head. “No, I want her to be happy. I met Francesca just once, but they seem good together.”

“She’s the only family you have left. We have to invite both of them.” When he didn’t respond, I cupped his cheek. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He gave me a quick smile. “Nothing. I’m sure my mom will be excited to come. She’ll love you.”

I still had a feeling that he was holding something back, but I wouldn’t push him. I trusted he would tell me when he was ready.

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