Page 18 of A Touch of Fate

Two months before the wedding, Samuel came to Indianapolis and visited me at our home. I still lived with Danilo even though that was supposed to be a temporary thing. Mom hadn’t coped very well after Dad’s death, and taking care of me—which she insisted on doing to an extent I definitely didn’t require—took too much of a toll on her. Danilo hadn’t minded letting me live with him, and I’d preferred it too. He worked a lot and didn’t hover like Mom did.

“What does he want?” I asked Danilo, who’d announced Samuel’s visit to me just an hour before it was supposed to happen. So typical. I had been busy crafting the origami flowers I wanted to use as place cards for our wedding tables. I was almost done with them but would have to start crafting the white cranesI wanted to use as decoration hanging from the ceilings over each table.

Danilo’s brows puckered. “I assume he wants to discuss last-minute details of the wedding.”

I almost laughed. Like most men in our world, Samuel hadn’t been involved with organizing the wedding. I hadn’t expected him to be. Maybe I’d hoped we’d be in contact now and then, but he’d simply given me carte blanche to do whatever I wanted. Mom had naturally taken him up on the offer and spent the past year organizing the wedding. She preferred to do things her way. Even I had a hard time giving her input. The number of arguments we’d had until I was allowed to create origami decorations for our wedding had been ridiculous.

I moved into my room on the first floor to put on some makeup and brush my hair. I was in a cozy but flattering cashmere dress and wool tights because the past few days had been cold. I grabbed my new pair of caramel-colored suede pumps from my wardrobe and put them on. After Anna’s encouraging words about me wearing high heels, I finally found the courage to buy these on my last shopping trip with Giorgia. I hadn’t dared to wear them yet, though, stupidly worried people would react badly.

I felt a sudden burst of nerves. I hadn’t been overly nervous about the wedding yet. Maybe because it had seemed so far away, and still like it might not happen at all, but now Samuel was here to discuss last-minute details.

My stomach tightened. What if he wasn’t here to discuss the wedding but the cancellation of it? I suddenly felt sick.

Samuel had known what he’d get when he agreed to marry me, but maybe, over time, he’d changed his mind. Maybe now that only two months remained, he realized that he’d spend the rest of his life with a disabled woman. I hated that the thought even crossed my mind, but Samuel and I didn’t know each other.Nothing bound us except for the promise between our families. I didn’t know what he thought of me. I knew what most people in our world thought of our bond, though, and it wasn’t very favorable.

I went into this bond completely blind, and so did he. Maybe he, like so many people, thought the wheelchair defined me and my every waking moment revolved around my disability.

I took a deep breath. I was being overdramatic. Samuel wouldn’t come to visit to tell me the wedding was canceled. He’d talk to my brother as the master of our family, and Danilo would have warned me and probably raged like a madman if that were the case.

The bell rang. I’d spent too much time fretting over things that were unlikely to happen. Since my accident, I often felt anxious when I encountered a new situation. I shook my head. Everything would be all right. After a glance in the mirror to make sure I looked presentable, I left my room.

When I wheeled into the foyer, Samuel and Danilo were shaking hands. Their tense expressions would have renewed my worries if I didn’t know that these two weren’t friends, and thus, all of their encounters lacked enthusiastic greetings. They’d argued often in the past, even if I wasn’t aware of the details. Maybe it was bound to happen because each man was marrying the other’s sister.

Samuel glanced my way, and his smile became less tense, but it was still far from joyful or warm. He looked like the perfect ice prince in his beige coat, white dress shirt, and beige dress pants. I smiled, but it felt just as tense as the atmosphere in the lobby.

“Good afternoon, Emma,” Samuel said with a small nod. I had to give it to him; he didn’t look at my wheelchair in that awkward way some people did, but neither did he ignore it completely as if it offended him.

His gaze slid lower to my heels, and a hint of surprise crossed his face before he focused back on my face. “Good afternoon,” I said quietly, my cheeks hot. Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t worn the heels or, better yet, not bought them at all.

“You came here to talk about the wedding?” Danilo inquired in a tone that bordered on rude.

“I don’t have much time. I’m returning to Minneapolis early in the morning…” Samuel trailed off.

“Let’s go into the living room. We can discuss everything there,” Danilo said.

Danilo went ahead toward the living room, leaving Samuel and me behind.

I wanted to say something clever, or at least mildly entertaining, but with Samuel’s blue eyes trained on my face, I couldn’t come up with anything. He motioned in the direction of the living room. “After you.”

“Thank you,” I said and moved ahead. I could tell he was slowing his steps to stay behind me as his walk was usually more brisk, but I appreciated this small gesture. However, I wanted to see his expression, even if it was hard to read. At least it gave me a little something.

Danilo settled on an armchair, and I stopped next to him. Samuel removed his jacket and put it over the armrest of the sofa, then sat down. I had to resist the urge to stare. The dress shirt really looked great on his tall, muscled frame.

“What is it you want to discuss?” Danilo asked, tearing me from my thoughts.

“I’m in the process of renovating the house Emma and I will live in, and I wanted Emma’s input on certain design aspects to make sure she would feel at home.”

My eyes widened in utter surprise. Of course, I’d known we’d move in together but until now it had been a distant concept. Now it suddenly became very real. And I had to admit I wasincredibly touched that Samuel had thought about ways to make the house accessible for me.

“If it’s a two-story house, then you need to install an elevator so she can reach the upper floor. There’s a lot to keep in mind. Ramps into the backyard and out of the front door.”

I glanced between them, growing increasingly frustrated over their discussing things as if I weren’t present. “An elevator would be good,” I said firmly, causing both men to look my way. Samuel’s unwavering attention drove heat into my cheeks, but I returned his gaze. “A floor-level shower, wider doors, a lower kitchen counter and sinks, handles beside the toilet…” I trailed off. Then because I didn’t want him to think of all the difficulties my disability might cause him, I added, “Once the house is accessible, I can live a completely independent and normal life.”

Samuel nodded. “It’ll be done.”

“Maybe you should ask for help from an architect who has experience with this?” I suggested.

“Do you know someone?” Samuel asked, surprising me.

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