Page 22 of Moonlight & Matrimony
“I’m going to stop you right there. We’re doing this. I have Paige, Nana, and Cade coming over for dinner tonight so we can get out ahead of it and invite them to the wedding tomorrow.”
“Wedding? Mr. Luca, I was the bestest flower girl for Auntie Paige. Right mommy?”
“The best, my love.” She looks down at her daughter with a tender smile and something in my heart cracks wide open. I’mnot sure what this feeling is, but I know without a shadow of a doubt I will do everything I can to keep her scumbag ex from snuffing out that light in her eyes.
“I’m not sure how you want to handle this with Rylin, so I’ll leave that to you. Can you come over around six? I’m making Nana’s famous gnocchi.”
With a resigned sigh, she agrees. “I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, Mr. Luca.”
“You can just call me Luca, little one. See you later.” She glances back with a wave as Ivy leads her down the sidewalk, and the smile she aims in my direction hits me square in the chest.
Ivy
We step onto Luca’s front porch at exactly 6pm on the dot. It looks like we’re the last to arrive and I’m hesitating on the stoop, my nerves taking over. But my daughter has no such compunction, and she wastes no time rapping on the front door. When the door swings open, Paige’s bump comes into view first. I wrap her in a quick hug, noticing the scowl on her face when I pull away. She’s never scowled at me before — it’s almost unnerving.
“You have some explaining to do.” Her fists land on her hips, but she’s too damn cute to be intimidating.
“Mommy, why does Auntie Paige look like she gots to poop?”
A boisterous laugh carries over the threshold, and my insides do a little flip. “Let them in, sis. We’ll explain over dinner.”
“Come in, traitor. I can’t believe you and my brother are keeping secrets from me.”
“I promise it wasn’t on purpose. You-know-who has been causing problems, and your brother has been a huge help.”
“I can’t wait to hear this,” Cade says, his dark eyes narrowing in my direction.
“Uncle Cade looks like he gots to poop, too.” Everyone except Rylin laughs as Paige leads us further into the house. It exudes a cozy rustic charm with exposed wood beams and various shades of dusty blue on the walls. As we make our way to our destination, we pass an expansive living space with an oversized gray sectional that I would kill to curl up on for movie night. In the middle of the dining room is a large table with an antique finish. A long bench takes up one side while the other has shaker style chairs that match the dark wood of the table. It could easily seat ten, and, with its similar style to Paige’s rocking chair, I’m certain it was handmade by my fake fiancé.
“Wow, Luca. This house is beautiful.”
He smiles. “I can’t really take the credit, but I’m pretty happy with it.” He turns to address his guests. “Dinner is ready, so why don’t you all find a seat. Ivy, can you come help me in the kitchen for a minute?” I nod and he gestures for me to walk ahead of him. His hand finds my lower back as I shuffle past, guiding me back towards the kitchen. A shiver skates up my spine at his touch. Instinctively, I step away, putting some distance between me and the man who’ll become my husband in less than 24 hours. “Did you talk to Rylin?” he asks.
“I did. She reacted about as well as you would expect a 4-year-old to react.” I shrug, attempting to secure a mask of indifference. I can’t tell him that Rylin asked if he was going to be her new daddy, and if he would be nice to us. It shattered my heart, and I had to step outside to compose myself before coming over for dinner. This fake marriage isn’t ideal, but it’s the only hope I’ve got right now. That doesn’t mean I have to let him in — he hasn’t earned the right to know me on a deeper level. Nobody has. And, if I'm being honest with myself, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to open up to another man that way.
Luca must notice something in my expression because he drops the basket of rolls he was holding, tilting my chin to meet his gaze. “What are you not saying?”
“It’s nothing, Luca. Let’s just get back in there.”
After a few heartbeats, he releases me with a resigned sigh. “Okay,” he says. “Let’s get this over with. Can you carry the salad?” I take the large bowl off the island, leading the way back to the dining room as hushed voices carry down the hallway.
“I’m telling you—” Paige’s voice is barely audible, but I still can make out most of the words. “Rosie said they’re engaged. Heard it straight from Ivy. If anybody knows anything in this town, it's Rosie Sullivan.”
“Rosie is right,” Luca says, with no hesitation whatsoever, his voice carrying in from behind me. I step over the threshold, placing the salad bowl in the middle of the table. Luca reaches my side in three strides, brushing a hand against my back as he places a giant dish of gnocchi down beside it. I glance up into his deep brown eyes, pleading for him to keep talking so I don’t have to. My heart leaps right out of my chest when he leans down and gently kisses my temple, as if in answer to an unspoken question. Nana gawks at the gesture and Rylin squeals in delight. “It’s true. Ivy and I are getting married. Tomorrow. We hope you’ll all be there.”
“But you only met like a month ago!” Paige shouts.
I extend a hand towards my best friend in mock greeting. “Hello Pot, nice to meet you. I’m Kettle.”
Cade snorts and I plaster a smug look on my face. “She has a point, Sunshine.”
“Ok fine. But you need to tell us how this happened.” She gestures wildly between her brother and me, her face scrunched and lips pursed.
I open my mouth to speak, but Luca beats me to the punch. “Honestly, I’m not really sure. When I visited for the first time,I ran into her at Chapters & Brews. She didn’t know who I was to you and I didn’t mention it. She introduced herself and we struck up a friendship.”
The lies slip so easily off his tongue, despite every single plot hole running through my head. He continues, “But I didn’t really see it until she stormed over to my house bright and early on my first day in town, knocking on my door with this fire in her eyes. There was something about her I couldn't ignore. Add in this little cutie right here —” he tousles Rylin’s curls, looking down at my daughter with fondness, “— and I didn’t stand a chance.” Luca’s words steal my breath, leaving me utterly speechless.
