Page 44 of My Billionaire Seal Next Door

The entire living room is packed with flower arrangements. I can hardly breathe the overly sweet scent in the air. Gabi's mother is smiling so widely that I feel like she might be high on something. She seems way too excited to see me here.

"I came to see Gabi," I say, nervously looking around at the decorations and lace and flowers. Someone runs past in a colorful dress that seems over the top for a random daytime outfit.

"She is at the church already, but we are heading there now." She says, pulling me further into the knot of flowers.

"The church?" I say feeling shocked when I come to my senses about what is going on.

"Yes, she is there already. Do you have a suit? I am sure she will want her friend there." Her mother has not let go of my arm.

Someone in the back of the house shouts, "Are we ready to leave? I think we are going to be late."

Gabi's mother huffs in response, "There is no way in hell I am going to be late for my own child's wedding." She still has her fingers clamped around my sleeve. "Has anyone seen my handbag?" She looks around the room. I point to a handbag hooked on the arm of the sofa nearby. "Aah, thank you, my love." She says to me, moving to get it and dragging me along with her. "OK, I think we have everything we need. She shoves a giant basket of flowers into my arms and says "Carry this. Everyone let's get going." She shouts into the house.

I try again to excuse myself, but she is not listening. I am still locked in her tight grip.

So, this is what has been happening? Gabi is getting married. I begin to feel like I might throw up at this sudden realization. That is why she did not answer my messages, why she turned cold towards me. Now it all makes sense why she would not answer my calls and why she did not even want to discuss things with me. There was nothing to discuss. She was engaged to someone else, and I was just some last-minute freedom fling that she thought she would have. I try and turn to leave. I need to get out of here. There are too many flowers, and the noise is too much and there are too many people.

"Have you got a suit?" Her mother asks me again, eyeing me up and down. "Actually, you look pretty good in what you are wearing now. It is a nice shirt." She dusts her hands over my shirt and straightens the collar. "Come on, we have to get going." She says, pushing me towards the door.

"I think I should go," I mutter.

"Yes, we are going now. Just drive with us."

She pushes me towards a car and before I know it, I am in the back seat with flower girls on either side of me and two baskets of flower arrangements on my lap. Gabi's mother leans back from the front seat and tells me that I should hold on to the flowers tightly as she worked on them all night. I do as I am told, and I can feel my eyes wide with shock. How the fuck did this all happen so fast? I am in the back of a car, surrounded by kids dressed up as flower girls, and a giant basket of flowers smothering me. I feel like I can't breathe and I am on the way to see the girl I was about to propose to getting married to some other guy, and I am really worried because I am not even near a window and I feel like I might puke any moment now.

CHAPTER 21

GABI

Ihang my head over the toilet in the bathroom at the side of the church. I hope to hell that no one has heard me vomiting as I am already dying of embarrassment.

I go over to the sink to wash my face, hopefully not messing up the make-up that my neighbor's daughter did for all the bridesmaids.

I hear a knock at the door. "Are you ready, honey? We are about to start." My mother is trying to rush me along. "I am almost done, Mom. I will just be a second." I call with as much enthusiasm in my voice as possible. I don't want to ruin this big moment. The last thing I need is for anyone to know I have been puking in the bathroom just before walking down the aisle with my brother's wedding party. I take a deep breath and dry my hands on the towel then straighten my beautiful bright yellow dress and open the bathroom door.

"Okay, Mom I am ready." My voice freezes in my throat and my head spins. I feel as though I might drop dead right in the doorway.

Alex is standing at the door wearing a black shirt and black slacks. He is holding a bunch of red roses and when I look into his eyes he actually looks as shocked as I feel right now.

"Alex?" I say as a million questions race through my mind.

"Gabi." He says, a smile beginning to trace his lips. "Yellow?"

He stares at my dress and his smile gets wider. "I know. It's not my color. Lita chose it and all the bridesmaids are wearing it." I get lost in a pointless explanation. Then finally come to my senses and ask the important question, "What are you doing here? How are you here? How did you know where I was?" Ok, I ask more than one question. They race off my tongue in bewilderment and Alex stands there, still grinning at me, but also still looking shellshocked. Did my mother call him?

I am about to ask another question even though he has not answered any of my other questions. But then another bridesmaid in an equally bright yellow dress rushes past me and grabs my arm. "Gabi, we are up." She pushes me towards the church doors, and I glance back to see Alex standing alone now, unsure what to do.

I am pushed towards the aisle and the music starts to play. We walk slowly up the aisle in our one step, one step, formation. It takes all of my willpower not to turn around and scan the room to see if I can find Alex.

What the hell is he doing here? I start freaking out. Did my mother actually call him and tell him where I was? How else would he have known where I was? He even came dressed for a wedding, in that gorgeous black shirt, rolled up over his toned forearms that caused me to almost lose my breath. Finally, I reach the front of the church and step to the side to stand next to the altar. My brother looks amazing and his grin spreads from ear to ear as he catches sight of Lita walking up the aisle behind us.

I want to pay more attention to everything, but the truth is that I am panicking about what my mother told Alex why he is here, what he is thinking, and if he is angry or not.

I catch sight of him at the back of the church, sitting in the last row. He is so tall it is actually hard not to notice him. His broad shoulders could almost fill two seats. I chuckle to myself. He is much taller than every single person here.

I fidget with my feet and my fingers pull at the ribbon around the bunch of flowers I am holding. My brother and Lita are busy saying their vows and all I can feel is Alex's eyes on me. I wish I could read his expression from here. I calculate in my head what is happening after the ceremony. There are photographs. Then after that is the reception. I am not going to be able to talk to Alex for at least another hour, if not longer.

I force myself to look towards my brother when I hear the priest saying, "And do you, Rafael, take Lita to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

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