Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
A beat of silence passed. “What did you say?”
I bit my lip and looked at the ring on my hand. “I said yes.”
“And that makes you happy? He makes you happy?” she asked carefully.
My heart sank.
“He does. I’ve never felt safer or more loved. I just want to spend forever with him,” I said.
“Well then.” She took a deep breath. “Congratulations!”
Her voice crackled over the line so loudly that I dropped the phone and had to scramble for it on the carpet. She was still talking when I picked it up.
“—All I’ve ever wanted is to see you happy, and if this makes you happy, I’m all in.”
The tears gathered at the backs of my eyes welled over, now more happy than nervous. “I’m so glad. I was worried you were going to think I was too young, or this was reckless, or—”
“Baby, I raised you to make smart decisions. If I didn’t think I could trust you to do that, I never would have let you go to Italy.”
I laughed and spun around in a circle. Dahlia hopped off the bed to join me, crowding her mouth close to the phone.
“And the ring is so gorgeous. You’re going to absolutely adore it.”
“You’ve gotta see it, Mom! You gotta come out!”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” She leaned away from the phone and her voice became quieter. “James! Becca! We’ve got news!”
Dimly, I heard the sound of clattering footsteps as the audio transitioned to speaker. I could picture the three of them, standing in Dahlia’s drawing room like old times, and the words caught in my throat. Dahlia was right. We had come so far, all of us.
Of course, Dahlia saw the emotion overwhelming me and stepped in. “Olivia and Gio are getting married!” she bellowed into the phone.
I winced at her volume, then broke into laughter as the other side of the call dissolved into cheers and congratulations.
“When’s the wedding?” James asked.
“Don’t pester the girl,” Becca responded before I could. “We’ll be there as soon as possible to help plan.”
“Yes!” Mom agreed. “How does next week sound? I’m sure my employers will give me the time off.”
We all laughed, and I wound an arm around Dahlia’s waist and squeezed. I was going to marry the love of my life, with my whole family around me. What more could a girl ask for?
“Alright, alright, we’ve got a dinner to get to, and bridge waits for no engagement. We’ll talk!” Dahlia grabbed the phone out of my hands and hung up. Then, she looked at me.
“Happy?” she asked.
I nodded, and an impish smile took over my face. The only other thing I wanted in this world was not to wait.
“Think we can plan a wedding in a month?” I asked.
*Olivia*
It was hard to believe it had only been a month since Gio proposed. The time passed in a flurry of planning and tasting and looking into the eyes of my soon-to-be husband, and suddenly the day was here. Dahlia stood between the mirror and me in a gauzy, light purple sheath dress with a neckline so low it made my mother blush when she saw it on the hanger.
In old Italian tradition, I hadn’t seen myself since yesterday. Technically, I could have looked as soon as I put the dress on, but I wanted the full effect.
“Speaking of the veil,” my mom stepped into the bathroom with a wave of cream lace over her arm, “here it is.”
She’d brought the veil my great-grandmother made almost a century ago. I’d designed my dress around it.
“A lot of love has come to the women who wore this veil,” she said, “and a lot of pain. But we Robinson women are tough.” She settled the veil into my hair and positioned it. “Now it’s your turn, Livi, to survive life’s pains with your love at your side.”
I fanned my face as the tears threatened. “Mom, my makeup!”
She laughed, and I stood to hug her, taking in the much more conservative dress she wore in a matching purple to Dahlia’s.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
“So do you,” she replied. “Do you want to see?”
Becca poked her head in the door. “Is it time for the reveal?”
I nodded, unable to trust my voice, and Dahlia took my hand.
“We set up a big mirror so you could get the full effect. I’ll lead you in.”
I closed my eyes and followed my best friend, just like I always had.
“Alright, open up.”
I opened my eyes and barely recognized the woman in the mirror. My hair was curled into a tight bun and tucked underneath the yellowed lace of my veil. My makeup was perfect in a way only Dahlia ever achieved, but underneath it, I glowed. My eyes were bright, and a brilliant smile split my face.
The dress was everything I had ever dreamed of. My arms were covered in tight sleeves of cream-colored, floral lace that almost matched the veil, floating over a background of nearly clear mesh that made it look as though I was wearing nothing but the lace. The bodice was a simple sweetheart neckline covered in the same lace, though it was lined by the softest satin I’d ever felt in my life. The skirt was the piece de resistance, where I’d allowed my fantasies to run free. The lace dripped down to the top of the ballgown skirt and crawled up from the bottom in a way that made it look like actual plants.
I spun, feeling the weight of the dress and the way I moved in the perilously high heels Dahlia had coaxed me into. The woman in the mirror spun with me, looking giddy and radiant.
“It’s perfect,” I said.
“Good,” Dahlia responded. “Because it’s time to go.”
I turned to face the double doors that were the only thing keeping me from the rest of my life.
Becca kissed my cheek. “I wish you all the love and luck in the world. This road isn’t easy, trust me, but I think you can handle it.”
I smiled at her, and she left for her seat in the audience.
Dahlia stepped to my side and squeezed my hand. “Kick ass, take names, and remember who you designed this dress for when I finally make it down the aisle.”
I squeezed her back, and she grabbed her bouquet of white roses and Italian bellflowers before standing in front of me.
Mom stepped to my side, handed me my bouquet, and looped her arm through mine. “I love you, Livi. So, so much.”
Dahlia flung open the doors and began down the aisle.
Gio had left most of the planning to me, happy with whatever made me happy, but he’d picked the location. The reds and oranges of sunset drenched the small hill overlooking a vineyard in Tuscany in a magical glow. A cluster of friends and loved ones sat on chairs along a short aisle lined with rose petals, at the end of which an arched trellis overgrown with grapevines covered Gio, with Gabriele and Alessandro at his shoulder.
