blouses, sweaters, and shoes filled the space. She looked at Matteo with a trace of guilt in her eyes. “I might have gone overboard.”
“No matter, you deserve it all.” He kissed her forehead and pulled out a black dress that went down to her lower calves. “Something in this shape, but not so… black.”
“Oh? Okay, well, I have it in emerald green.” She pulled it out of the green side of the closet. She’d coordinated it all by colors, which might be OCD she thought, but it made sense to her and that’s what mattered.
“Hmm. Maybe not.” He frowned and looked along the greens before he moved down to the reds. “This maybe.”
He pulled out a long sheath dress, put it back, then pulled out a red lace and silk Valentino dress. The very top of the dress and the sleeves were lace with ruffles that came just above her wrist. It was mid-thigh length, tasteful, sophisticated, and just a little sensual.
“Perfect,” he declared. He pointed at a pair of red heels and then went to her jewelry box. He’d filled that lately too until she almost felt as if every day was Christmas. He pulled out a pair of gold and ruby earrings, studs, and a ruby ring that matched.
“That’s the decoration taken care of,” he said with a smile and turned to look at her. “Now, what else?”
She laughed because it had taken him five minutes, whereas she’d done nothing but think about which dress would be appropriate for days now. The dress he’d chosen was one she’d dismissed as too girlish so she asked him why he’d chosen it.
“Celeste and my family, the friends she’s invited to this exclusive dinner, will all judge you on the front you present. A sexy dress will make them think you’re a tramp that married me for my money. A formal dress will look like you’re trying too hard. This dress is too much for a board meeting, but it’s perfect for this kind of dinner. You’ll feel confident and look the part.”
“It sounds so simple when you put it like that.” She looked down at her nails, manicured with gel almond-shaped nails and a nice scarlet red polish with a slight hint of black glitter at the tips. “I feel so inadequate sometimes.”
He came up to her and tilted her chin up to look into her face. “You’ve not had a lifetime to learn things like this, Marie. You had a lifetime of trying to survive, of dealing with a mother that didn’t want you, of feeling like your only purpose was to be a servant. Well, that’s over with, baby. You’re my wife now, and you get to think about the important things, but also silly things like this, that don’t really matter, but they do matter to people in this world you’ve found yourself in.”
He pulled her down to the bed, an understanding smile warmed his eyes as he did.
“I couldn’t do this without you.” She clutched at his hands, desperate for the comfort only he could give her. “I’d be so lost.”
“You wouldn’t have to if it wasn’t for me.” Guilt marred his features, and they both looked away. It was the first time they’d really had any kind of conversation about the matter. She waited, breath held, as he sat there, looking for the right words to say. “What I did, I did for family. I did because I thought it would save us both in the end. It wasn’t right, but I can spend a lifetime making it up to you.”
“That sounds good to me.” She hadn’t exactly forgiven him for the lies, the untruths he’d told her. Or the deception he’d been a part of, for that matter. Still, it was hard to stay angry with him, to be cold and unfeeling towards him when he made her feel like a queen every single day. In bed and out of it. “I don’t really want to do this. I feel like I’m walking into a viper’s nest, but it has to be done, right?”
“Unfortunately, it does. And believe me, I’d rather not go either, but we have to. If I’m going to take over for Celeste, then I have to make an appearance. Besides, a few of my cousins aren’t too bad. I think you’ll like my cousin Trina, in fact. She’s the most playful of all of them.”
“A friend would be nice.” She hadn’t thought any of his family would be the kind