“I hope so,” I tell them. “Speaking of the bride, I need to make sure everything is going okay, and everyone is less sweet tea and more normal.” I smile at them as I turn and walk out of the barn.
The sound of birds chirping off in the distance fills me with a peace, of sorts. Until I hear shots again. This time I look up and see Billy and Cooper Sr. standing together, while he shows him how to hold the gun.
I put my hands on my head before I run toward them. “Do you think we can hide all the weapons for today?” I ask Billy, who just smiles at me.
“Will do, lass,” he agrees, ignoring me and turning and walking away from me. I turn back, running to the bride’s room, and when I’m about to open the door, another shot fires through the air.
I rush, gasping for breath. “Everything is fine,” I pant out when I walk into the room. I try to settle my breathing as I push my hair to the side and put a smile on my face, even though it’s a fake smile.
“The men were thinking of maybe saluting you guys by shooting off guns and one sort of misfired.” I see the horror on Sofia’s face, and I know I have to calm the situation down. “No one is hurt.”
She laughs at me at the same time someone knocks at the door. “Can I come in?” a male voice says as he sticks his head in. “I come with gifts.” I turn my head to look toward the door and the voice.
It’s as if everything happens in slow motion. I can literally hear myself blink as it happens. My eyes fall onto the man who is coming in. I can feel the blood drain out of my whole body as he steps in, his six-foot-four frame filling the room. His black hair that felt like silk under my fingers is styled perfectly on his head. He doesn’t have to look at me for me to know that his eyes are green. He’s wearing tan pants with a white shirt and a tan vest; the same thing the groom’s party will be wearing.
Someone gasps and I have to wonder if it’s Sofia, and when I turn to her, I see her looking at me with confusion on her face. It’s then I realize I’m the one who gasped. It was me. This can’t be happening, I think to myself; my head feels like it’s spinning around and around at the same time that I feel the room spinning the complete opposite way. My mouth goes drier than the desert on a hot summer day,
my tongue feels like it just grew in my mouth. The back of my neck slowly starts to get clammy and my fingers are tingly. Am I having a stroke? Maybe he’s not here in front of me. Maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me from the sun and heat from outside. Maybe I got shot by one of the bullets.
All these things run through my mind but halt when his eyes stop looking around the room and then, finally, he’s looking straight at me. “Oh my God,” I declare as I put my hand to my mouth. “It’s you.” It’s him, the man who has been haunting my dreams for the last five years. The man I met one night in a bar and went home with. The man who all I knew is I fell in love with his name. The man who is the father of my child. The minute I think of Avery, I know I have to get out of here and get her away from here. Except, I have no idea where she is. I know she’s somewhere with Shelby’s kids and she is fine.
The color on Stefano’s face drains and he looks like he’s seen a ghost. “You,” he says in a whisper. I can see Sofia at the side of me, her head going from me to Stefano and back to me again. I can’t even imagine what she is thinking. The only thing I’m thankful for is no one in the room besides the three of us sees what is going on. I’m about to sit down or my legs are about to give out when I hear Avery shriek. I close my eyes, trying to force her to go away. Or maybe I close my eyes, thinking if I do this, everything that is happening right now isn’t actually happening. Maybe all of this is a dream. Maybe he’s not right here in front of me.
“Momma, Momma!” Avery shouts, running to me and I look down at her. Her hair is pinned at the sides and she’s wearing a halo of flowers. The white dress she is wearing has short sleeves and looks like there are flowers all over it. It kicks off and looks like a mini ball gown as it brushes her knees.
Her little blush-pink, sparkly ballerina shoes make the outfit complete. “I get to wear a princess dress.” She turns around in a circle on one foot, stumbling while she looks at Sofia and then at Stefano.
“Oh my God.” Stefano gulps, putting his hand to his mouth. I have no doubt he’s put two and two together. Her eyes are the same eyes he has. They have the same golden ring around them. The sound of my heart beating in my chest is filling my ears, along with the sound of buzzing.