A Sicilian Marriage [PUBLISHED]

Chapter 7: The Gown

You feel very romantic when you're in a ball gown. Everyone should wear one once in a while.

-Carolina Herrera

Coco Spencer's POV

It's been a week since I hired Lucia Salazar to create a wedding dress for me. From the day I arrived in Paris it became my routine to spend the day in her shop to watch my wedding dress come to life. She only laughed at the bullying I promised her if she couldn't make me a wedding dress fast enough.

The Spanish woman claimed that she's used to be bullied by her sister-in-law before. I was stunned for a moment but I could see in her eyes that her remark was filled with affection towards her sister-in-law.

She told me firmly that she's not a superhero. She couldn't create a wedding dress in just one week. I don't think that I could wait that long for me and Rafe to be married. I even offered my service—even though, I don't know basic stitching. Either she takes pity on me or wants to send me away as soon as possible, Lucia Salazar suggested if I'd like to consider wearing a cocktail-length wedding dress instead of the traditional one.

Now that she had said that it occurred to me that I don't want to wear such a gown with a long train behind me. I don't want to have such a burden of dragging that excess fabric on my wedding day. So the fashion designer sketched another design that I instantly fell in love with at sight. Seven days to be exact since that day my wedding dress is almost done.

"Hello," I greeted cheerfully, as I enter her boutique.

Lucia Salazar smiled at the sight of me while showing the door to her new client. "I thought you are not coming today. Please come in, your wedding dress is done."

"I bought coffee for us, here." I gave one to her and another one to her assistant. Since I visited her almost every day our relationship elevated from client-customer to being friends. Yes, she's my newest friend. She's talkative like me. "I know you want to get married as soon as possible so I tried to finish your gown last night."

"Oh, that explains the dark shadow under your eyes," I remarked playfully. "Here I thought you didn't sleep well last night because you are still thinking that—according to you—"arrogant man" who happens to be your brother's ex-bodyguard who sees you anything but a little girl."

She threw me a disapproving look. "Let's get some fact straight here, Coco. That man didn't even come to my mind even once after he resigned at my brother's employment."

"Yeah, right." I agreed with her with a smile, as we starts to walk inside her workroom. "That's why you have often mistaken random guys outside to be him."

She frowned at me. "I do not do such things! Oh, how I hate his face. He's a monster, Coco. You can ask my sister-in-law if you want. That man gave Leila such a hard time during the first month of her marriage with my brother. He follows her like a shadow."

I laughed at her comical face. Lucia Salazar was as transparent as I glass whatever she felt showed in her expression. "That's his job, sis. He's a bodyguard of course he will follow your brother's wife like a shadow to protect her."

Lucia snorted. "Protect, indeed. That's why he's attacking women in the dark area of the estate and plays with their feelings." She whispered under her breath. "I wonder how many women he kissed in the estate."

"Excuse me?" I asked when she muttered something that I didn't hear clearly.

She shook her head and smiled at me which didn't quite reach her eyes. "Enough of that man. What can you say about your dress?"