Just as he had for the past six years, Carlo did a great job of ignoring Annette's existence. With his date always there, touching him and flirting with the Sicilian tycoon, Annette was happy to return the favor and kept her focus on Joyce, Fantino, and their friends that didn't seem interested in rehashing six years ago.
The rest of the week was more of the same. Annette spent the rehearsal doing her best to avoid looking at either Carlo, or her parents. It helped she was just a bridesmaid and not maid of honor. That position had been filled by their oldest sister, Lynette.
Annette didn't mind in the least. While she wasn't exactly an introvert, she really didn't like being the center of attention among this crowd, and Lynette's role meant she was the one giving the formal toast to the happy couple at the reception.
Annette didn't mind a bit when the youth she served focused on her. She was comfortable leading workshops for them, but that was different.
Carlo brought yet another beautiful companion to the rehearsal dinner, much to Lynette's obvious chagrin. Apparently, her older sister expected Carlo, as best man, to be her escort and complained to both sets of parents loudly enough to be overheard.
Annette would have found it all laugh worthy if she wasn't fighting her own jealousy over the date's presence. After five years, she should be more inured to such feelings, regardless of her feelings for the man.
After all, she had been strong enough to walk away when she realized it wasn't working. Which wasn't the show of strength she wanted to believe it was, because she doubted that decision almost every day, wishing she'd tried to at least talk to him again, wishing above everything she'd handled the cancelled wedding better.
Texting her parents and asking them to alert everyone else had been a colossal mistake.
Because of course they hadn't. They'd let everyone think she'd skipped town without a word to them. Why Carlo had shown up at the church when she'd told him to his face it was over, she didn't understand to this day.
CHAPTER 2
The wedding was beautiful. Joyce's Regency inspired gown had not been designed to hide her pregnancy and she glowed with joy from the moment she entered the church.
Annette could see not a single sign of wedding jitters.
The reception was held in one of the old grand hotel ballrooms, so exactly the way that Joyce had always said she wanted things to be, Annette couldn't help smiling. Though she was operating on her last reserves after a week of being her family's pariah and the recipient of censure from Carlo's extended family and friends.
His parents were wonderful, and of course so was his younger brother.
Carlo simply ignored her and that hurt most of all.
Done with it all, Annette had tucked herself into a corner of the ballroom away from everyone, just waiting for the bride and groom to leave so she could too.
"I cannot believe you were selfish enough to come to Joyce's wedding, Netta." Lynette's spiteful voice invaded Annette's solitude.
Sighing, Annette looked up. Lynette was glaring down at her. Nothing new there.
"Don't you have things you need to be doing as the matron of honor?" she asked.
"Can you believe our sister wanted to make youmaidof honor?" Lynette asked derisively, as if the distinction between maid and matron was a negative one.
Annette didn't see it. Yes, Lynette had married since Annette left New York, but she had also divorced. That made them both single, if not technicallymaids.
Unlike Annette, Lynette had a busy social calendar though. She'd never landed the catch she really wanted to, however. Carlo Messina showed no more interest in Annette's older sister than he ever had. Despite being best man and Lynette being the matron of honor, Carlo had managed to finagle a change in the dance partner line up and Annette's sister had been stuck dancing with a cousin while Carlo had escorted his grandmother around the floor.
It had been the highlight of an otherwise miserable few hours for Annette, seeing her grasping older sister thwarted.
"I believe you owe me this dance," Carlo's voice startled both women.
Lynette turned, her expression going from sour to sweet in a heartbeat. "Do I?" she asked throatily.
But Carlo was looking at Annette, his hand extended toher.
Without really thinking of what she was doing, she reached out and took it.
He pulled her from her chair, the cornflower blue chiffon of her bridesmaid dress floating around her legs. The three-inch heels of her delicate silver strappy sandals bringing her petite height to average.
Lynette said, "Netta? But why would you want to dance with her?"
Carlo ignored the remark and pulled Annette toward the dance floor.