This Heart of Mine

Ch. 14: Meet The Parent

All preparations were complete for the wedding. The attendees were seated away in the main area while the groom and his men were stationed at the front. They'd gone for a cheery, sunny theme, and sunflowers dotted the walkway leading up to the podium. The pale pink cloth that decorated the stage whipped around in the wind.

Lauren's mom, Carmella and a couple of other women, who usually ignored Naina on a good day, were lined up on the other side, looking beautiful in pink colored halter dresses. Penny and Vincent Mariani were in the very front row, checking out the decorations.

Naina hurried to the back, where Lauren stood, getting some final touch-ups done from the make-up artist.

"You ready?" Naina asked.

Lauren shrugged.

She still hadn't seemed to get over the fact that Naina wasn't fired. Every now and then, she'd shoot Naina some nasty looks. But Naina couldn't deny that her former friend didn't look stunningly gorgeous as much as she disliked her.

Lauren had chosen a beautiful crème-colored mermaid silk wedding dress that fanned out two feet in the back. The front was stylishly cut low, accentuated with lacy borders and a fake pearl finish. Her makeup and hair were done to perfection; she could've passed for a super-model actress on her way to a movie shoot.

"You look amazing," Naina offered.

"Thanks." Lauren looked listless, as if this weren't the best day of her life.

Naina's stomach pouch twisted uneasily, but she put on her brightest smile and said, "You're on in one minute. You ready?"

"Yeah."

Naina and Dexter, her longtime assistant, opened the big door amid gentle 'oohs' and 'aah's. The band that'd been hired for the wedding started up a soft ballad that slowly crooned across the grassy surroundings. Every person stood up; many of the people in the audience were close friends or family, so it wasn't an incredibly huge wedding party.

They all watched as Lauren glided by, perfectly balanced on her silver four-inch heels.

Dexter shot a glance at Naina. "Glad this'll be over?" he whispered.

She smirked at him and muttered, "You've got no idea how done I am with that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair."

At six foot six, he was the tallest guy she'd ever met, but a huge softie and someone who'd always lend a hand to those in need. The crisp white shirt he wore contrasted sharply against his espresso toned skin. Despite the unease she felt about Lauren's attitude, Dexter's grin calmed her down.

He clapped a hand to her shoulder and gave her a small side hug. "Well, I don't know how you did it. She treated you so—"

"Nope," Naina whispered, cutting him off. "We can talk about this over drinks at Moon Moon."

He gave her another huge smile and they turned back as Lauren settled next to Dominic.

Even from a distance, Naina could see Ian in his dapper suit. The cut of the jacket fabric against his shoulders and arms was a vision to marvel at. She tried her best to keep her eyes on Lauren and the surroundings, to make sure nothing would go wrong.

But she found herself watching Ian's gentle smile, the way the wind tried to ruffle his intact, styled up hair and his freshly shaven face. As the pastor started reading his spiel, Ian eyes danced around and they connected with her's.

The wide grin that slowly spread across his lips rooted her in her seat, even in the back of the wedding area. Tendrils of nerves spread into the wood floor and the grass beneath, leaving her unable to think properly or break the gaze from him. Several young ladies in front of her twittered uncontrollably, like annoying mosquitoes. Each of them thought that he'd looked at them, but Naina knew that his smile was meant for her.