My Saving Grace

Chapter 28

"Do you think the men are having as much fun as we are?", Alexa asked, inspecting her newly manicured nails.

"I hope so. At least we know Antonio isn't gonna have a bunch of strippers thrown at him," I remarked.

"Just because they're at Lake Tahoe doesn't mean they won't seek out strippers," Ella countered.

"Hmm, that is a valid point," Alexa agreed.

We all laughed.

It was two weeks before the wedding, and Alexa threw me a Bachelorette party in Las Vegas while the guys rented a cabin up in Lake Tahoe for Antonio's Bachelor party. The Rossi brothers loved hiking and the outdoors, so the location was perfect. Hopefully, they'd have the chance to work out their differences and connect again.

We were staying at The Bellagio hotel—Alexa, Ella, Kylie, and I. Kylie and her brother, Declan, were my closest cousins growing up. My maid-of-honor, of course, would be Alexa. Antonio had asked Carlo to be his best man, and he'd accepted. Whether out of family ties or willingly, I didn't know, but I was happy Carlo was making an effort. The two additional groomsmen were his best friends from college, Donovan Reid and Kade Grant.

In fact, Donovan was the one he'd gone to Rio with during our "break-up." Thirty-three, single, and classically handsome, he was definitely a catch. Kade was also good-looking, his features sharp with a face that screamed "I work on Wall Street and own ten cars." Indeed, he was an investment banker, but on West Street at Goldman Sachs in NYC.

To my amusement, Antonio had given him the title "asshole" when he first introduced us a few months back. Apparently, Kade had a history of leading women on then dumping them when he found a "better piece of ass." His redeeming qualities, though, were his love and devotion to his family, especially for his younger brother who had autism.

After our spa appointment, the girls and I indulged at the world-famous Bellagio buffet for an early dinner, and I ate so much crab, I thought I'd turn into one myself.

While we ate dessert, Ella got a call from Peter. They'd been dating for a little over a month now, and I couldn't be happier. Peter had been the one to confess his feelings for Ella right after a guy from work had asked her out on a date which went terribly, simply because he revealed he was married after drinking one too many Long Islands.

"I'm having a great time! We're all going to TAO tonight, too, so Sophia can dance her pants off," Ella said animatedly into the phone. I smiled—her excitement was so contagious.

At that moment, my phone buzzed with an incoming message from Antonio. I opened it to reveal a breathtaking picture of Lake Tahoe, the water so clear and blue, it almost looked like a beach. Green pine trees surrounded the perimeter of the lake as the snow-capped mountains loomed in the distance. I typed a response.

Me: That's an incredible view.

His reply came seconds later.

Antonio: It's more beautiful in person. How's the view in Vegas?

Smiling to myself, I texted him a picture of my giant plate of crab legs before putting my phone back in my purse.

Later that night, we all dressed up to go clubbing at TAO. I wore a white, one-shoulder dress with a side cutout, exposing my hard-earned tan, while the others wore little black dresses. Alexa even threw a gold "Bride-to-Be" sash on me, completing the look.