Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 553 -

*Natalia*

I walked back into the dressing room in shock and got back into my regular clothes. Alina seemed to catch on that I wanted to get out of there, so we left shortly after, avoiding Bianca.

The trip home was quiet and peaceful. I was exhausted, so I zoned out while looking out the window.

The scenery outside of the window was probably beautiful, but I wasn't really seeing it. I just stared out the window as my thoughts wandered elsewhere.

I tried to forget about Bianca and took to daydreaming about my wedding day, picturing myself in a beautiful dress with my hair done perfectly and Tallon looking at me with that lovestruck expression of his that made my heart flutter in my chest.

Then I remembered the look in Bianca's eyes when she said Tallon's name... and the daydream was shattered.

No matter how many times I told myself to forget her and tried to picture Tallon and me dancing or to imagine what his suit might look like, I just kept thinking about Bianca. The jealousy twisting in my chest made me feel awful.

It wasn't like me to dwell on something like this. It must have been the nerves about the upcoming wedding getting to me. I was afraid of something going wrong, so I was getting worked up over something small. That was a logical explanation... it didn't make me feel any better though.

I knew that I shouldn't let the interaction with Bianca bother me, but it had overshadowed all of the pleasant parts of the event. Even though I wasn't quite as excited about the bridal show as Alina, I was excited about possibly replaceing the perfect dress and finally being able to picture myself as a bride.

But now I couldn't shake the dark cloud that had fallen over me.

I was being silly. Even if Bianca still had feelings for Tallon, that didn't mean that he had lingering feelings for her.

He had never given me any reason to doubt his affection. I loved him and I know that he loved me, so there was no reason to worry. Right?

Despite my attempts to think positively, I was in a bad mood when I got home.

When I got back to the house, I paused before going in. I took a few deep breaths and thought about all of the positives of the event. I was so excited to marry Tallon, and our wedding plans were really starting to come together.

I tried to keep a pleasant expression on my face as I entered the house. I didn't want to give Tallon the impression that I wasn't excited about the wedding.

It was starting to get late, but Tallon was still in his home office. I knocked lightly on the door frame and he stood and walked to the door to greet me.

Of course, Tallon could tell immediately that something was wrong.

"Welcome home, darling." He bent to kiss my forehead and when he stood back, I could see the worried crease in his brow.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not really," I said. "I just ran into someone unexpected while I was at the bridal show."

"Who would that be?" he asked.

His tone was concerned, and I knew that there was no point in avoiding the topic. He would worry if I didn't tell him, and I would keep dwelling on it if I didn't ask. "Bianca," I said. "Your ex-girlfriend."

Confusion crossed his features for a moment before he nodded. "Ah, her," he muttered. "Was she working there or something?"

I shook my head. "No, she's getting married," I explained.

"Good for her," he said dismissively. "Did she say something that upset you?"

I shook my head. "You've never mentioned her before," I pointed out.

He looked surprised at my words. "Why would I have?" he asked. "We were barely together. We dated for maybe four months and that was-" he looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess it was eight years ago now." "I never would have guessed that," I said. "The way she talked about you, I would have thought it was much more recent."

A sour look settled over his face. "I ended things quickly because she was far too clingy."

I nodded thoughtfully. She must have been far more into him than he was into her for her to talk about Tallon the way she did after so many years.

"Did she say something that upset you?" he asked again.

I shook my head emphatically. I didn't want him to get worked up about this or feel like he needed to defend me in some way.. "No, I'm probably being silly...." "But...?" he prompted.

I sighed at him. "You know me too well. It's annoying sometimes," I griped.

"Best get used to it, sweetheart," he said. "Now tell me, what's gotten under your skin?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "There was just something about her that unsettled me. I feel like she's going to cause problems. I can't explain why."

"I promise you, I won't let that happen," he said seriously.

He pulled me into his arms and I wrapped my arms around him and leaned heavily into his embrace. Being in his arms made everything else feel unimportant. I tried to hold on to that feeling.

"I just don't want anything to ruin our day," I muttered.

"I will be marrying you, so it will be the best day of my life no matter what else happens," he said firmly. "And I will make sure that it's everything you've ever dreamed of and more."

I smiled against his chest. "I know that you will," I said. "It's going to be a dream come true."

I pulled out of the hug and looked up at him. I was a little embarrassed that I had gotten so upset.

"Bianca is nothing to me, and I will not allow her or anyone else to detract from your big day, sweetheart." He waited for me to nod my understanding, then smiled. "That aside, how did it go? Did you replace a dress that you like?"

I thought briefly about the dress that had matched Bianca's that I'd left behind, but I decided to shake the thought of her aside and focus on our wedding.

"I have an idea of the style I like. But the models were... not like me. It would have been more helpful to see dresses on women who have a similar build; it would make it much easier to pick out a dress that's flattering for me." Just talking about picking a dress got me excited about the wedding again. "I think it will be easier when I go shopping because I have a general idea of what I want now."

Tallon had a fond smile on his face as he listened to me talk. My excitement about the wedding was difficult to contain. It felt so much more real now that we were planning the details. My heart was so full when I thought about it that I worried it might make me cry. Part of me still couldn't believe that this was real.

"Any dress will look good on you," Tallon said. "You could show up in a beige jumpsuit and you would still be the most stunning woman in the room."

I laughed at the image and shook my head at him. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm glad to hear it was a success," he said. "I must admit, I had my doubts that a bridal show would really be helpful."

I smiled. Tallon was so used to living in luxury that an event like a bridal show probably seemed bizarre to him. "I know that it isn't the type of event you would enjoy, but overall, I am glad that I went."

"If it helps you to replace what you like, then it's great," he said.

I knew he was telling the truth, but I could also tell by his expression that he didn't really get it. It wasn't that he didn't care, but things like dresses and decor and wedding favors just weren't up his alley. The little details of the wedding didn't matter to him, not compared to the fact that we were getting married. I didn't fault him for that.

"That reminds me, we have the cake tasting tomorrow. Don't forget," I said. "We have to settle on a flavor."

"I haven't forgotten," he assured me. "I'm looking forward to it."

He seemed sincere. I was looking forward to it, too. Any chance to spend time with Tallon was welcomed, but it was even more special because we were planning our wedding.

"You still have business to take care of, don't you?" I asked.

"It won't take long," he promised. "Then I'm yours for the rest of the night."

I didn't miss the suggestive tone in his voice. I was sure that my cheeks flushed at the thoughts that came to mind, but I just smiled and shook my head at him.

"Take your time," I said. "I'm not going anywhere."

His eyes moved over me slowly before he bent to kiss me gently.

I considered pulling him into a deeper kiss, but if he really had work to do, then I didn't want to interrupt him. I returned the kiss and he lingered a moment before pulling away. "Fifteen minutes," he said.

I nodded, then he turned and went back to his desk.

I headed toward our bedroom to get changed. It was a little too early for bed, but after spending the day in public, I felt like I needed fresh clothes.

I was excited to spend the day with Tallon tomorrow. The cake tasting would be fun. I had a feeling that I would want something simple, but trying a variety of extravagant cakes would be interesting if nothing else. Besides, we might just replace something that Tallon really likes.

The wedding was about both of us, so while I appreciated that he wanted to make it the wedding of my dreams, I knew it should represent Tallon and his tastes just as much as mine.

I looked through my dresser, trying to decide what to change into.

I did feel better after talking to Tallon about Bianca, but the uneasy feeling I had about her was still there.

If she was planning a wedding here, then there was a chance we'd run into her again.

I shuddered at the thought. I did not want to run into her again, and I definitely didn't want to risk being with Tallon and running into her. I knew it would be awkward, to say the least.

It suddenly occurred to me that there was a chance we'd see her at the cake tasting tomorrow. The bakery we were going to was extremely popular and, since they were advertised at the bridal show, a lot of the brides who had attended that would probably be checking them out.

I hoped that I was just being paranoid. I didn't want my day with Tallon ruined by her.

He seemed annoyed at the mention of her name. It made me think that there was more to the story than he was letting on. I didn't think that he was lying exactly, but maybe the breakup was messy and he didn't want to talk about it. Whatever the case, I knew in my gut that Bianca was going to be a problem. The way she said Tallon's voice proved to me that she wasn't over him.