Chapter 99
The big day came… and it was perfect.
My friends from design school all came…
As did a dozen of my parents’ friends.
Alessandra was my maid of honor, and my roommate Emma was a bridesmaid.
Dario was Adriano’s best man, and Massimo was the groomsman.
But oddly, outside of his brothers, not that many people attended on Adriano’s side. Only Alessandra’s long-lost relatives from Genoa were there.
Niccolo gave me an explanation while Alessandra was doing a final once-over of my dress.
“Normally, we have all sorts of guests,” Niccolo said. “People you hope you’ll never see again in your life – members of other families.”
“Mafia families,” I clarified.
He sighed. “…the Cosa Nostra, yes.”
I had noticed he didn’t like referring to them as ‘mafia.’ He always used Cosa Nostra instead.
“My wedding was the strangest thing ever,” Alessandra told me. “All these strangers around me, some of whom wanted Dario dead .”
“Why’d they come, then?” I asked in astonishment. “And why’d you let them?!”
“It’s a diplomatic thing,” Niccolo explained. “We’re like a bunch of warring nation-states who call a truce for weddings. We make an appearance… pay our respects… and then go back to trying to kill each other the next day.”
“Wonderful,” I muttered.
“Isn’t it?” he said with mock cheerfulness.
“Then why aren’t there any warring nation-states here today?”
“Fallout from the Mezzasalma situation. Rome, Venice, Italy, Milan, and Naples are still keeping their distance, and everybody else is afraid of angering them. They want to see how it all shakes out first. Therefore… a lot fewer guests than normal.”
“Huh…”
“Trust me – you’re not missing anything. I guess they do tend to give a lot of cash as wedding gifts, but don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.”
I laughed. “Money is the least of my worries these days – which is something I never thought I would say.”
Niccolo smiled. “How are you holding up?”
He meant my injuries from the car crash.
“Great. I feel back to normal again. I’m better off than Adriano.”
My fiancé’s fractured ribs were still causing him pain. The doctors had said it might take 12 weeks before everything healed fully.
“He’ll be fine,” Niccolo said, waving it off. “He’s tough.”
“Niccolo, seriously… is everything okay? Not just Adriano – I mean everything else.”
“Mezzasalma’s men are all dead or fled – and with the Agrellas gone, Florence is fully in our hands for the first time ever. Adriano has restored order, the police have calmed down, we’ve paid off the politicians, and everything’s back to normal. Better than normal, actually. We no longer have a bunch of shady business partners stabbing us in the back.”
“But Mezzasalma was Sicilian,” I said, and turned to Alessandra. “Didn’t you tell me the old lady who tried to kill Dario was Sicilian, too?”
“…yes,” Alessandra admitted.
“That’s a pretty big coincidence, isn’t it?”
“We have our issues with the Sicilians,” Niccolo said, “but we’ll handle it. Just like we’ll handle Rome and Venice and the rest.”
“What about the man I saw at the modeling agency?”
“Probably just a minor player. Might have been nobody. If he’s important, I’m sure he’ll pop up again someday.”
“But – ”
“Look,” Niccolo said as he took my hands, “I won’t lie to you: there will be difficulties. There always are in our line of work. But we will prevail. And everything you did – every risk you took, every time you were willing to sacrifice for this family – is a huge part of why we’ll prevail. So no more worrying about this, alright? Just enjoy today… and relax.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
He kissed my hand affectionately –
And then we heard the organ music start.
“Better hurry,” he said playfully. “Don’t want to be late for your own wedding.”
The ceremony took place on the emerald lawn behind the Rosolinis’ mansion.
There were dozens of folding chairs set out, along with gorgeous flower arrangements that led up to the altar.
My father barely kept it together as he walked me down the aisle. I smiled and kissed him, then joined Adriano at the altar.
He had never looked more handsome than he was at that moment – and he stared at me with more love in his eyes than I had ever seen before.
When we both said “I do,” and the priest said, “You may now kiss the bride” –
It was the most romantic moment of my life.
Adriano held me in his arms and kissed me…
And the entire world faded away…
Until I was brought back by the cheers of my friends and family.
Everything…
…was absolutely perfect.