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Molly
“Here’s what you have to understand about being a Rossi wife,” Allegra says as we walk through the garden. “It’s a fucking lot.”
“Quit complaining,” Stefania says, rolling her eyes. “I mean, yeah, my brothers are a bunch of violent, stubborn pricks, but come on. Life’s good.”
“Life’s good,” Maddie agrees and beams at me. “What do you think so far?”
I don’t have any words. All I can do is laugh and shake my head, and she seems to understand.
The girls introduced themselves to me on the porch. I was told Saul’s mom is usually out there with them, but she was having a bad day and stayed in her room. After we chatted a little, they gave me a quick tour of the house, bantering comfortably with each other the whole time, and now we’re wandering through the most intense and gorgeous garden I’ve ever seen in my life.
“There must be an entire squad of landscapers for all this,” I say, running my hand through a bush.
Allegra snorts. “Yeah, right. This is all Maddie.”
“No way. Seriously?”
“It’s a hobby,” she says casually which makes the other two laugh.
“It’s her other baby,” Stefania says. “There’s Brando, and there’s the garden. Sometimes I wonder which she loves more.”
Maddie gives Stefania a hard look. “Obviously, I love my son the most.” But then she hesitates. “I might love the garden more than Renzo though.”
We all laugh. I feel more welcome than I ever imagined. I figured they’d be cold and tolerant of me at best, but instead, all three are going out of their way to be nice to me. It turns out that Maddie and Allegra both had very complicated introductions to the Rossi world, and Stefania’s just a nice person in general. By the time we’re looping back around toward the back porch, I’m starting to feel a real connection with these women, and I can see myself forming actual friendships.
But then I spot Saul standing in the shade and all that happiness drops away.
“Oh, he doesn’t look happy,” Stefania mutters.
I walk ahead of them, hurrying to him. Saul spots me and walks in my direction. When I reach him, I throw my arms around him and hug him tight, and he hesitates before hugging me back.
“You good?” he asks.
Which makes me hug him tighter. Because of course he’s asking about me first. “I’m fine. What happened?”
“Renzo wasn’t happy.”
“How bad?”
“Very bad. We can talk about it later.” He kisses my cheek and I can tell he’s struggling to keep it together. “I want you to meet Gian.”
We go through introductions. Gian is Allegra’s husband, and I can see the chemistry between them instantly. He’s more reserved and soft-spoken, which is a contrast to Allegra’s big mouth, but they make a good couple.
“You need to talk to your husband,” Gian says, his expression turning dark. “That shit back there wasn’t good.”
“Oh, great. What did he say?” Maddie looks very uncomfortable as she edges toward the house.
“I’m dead to him.” Saul looks away, out toward the garden, as if he’s seeing it for the last time.
“Renzo,” Maddie mutters, exasperated. “That’s too far.”
“That’s what I said,” Gian agrees.
“So what?” Stefania asks, looking around. “He’s pissed, but so what?”
“If I’m dead to Renzo, that means I’m dead to the Famiglia. Which means I’m banished, basically.” He moves closer, squeezing me against him. My heart skips a beat as the weight of it becomes clear.
“Saul, I’m so sorry,” I say but he’s shaking his head.
