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“Who are they?” she asks, leaning towards me as she catches sight of Sofia, who is dressed in a loose silk sundress that ties behind her neck and falls to her knees, hiding the hint of her bump that shows when she stands up to greet us and the silk falls just right, and Caterina, who is dressed as elegantly as always in slim black cigarette trousers and high heels, a long-sleeved, high-necked ivory blouse concealing the scars I know she has on her chest and arms. Her hair is neatly pulled back in a bun, but Sofia’s is in a high, youthful ponytail, which is at odds with the slightly pinched look on her face. She’s clearly as thrilled to be here as I am to have her—which is not at all—but Caterina looks more pleasant.
“That’s Sofia Romano,” I say in a low voice to Maggie, gesturing. “She’s the wife of the Italian mafia don in Manhattan, and Caterina Andreyva is the wife of the Bratva leader there.”
“Okay, but why are theyhere? At your wedding dress appointment?”
“Because my mother probably invited them,” I say tightly, under my breath. “Their husbands are helping Connor. So I need to be as friendly and welcoming as I can be. And also because I have plans for them, too.”
“Plans?” Maggie glances at me.
“I’ll tell you later.” I’ve considered whether to make Maggie a part of my foundation or not. Anything that puts her in the same circle as the mob wives could potentially expose her to danger, but at the same time, I trust her and her input—not to mention the fact that having someone on the board whoisn’ta wealthy and privileged wife of a wealthy white-collar criminal could be…beneficial.
“Okay. Well, don’t let them give you any shit,” Maggie whispers fiercely as the two women walk towards us. “This is your day.”
One of a number of them upcoming,I think as I force a smile for Sofia and Caterina. I have a bridal shower and a bachelorette before the wedding, and while I’m appreciative of everything that’s being done to celebrate, I’m also ready to be past it. I don’t believe Connor will do what Liam did and break our engagement for any reason, but I know I’ll feel a lot better when the vows are said and the marriage license finalized.
“Who is this?” Caterina says archly, looking at Maggie. “We’ve already met your friend Angelica.”
Angelica is much more the mob wives’ speed—a tall and elegantly pretty girl who was in a sorority in college and who dresses as if she’s going to an appointment with a client every day. She’s an in-demand Boston wedding planner now—still a more normal life than mine—but I have no doubt that if someone in or adjacent to any mafia made overtures to her, she’d be more than happy to grab the proposal with both hands. Maggie, on the other hand—
I’m not sure she’s ever going to get married, if only because she’s so fiercely independent that I don’t think any man can keep up with her.
“This is Maggie Murphy, another of my friends from college. Maggie, this is Sofia Romano and Caterina Andreyva.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Maggie says with a brightly forced smile, shaking both of their hands with a vigor that seems to leave both of them slightly taken aback.
“Ladies, are we ready?” The bridal associate, a perky blonde woman with a nametag that saysJackiewaves at us. “Your mother is already pulling dresses, Ms. O’Sullivan, so if you’d like to get started—”
“Oh no,” Maggie groans. “Okay, Saoirse. I’m going to pull some that you’ll actuallylike. Be right back.”
She darts off before I can stop her, leaving me with Sofia and Caterina.
Sofia reaches for my hand, looking at my ring. “Very pretty,” she says archly. “It’s a bit bigger than the one Liam gave you.”
“That’s because Liam didn’tgiveme one at all,” I tell her, an edge to my voice as I pull my hand away. “He used a family ring from my father, because he didn’t bother buying one for me.”
“Well, you can’t expect a man to buy an expensive ring for a woman he doesn’t even want to marry, can you?” Sofia smiles tightly at me. “But then again, your father has practically blackmailed Connor into marrying you, so there really isn’t any other way for you to make a match, is there?”
“Sofia—” Caterina says warningly, but I just smile at Sofia, feeling the blood in my veins turn icy as I stare her down.
“At least I didn’t have to be kept under lock and key to avoid being murdered as a nuisance,” I say sweetly. “As I recall, your husband wasn’t all that pleased about the marriage, either.”
“That’s in the past.”
“Connor and I will have a past, eventually, too,” I tell her evenly. “And a future, just like you do. We all do what we need to survive in this world, Sofia. The only difference is that you and your ballerina friend weren’t born into it. You don’t understand the meaning ofduty, only your own pleasure. Just like Anastasia, and apparently Liam.”
“You’re going to make a widow out of her,” Sofia hisses. “And her child—”
“I’mnot going to do anything,” I assure her. “Except what I’ve been told, and marry the man who has offered me security and a place in this world. What he does is not up to me. If Liam shows half the brain I know he once had, he can avoid making his pretty new bride a widow. But again,” I add as Maggie comes back into view. “That has nothing to do with me.”
“You can influence him, and you know it—” Sofia starts to say, and Caterina grabs her elbow.
“That’s enough,” she says calmly. “Saoirse, I’m sorry. This isn’t the place for this.” She pins Sofia with a dark stare, and the other woman seems to shrink slightly, although she follows Caterina’s urging to go back and join Angelica and my mother on the couches.
“Jesus, this is why I never joined a sorority,” Maggie mutters as she watches them go. “So much passive-aggression.”
“It’s rapidly becoming not even passive on Sofia’s part,” I say with a short laugh. “But it’s her best friend that’s been mixed up in all this, so I suppose it’s hard for me to blame her.”
“The one Liam threw you over for?” Maggie glances at me, and I nod. I don’t take offense to her choice of words—she’s always been direct, and that’s yet another thing I love about her. I can trust her not to mince words.
