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Simone
That bitch. Zelda was up to something. I had been getting bad vibes from her since she turned up at Nicolo’s house. After hearing her conversation in the bathroom with her “boss” I confirmed that she was an undercover agent. A stupid one, at that. Who has a full fledge conversation about working undercover with their FBI boss on speaker phone in a public bathroom? The fool didn’t even hear me when I entered.
When I discovered her sneaking around my office, I wanted to take her head off. The only thing that kept me from going off was the fact that she was an agent, and I didn’t want to go to jail. There was a way to get rid of her, but I needed to play the long game to throw off suspicion. When I informed Nicolo of my findings, he was livid.
“What the fuck do you mean, Zelda’s an FBI agent?”
“I overheard the stupid bitch on the phone talking to her boss on speaker phone. Then I caught her in my office when I went back to get my laptop at lunch.”
“That means she was bugging your office. I can’t believe this shit! She has been on staff in my law office for three years and nobody caught it. Thank God for you, baby.”
He stalked to me and pulled me into his arms and kissed me. Those lips were so magical. I swear, anytime the man touched me, I was floating on a cloud. What the hell was he doing to me?
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It will be taken care of when we leave for Italy in a few days. I don’t want you to worry about anything except getting married. Just be careful while you’re in your office until I can get the guys in there to sweep the place.”
***
My wedding dress fit me perfectly. As my mom helped me pin the headpiece on my short natural coif, I looked at my reflection in awe. She really did a great job with my attire. The dress, while white, was adorned with silver swirls that accentuated my curves. The neckline was a deep v that boasted plenty of cleavage. From the form fitting waist, it flowed to the floor in a mermaid like shape.
I felt very beautiful, and I hoped Nicolo would love me in it. A pair of silver strappy sandals finished the look. Mama handed me my bouquet, made of white calla lilies with strands of silver and purple intermingled throughout the stems. My girls were all dressed in purple with matching flowers. My parents had graciously paid for everyone’s flight so they could be a part of our day.
“That’s the final piece, baby girl. Are you ready to step into your new life?”
“She ready!” I sang in my Tiffany Haddish voice.
I was doing the nae nae when there was a knock on the dressing room door. My mom moved through the gaggle of bridesmaids, luggage, and flowers to see who was knocking. My girls and I continued to do our dance. I was so hyped. I couldn’t believe in just twenty minutes I would be Mrs. Nicolo DeLuca.
“Where’s my baby girl?”
My dad burst into the room with his larger-than-life personality. He was so handsome in his tuxedo that it brought tears to my eyes. I refused to cry for fear of messing up the beautiful makeup job Sheree did on my face. It was as natural a look as she could get, but it still made me look like a queen. It took her an hour to create the look, and I was not going to ruin it.
“Here I am, Daddy!”
My first love catcalled and howled, as he made his way over to hug me. I could have sworn I heard him sniffle, but when he pulled away, his eyes were as steely as ever. I knew he was sad to be giving away his baby girl. However, I also knew he was happy that I was finally getting married and bringing our family together with the DeLucas.
The wedding planner came barreling into the room to gather the wedding party. They all filed out one by one, leaving me alone with my dad. Mom was in charge of the girls and was giving them the business to make sure they were perfect. I know they were sick of her pestering, but she gave zero fucks.
“Baby girl, you look beautiful. That damn boy is lucky as hell to be marrying you. I know you’re doing this for the family, but if that man starts treating you bad, you just say the word. I will kill that motherfucker and burn his bones. Fuck the treaty. My daughter is more important.”
“Thank you, Daddy, but I should be fine. Nicolo is a good man. He has been nothing but nice to me so far.”
“All I’m saying is, it better stay that way. Despite this being an arrangement, I still want you to be happy, Simone. Marriage is not easy, but I know you will be able to work it out if you are happy.”
“I will be, Daddy, but if I am not, I’ll let you know.”
A huge smile donned his handsome face. He stroked his goatee, as he looked into the mirror. It was a sure sign that he was feeling himself.
“Your boy is looking sharp today!”
“You sure are, Daddy. Mama better keep her eye out for the thirsty hoes tonight. I hope she brought her mace.”
“Girl, your mama doesn’t have anything to worry about. I am a one-woman man. Always have been.”
The only thing I remember about the wedding ceremony was Nicolo’s smile. It was non-stop from the moment I walked into the door until the moment we said our vows. It disappeared when he grabbed me and kissed the shit out of me right there in the church in front of God, my father, and a slew of DeLucas. Hot damn! I couldn’t resist reciting the classic line from The Color Purple when the priest pronounced us man and wife. I turned to Sheree and screamed.
“I’s married now!”
That evoked a chorus of laughter from the Baldwin side of the church. The DeLucas. Not so much. The women looked extremely confused, and the men had stone faces. That made me laugh my ass off. Nicolo leaned in and whispered in my ear to find out what was going on.
