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“Did you enjoy your dance?” The way he said it made me look up at him. “It’s tradition for the new Don to dance with his mother, or in your case the Donna to dance with her soon to be father-in-law.”
“Oh, I see.” I drew the glass to my lips, thinking how sweet it was that they were bending tradition for me.
“I’ll take that.” Niccola snatched the glass from my fingers and dumped it in a plant. “Nonna thought you might be thirsty. She sent that over to you.”
“Where is she?” Elio’s sweet tone evaporated.
I placed a hand on his chest and made him look at me. “She wants a reaction, so don’t give her one.”
We spent the next hour visiting as many people as we could. Niccola and Vinni hovered, and Francesco seemed to always keep me in sight. At one point, I closed my eyes and turned to Elio. He instantly read me and knew I needed a moment of quiet.
“Wyatt,” Elio called over my head, “would you let Niccola know we’re going to slip out for a bit?”
“No, that’s all right, Elio.” I knew how important it was for him to stay and socialize. “Wyatt can take me. I won’t be long.”
“All right.”
“Come on, little Donna.” Wyatt grinned as he hooked my arm and handed me his water glass. I was more than pleased to have some water. I hadn’t realized how parched I was.
“You were pretty amazing out there.” He smiled. “This life suits you.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, there was a time where you wore the same outfit to work for days and stole cherries from the bar top. Do you know how many people put their hands on those things?” He shuddered dramatically as we walked.
“When you’re hungry, you’re hungry.”
“And now look, you’re in a designer dress, heels, have fabulous hair, you’re the queen of your land and are marrying Italy’s most eligible bachelor. I mean, he’s scary as hell, but sexy as sin.”
“That, I’ll agree with.”
When we turned a corner, I spotted a familiar face. He was about to walk into a room off the hall but caught my eye.
“Hey, stranger.” Tieri, otherwise known as Elio’s Santoro brother, backed up and made a show of tucking his hands in his pockets as he strolled toward me. “That was a pretty impressive speech the two of you made.”
“Thanks.” I tried to smile. “Who are you here with?”
“Umm,” he looked around and pointed at a young woman in a blue dress with a fancy headpiece, “her.”
“Pretty.”
“Just a date, nothing more.” His gaze came back to me, and I shifted as an uneasy feeling came over me. Tieri was one of those men who never stepped over the line but often flirted with it.
“Would you happen to know if any of these rooms are free?” Wyatt came to my rescue, and I squeezed his arm to let him know I was happy he’d stepped in.
“Yes, actually, this one’s empty.” He motioned for us to follow him to the room he’d been about to enter earlier. He opened the door then stepped back.
“Thanks.” Wyatt waited for Tieri to leave and spoke quietly. “That man screams asshole and sleaze.”
“That he does.” We slipped into the room, and I took a deep breath for the first time all night.
“That was—”
“Intense,” I interrupted him, “yeah.” I leaned my butt against the windowsill and pressed my palms against my knees as I mulled over what we’d just done in front of our country.
“And you thought your gorgeous self on theFab Magazinebillboard was a lot of attention.”
“Don’t remind me.”
