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“We can still start on time, but I want to go see his mother for just a few minutes,” I explained to the hairdresser. “Go ahead and start with them. I’ll be back shortly.”
I went into the closet and slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then I went straight to Krysten.
She was still in bed but was awake.
I didn’t know how to handle the situation, but I knew kid gloves wouldn’t be appreciated in the long run.
“Look, I know that you’re not just a weak, doting housewife. Today your only son is getting married. After he’s married, we’ll hunt down the people who killed your husband and find out why. I know I’m still new to your family, but nobody gets to mess with family and not suffer the consequences.”
She pulled me in for a hug as tears ran down her face. I held her for a while, knowing she didn’t have anybody to hold her now.
She sniffled and sat back, head held high. “It’ll never be the same without him. I’ll try my best for Luciano and for your sake.” She cupped my cheek. “Thank you, dear. You’re worth more than you could ever know. You are the best addition to this family. I’m so proud to call you daughter.”
I held back the choked tears, as that could be the best compliment I had ever received. In that moment, I felt a part of a family, something I had always wanted deep down.
I returned to the room and let the hairdresser start working on my hair, and the makeup artist did her thing.
Before long, Krysten joined us, and we all had a distracting time discussing other weddings and things gone wrong in the past. Krysten was poised and showed the regality of a don’s wife. I knew I would learn a lot from her.
Trying to keep an air of happiness instead of the sadness that surrounded us, we put on our happy faces. Our hair was done, and they started on the other ladies’ makeup and dresses.
While we were in the middle of all the hair and makeup, I asked Elana how it was living with Carina.
She looked at me with a sly grin.
“Oh, it’s been lots of fun. We seem to be getting along very well.” She winked at me.
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I couldn’t wait to ask Carina about it at a later date.
They might still be a little awkward and Elana wasn’t quite used to being around people, but she was getting better. I thought Carina was good for her.
After everyone was dressed except for me, they all went out for pictures. The hallway stairs were perfect for all the bridesmaids.
When I was alone, I got myself dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. I never fantasized about my wedding day, what was the point. But now, it represented something meaningful to me.
I got to marry an amazing man that I was falling hard for.
One of the soldiers knocked and stuck his head in at my command. “If you’ll go ahead and come on down, they’re ready for you. Oh, and your father’s here.” He closed the door, leaving it up to me if I wanted him to come in.
“Hello,” I opened the door enough for him to enter.
I wasn’t going to forgive him for being a horrible father and an even worse mafia boss. I needed to know that he was my dad just for one day and I was gonna pretend we were a normal family.
“Oh my dear, you are breathtaking.” He sounded sincere in his compliment. “I really wish that I hadn’t gone through with this arrangement with the Romanos. You’ve shown in the past few days that you can more than handle anything anyone could throw at us.”
That was as close to an apology I’d ever receive from him.
“Sorry, Dad. This may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. On the bright side, Angelo is dead. While I wouldn’t have wished Luciano to lose his father, I am glad that the bastard is gone.”
He sighed. “You’re already going soft. Being torn between two families is not going to be good for your psyche. It’s going to make it where you don’t come to the right decisions,” he warned, drawing a shadow over the day.
“Well, Father, obviously you came to the wrong decision or we wouldn’t have ended up here. You’ll just have to live with the consequences because you are still alive. All of your actions are what brought us to this point. We’re now going to be one family and not two.”
I huffed, and didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. I was about to get married, and I wanted to enjoy what semblance of it I could. There was already bloodshed overclouding the day.
“Now, let’s shut up about work and business and let you be my father for one day. Can you do that? No more snide remarks, just walk your daughter down the aisle.”
In a rare moment, he gave me a hug and a smile.
