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“Come on, more people are coming, and we must greet them.”
Aria grinned at the pained looks in her men’s eyes. She hadn’t demanded that her daughters stand with them, but she wanted all of them close so she could introduce them to a few people.
The monarchs of another mafia family walked in. It was a much smaller, less wealthy one, but they were good for some things, so Aria and the men hadn’t wanted to insult them by not inviting them.
Aria had talked to the wife, Helen Carmichael, a few times on the phone, and she seemed very nice. With her first glance at her husband, Aria instantly tell he was full of himself, and she hated how he ignored his wife who stood submissively behind him.
Aria walked past the husband, pretending not to notice when his mouth dropped open when she hugged Helen. “Helen, I’m so pleased you were able to come tonight.”
“You know Mrs. Moretti?” her husband asked in shock.
Helen blushed. “Oh, well…”
Aria took over when she floundered. “We’ve talked a few times on the phone, but we really hit it off, and I hope she feels the same way. We’ll have to plan to have lunch soon.”
Helen smiled. “I’d like that. I enjoyed talking to you, too.”
“Come, I’d like you to meet my family. These two are my men, Trent and Mateo.”
“Both of them?” Thomas Carmichael asked.
Aria raised one of her brows. “Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Oh, what, no. It was just a shock,” he said.
She took Helen’s arm and pulled her over to her family. “Helen and Thomas, I’d like you to meet my daughters and their men.” She pointed to Beth. “That is Elizabeth and her man Alastair Maclean.”
“Yes, yes, we’ve met before,” Thomas said and came forward and energetically shook Alastair’s hand.
“It’s nice to see you again, Thomas.”
“You too, Mr. Maclean. You have a beautiful wife.”
“Thank you.”
Aria flinched inside at the shadow that blinked in Beth’s eyes for a moment.
“Here is another daughter, Faith, and her husband, Graham.”
It took another five minutes to introduce them because Thomas was all over them, acting like they were fast friends. The pained look on the Maclean men’s faces almost made her laugh.
She walked back to the door where the line continued for another hour.
“This feels like more than two hundred,” she said to Trent.
“You’re just not used to crowds.”
“That’s true.”
“Hey, baby, here’s a glass of champagne.”
She was grateful. “Thank you. I needed this.”
“I think most everyone is here, so we can start moving around the room,” Trent said.
Aria had been excited about the party but was so out of her comfort zone that she felt insecure. Looking out into the living room from the foyer, she felt like she was in a different world. Fortunately, one of the men was always by her, so she could handle anything.
