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Arlo met us by the corner, a bottle of water in his hand, and a face that didn’t match any of the men I’d met from theirfamiglia. Dark, and bothered to see mehere.
“So thoughtful,” I provoked with a grin and took the water from his hand. Arlo’s lips twisted, annoyed.
Arlo didn’t wait another second to leave us alone, and I unscrewed the cap to take a small sip.
“You will meet the priest after mass is over,” Lucca murmured, his eyes away from me and out to the mingling conversations around.
I took his wrist and checked the time, fifteen till eleven. Mass should be starting soon.
Lucca turned and watched as I let go of his wrist, surprised.
I held his eyes, waiting for his reaction. His demeanor calmed, and I met a man I hadn’t yet met until now. A man of the church, and something about the way he carried himself inside sacred grounds gave me an inch of comfort. An inch of understanding of who he was.
“Is something wrong?” Lucca asked without an ounce of care.
“No.” I took one last sip of water and handed the bottle back to him.
My eyes veered from him and roamed through the wooded rows and rows of pews. Many began taking their seats and the loud chatter dimmed, but I found a pair of eyes that were particularly intriguing. They watched Lucca from afar, desperately seeking his attention.
Instead, she found me staring unapologetically at her. She didn’t cower under my gaze or remove her intrusive glare.
I didn’t know who she was, but her bleached hair and immaculate hourglass figure was clear for the eyes of the men even while clothed. I wouldn’t have given her any attention if it wasn’t for the way her eyes had locked on Lucca. Almost longing.
I shifted my gaze from her to him. As he stared at me, oblivious to the leering eyes on him, I observed him closely.
It was evident she wanted to be in my spot. She wanted to walk through the church doors and have his hand by her side while he introduced her ashis. Not me. She made it clear.
“We should take our seat,” I managed to say while my mind reeled to the short-haired blonde, and without meaning to, my fingers slipped up his chest to his tie. Fixing the already perfect knot under his gaze.
It wasn’t until we were seated in the second row that I realized what I had done unconsciously.
Placed a claim on a man whose soul and body wasn’t mine.
Could it be jealousy?
I should’ve never cared about who she was, or what relationship she had to him. Yet, as I caught a glimpse of his bowing head as he prayed, I did. A part of me longed for a man who treated the church as a sacred space. A man whose beliefs mirrored mine. A mafioso who followed the rules of the church and the word of God as closely as he seemed to.
A part of me knew he did. The other part felt the pull that drew me closer to him. It was impossible not to as I witnessed his devotion to more than just himself. Because it gave me hope for my future.Ourfuture.
And I felt peace again. The peace of the church, and I turned my attention to the sermon.
Lucca didn’t pray, sing, or recite out loud. Instead, I heard the gentleamenthat tumbled from his lips. The words he whispered, knowing every verse of the Lord's Prayer.
When the tithes followed, I hadn’t been prepared to toss anything into the golden canister. A mistake I never made, and knowing how I’d failed to prepare made me uneasy. I had only carried my credit cards inside my small clutch, no cash, not one blank check.
His hand lowered to my thigh, and his head sank to whisper close enough for only me to hear. “I will take care of it. It's now my duty.”
Our eyes connected, and I shook my head slightly, alarmed at the thought as I recognized what he was implying. What he had truly done by bringing me here. He had not only introduced me to the church where we would be wed on this sacred ground. We were now seen as one in his eyes, and those in the church, even before marriage.
“Lucca,” I murmured with alarm.
He didn’t reply, only his hand disappeared from my thigh as it reached inside his suit. His hand returned with a thin envelope that I was sure had a check enclosed. He handed it to me.
I watched the striking white envelope and bounced my eyes from it then back to him.
“I can’t.” He heard my hushed tone as his jaw tightened.
What was happening? This was too real, and all because we had both stepped into the house of God. Opening new fears and closing doors I hadn’t been ready to give up. But as the canister reached our pew and Lucca’s gaze remained straight ahead, I picked up the envelope and dropped in inside while I felt the eyes of everyone on me.
