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“Okay. If the day comes where you don’t remember Bray, I will whisper in your ear, remind you that you know him. That you love him. And that he has a pierced cucumber you swear black and blue you could never live without,” I tell her.
“Promise? And don’t forget that last part. If anything is going to jog my memory of him, it’ll be his cucumber for sure.” Reilly smiles.
“I promise,” I say. “I promise that I will never leave you, Rye. Even if you don’t know who I am, I’ll be there anyway. I don’t care how angry you get at me. I don’t care if you start throwing stuff. I will be there.”
“I love you, Holly.”
“I love you too.”
ChapterThirty-Eight
I’m sitting in one of the rooms of the Caserta Palace. I managed to pay the place enough to get them to shut it down for the afternoon and let us use it for the ceremony.
Aurora, Liliana, and Tilly took Kyla to a different room, telling me I couldn’t see her until they were ready. So I’m sitting here, fucking nervous as hell, while wondering if I’m doing the right thing by her. I know she says this is what she wants. My fear is that she’s going to regret not having her family here. I have my brother, all of my cousins, and the only person Kyla has is Cassie. I don’t want her to wake up one day and wish she had one of those huge, over-the-top weddings every girl dreams about having.
My brother and cousins just left the room to go on the hunt for a drink. I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn it back on. It’s safe now. By the time anyone is able to track us down and get here, we’ll be married and no one will be able to object. I scroll through my phone until I find my mom’s number.
She picks up on the first ring. “Lorenzo, are you okay?” she whispers.
“I’m fine, Ma. Why are you whispering?” I ask her.
“Everyone is looking for you,” she says.
“We’re okay. We’ll be back. Probably tomorrow.” I pause. “Ma, do you regret marrying Pops without all the family there?”
My mom goes silent for a long minute. “The only thing I regret is not marrying him sooner. I wasted so many years because I was scared. By the way, this is exactly the opposite of what I should probably be telling you right now. Lorenzo, promise me you are one hundred percent sure about this.”
“I’ve always been sure about her. Mom. I just… I don’t want her to regret not having a big thing, you know? I don’t want her to resent me later because we did it like this.”
“Where are you? I can get Lucy and be there, Lorenzo. Just tell me where you are.”
“I… I don’t think that’s a good idea. If her father finds out, he’ll stop us—you know he will.”
“He loves her.”
“So do I,” I say.
“I know. I know. It’s just… you’re my eldest child, Lorenzo. I’m supposed to be there with you,” Mom says, and a new wave of guilt rolls through me. “But this isn’t about me. At the end of the day, it’s about you and Kyla. If this is what you both feel is right, then you do it. Just be prepared for the circus that will follow once everyone finds out.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
“I love you, Lorenzo. I love Kyla too. But make sure you are one hundred percent in this, because if you break her heart, I will choke you myself.”
“Uh, thanks, and what if she breaks my heart?” I ask.
“Then I’ll give your sister that gun she keeps asking about.” Mom laughs. “Be sure your sister and brother make it home, Lorenzo.”
“I will. I love you, Ma.”
“You too.”
I hang up the phone and power it down again. Then I push to my feet, walk out of the room, and make my way into the chapel. I find the priest waiting there and go and introduce myself.
“She’s not Catholic?” he asks me.
“No, she’s not,” I say, and he nods.
“We’ll make an exception.”
