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19
Luca dropped me off at the stoop of my house after I reassured him again that I’d be fine. I can do this, I reminded myself as I stared up at the redbrick row house I’d called home for so long. Soon, I’d be free to start my new life with Luca. Nerves mingled with excitement. It felt surreal, like I’d been thrown into a wormhole, but there was no denying how lucky I was to be marrying him instead of Nicu.
A face popped up from the bay window, and I saw my grandmother wave at me to come inside. Nodding, I took the steps up, mumbling to myself that I could handle anything. Luca had parked down the street, ready to rescue me at any moment.
The front door swung open. Bunica stood in the middle of the doorway, a kerchief wrapped around her head, arms wide open. I threw myself at her, bending over to bury my face into the padding of her shoulder.
“There, there, everything will be fine. That Nicu wasn’t good enough for my girl, was he? Bah! Too wet behind the ears, the young pup. You were right to find yourself a grown man. As it should be.”
I puffed out a laugh of surprise. Always my biggest champion, Bunica spun anything I did into a positive. Like when I was eight years old and my mother forced me to join a local gymnastics club. I cried every day because I hated the cliquey girls and wasn’t interested in the sport. After almost a year of cajoling, my grandmother finally convinced her to let me stop.
I dragged my feet as she propelled me into the living room, where my father, mother, and brother somberly waited for me. My mother and brother sat on the reupholstered couch, piled high with cushions, while my father sat in one of the comfy, mismatched armchairs. A votive candle flickered low behind him, on the shelf displaying my grandmother’s favorite icon.
Again, I was struck by the fact that this was no longer my home. I’d gone to boarding school, but I always felt a distinct moment of homecoming when I stepped into the living room after a long absence. This would be the last time, I thought nostalgically. My home would be a huge mansion in Westchester or a sleek, impersonal penthouse in midtown. At least I was looking forward to Westchester, with its gorgeous garden and pool. The penthouse, not so much, but Luca didn’t seem attached to it, so hopefully, I could bring my own style to it.
My father was the first to rise. He lifted heavily out of his favorite armchair, the stuffing of the arms dipping in the center, the material faded and worn. Suddenly, he seemed old, the crow’s feet and bags under his eyes were accentuated.
Wrapping me in his thick arms, he murmured, “I’m not angry, but I wish you had come to me. To hear it from Alex was humiliating.”
He was a proud man, and it was a blow to his ego to have heard the news from his rival. It certainly added to the shock. A stab of remorse slashed through me. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have taken the risk of him denying me and closing my one chance at happiness with Luca.
“I’m sorry, Tata.”
Not rising from the couch, my mother acknowledged me, “Cat.”
Cristo cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit of his, as he glowered up at me. I looked up to my older brother. We’d always had a supportive, loving relationship, and this was the first test of our easy camaraderie.
Blowing out a long breath, I went to my mother and kissed her on both cheeks. As I moved to kiss my brother, he flung his head aside, rejecting me. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I pulled back and took a seat across from them.
“Congratulations are in order, Cat,” began my father, returning to his armchair. “I’m glad that you’re with Luca. He’s a better match for you. He may be hardheaded, but Nicu’s a loose cannon. Immature. Which shows in his ruthless behavior.”
Turning to my mother and brother, I said, “I’m sorry that you’re unhappy. I started having feelings for Luca, and once I sensed that he shared them…well, I couldn’t go through with marrying Nicu. I didn’t plan for any of this to happen.”
Shaking her head, my mother lamented, “Everyone will say it’s my fault for letting you sleep over at an outsider’s place. They’ll accuse me of neglect for letting you go off to boarding school. You ran wild up there and lost touch with our traditions.”
“Doina, don’t let those gossiping vipers get to you. We know how we brought up our children. We know that we did the best thing for her by letting her go away,” my father said, attempting to comfort her.
His words only made me feel worse. If I hadn’t messed up the night I caught my father murdering a man, my parents wouldn’t have had to send me away. If I’d been home, I would’ve been able to help Cristo take care of my mother. The brunt of caring for her fell on him because my father was busy, especially with our recent financial problems. He was the one who drove her back and forth to doctor and chemo appointments. He had to clean up after her when she was sick from the meds. I tried catching his eye, but my brother refused to look at me. Guilt sloshed around in my gut like a bottled-up tidal wave.
My grandmother spoke up, “You’re exaggerating, Doina. The girl did the right thing. Instead of settling for the young one, she found herself a mature man. What is he, twenty-six?”
“Twenty-seven,” grumped out Cristo.
“There you go! Twenty-seven. A man ready to settle down and have a family. Have children. Not like the youngest. Choosing him has been an insult. The girl took what was owed to her as the Popescu princess. You say people will look down on you, but who needs to know that you didn’t plan it yourself? Tell everyone, hush-hush, that you had been working behind the scenes, pushing Cat to do this because you couldn’t stand Nicu.”
Cristo chuckled. “Clever, Bunica.”
Turning his head slightly toward me, he lobbed an accusatory stare my way. “You might as well do everything you can to salvage this situation. Pretend you did it as revenge because the Lupul forced Nicu on us when Luca was available. No one can prove you didn’t do it. Tell your closest friends,” he sneered the last two words, “and swear them to secrecy, which of course, they won’t keep. Cat here won’t deny it. Will you, Cat?”
My brother sent me a scathing glare. While he was helping me manage my mother, the waves of anger rolling off him were undeniable. His temper was hanging by a thread, and I was dreading the moment it snapped.
“No,” I quickly replied. “Of course not. I’ll play coy. Won’t outright deny or admit to anything and let them come to their own conclusions.”
“That’s right. Keep them guessing. The seed will be planted that you pushed Cat to use the blood bond to our advantage. If they think you were behind it, you’ll look like the cunning one,” he finished to my mother, ignoring me completely.
My mother thoughtfully stroked her bottom lip. “While I would’ve preferred Cat had simply done what she was supposed to do, I suppose this is a better alternative to the scandal we have on our hands.”
Bunicasent me a covert wink. I mouthed thank you back to her.
