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CHAPTER 13
AURORA
Like a small ball of energy, Michael was fidgeting, wearing a tailored black suit and a shimmery gold tie. He sat in a chair swinging his legs in the small quiet room at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Washington DC. I also fidgeted, wringing my hands and pacing the floor. I looked down again for the hundredth time at the wedding dress I wore. I thought back on everything that happened in the past few weeks.
Brody Huntsman accepted Dane’s offer to manage my escort business, and when I told the news to Candace, Loren, Lyla, and Tamika, they were thrilled. The women liked Brody because he was not only the best man for the job, but he was a total hunk with that soldier vibe, and the women already placed bets on who’d be the first to have him between their legs.
Dane wanted me to invite my father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Brando and Greta Leone, to the wedding, but I refused. I didn’t have the kind of relationship Dane and Gina had with their parents. I never really felt any love from them, even as the only child. As I grew older, I never did anything right in Brando and Greta’s eyes. They wanted to mold me to become the person they thought a respectable young woman should be. I, of course, rebelled and dropped out of NYU during my sophomore year to marry the wealthy Carter Owens. My parents disowned me, cutting me out of their will. So I stayed away from my parents and extended family, even after Carter’s murder, making my fortune running the high-dollar escort service. I remember that last time I even spoke to my mother. She found out from a friend of a distant relative that I had a son and called me a month after Michael was born. We both cried over the phone, and she apologized for not staying in contact over the years, blaming it on my father.
Gina and Nadia helped me pick out the wedding dress only a week ago. The white dress was form-fitting and full length with a scoop-neck in the front and low in the back. I wore a diamond-encrusted tiara, with the veil pulled back behind me. Gina, Nadia, and Anna were my bridesmaids wearing long sleeveless dresses in the color of shimmering gold. They sat with me in the room as we waited for Nolan to give us the cue when the ceremony would begin.
Anna smoothed out my veil as tears began to well in her eyes.
“Anna, please don’t cry and ruin your make-up. I haven’t even walked down the aisle yet.” I said to her with a smile, trying to hold back my tears.
Anna sniffled. “I’m just so happy for you and Michael, Rory. I was afraid of Mr. Neri – I mean Dane at first. But now I’ve seen how he treats you like a queen, as you should be. Dane cannot deny the love I see in his eyes for both you and Michael.”
I pulled Anna to me for a hug. Nolan entered the small room sharply dressed in a black suit with the same gold tie as Michael’s, and his eyes steered right to Gina.
“Uncle Nowan!” Michael shouted, climbing off the chair and rushing over to Nolan.
“Shoot your cuffs, kid,” Nolan said, stretching his arms out, making the white cuffs of his shirt appear from under the sleeves of his suit jacket.
Michael mimicked his uncle, stretching his arms out, then smiled when his white cuffs appeared beneath the little sleeves of his suit jacket. Before he took Nolan’s hand, he hurried back to me. I scooped him up into my arms and held him tight.
“You look berry pwetty today, Mommy,” he said.
“Thank you, my little man,” I replied. Michael looked so grown up in the little tailored-made suit, and I had to choke back tears. “Do you remember what you’re supposed to do during the wedding ceremony?”
He nodded, “Yes, Mommy. I pwaticed over and over with Dad.”
I kissed him on the cheek. “Okay, then go with Uncle Nolan, and I’ll see you out there very soon.”
Michael planted a kiss on my cheek, made his rounds to claim a hug from Anna, Gina, and Nadia, then took Nolan’s hand and left the room.
There was no extended Neri family there, only Mr. Takata and several of his men dressed in black suits and black ties. They looked so out of place in a church. Since my parents were not attending, Dane only wanted to share this special moment with the very few men he trusted, along with Carlo.
Dane looked so handsome in his black suit as he watched me walk down the aisle. Nolan and Push stood beside him along with Michael. Michael handed Dane our wedding bands, and we said our vows to each other, then the Priest blessed our union.
We had a small reception at the MGM on the National Harbor. Michael was amazed by the Capital Wheel that soured over one hundred feet above the Potomac River lit up brightly in red, white, and blue. Nolan had to pinky swear as he promised Michael he’d take him on a ride on the massive Ferris wheel.
Dane disappeared from the reception with Nolan, Push, Mr. Takata, and Carlo, probably into some private office or panic room that only they knew. Even during our wedding, the three kings were conducting business. It was something I had to accept. Michael wanted to go along with the men, but Anna stepped in. That’s when I decided to relax and drink a few; It was my wedding day, after all.
After a few drinks with Gina and Nadia, it helped relax us, and we soon began to talk and laugh. Something happened that day – maybe the planets were aligned – but the three of us bonded in a way women like us do – loving men who have killed and gotten away with it.
Michael went with Anna back to Nolan and Gina’s house after the reception. Nolan was very kind to give us the Presidential Suite at the MGM Hotel for two nights for a mini-honeymoon. I looked forward to having some time alone, just with Dane. We entered the suite to see our bags were already delivered.
I sat on the long sectional couch to relieve my aching feet and kicked off my heels.
“I’ll make us both a drink,” Dane said as he walked to the bar while loosening his gold tie and unbuttoning his shirt.
I watched Dane’s broad back hearing ice clink in glasses. “Nolan told me to try this Suntory Whiskey.”
He came around the bar and sat beside me, and handed me a glass. I took a sip, feeling the whiskey go down my throat, and the warmth spread throughout my chest. “This suite is amazing, Dane. It was very nice of Nolan to let us stay for a few nights.”
Dane sipped on his glass and then chuckled. “You want to hear something funny? Nolan let the Royal Bastards film a porn movie right here in this very suite.”
I coughed from the burn of the whiskey at what he just said. “A porn film? Who are the Royal Bastards?”
