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“Come,” she says, “let me take you and your family to the west wing where you can get ready and be together for the next hour before the Archbishop arrives.
Marco gives me a chase kiss on the lips and a sly grin, because the next time I will see him is as I walk down the aisle. Sebastian and Alf scowl at him and Margaret and Sofia look totally smitten at us. My Italian mob family along with six of our own personal guards follow Marco’s mother into the far side of the house.
The house is large and it takes us a minute or so to get to our destination. Along the walk, Sofia and I are looking around, admiring the decor. The ceiling is high, the marble floors are glossy, and the color pallet of the decor and furnishings is calming soft blues and creams. It is all very beautiful, and I am scared to touch anything. We get to the end of a long hall, and Margaret opens the double doors, walking us inside what I assume is the west wing.
Our guards enter first, checking windows and doors and Sebastian and Alf follow, strolling in like they own the place. The air of arrogance and confidence they possess is something they will never lose. It is ingrained in them that they belong in every room, no questions asked. Margaret gives me another hug and then leaves us to get ready.
The sitting room is filled with flowers, food, drinks and everything that we will need including makeup and hair supplies. I look around in awe, the place is beautiful. As I scan the room, I hear Sofia. “Diletto, look,” she says, pointing. I follow her line of sight and see a stunning white gown hanging up with a small note attached.
Baby,
I had this custom made for you. You don’t have to wear it if you have something else, but I wanted you to feel like the queen you are on our special day.
I can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle to me, so we can begin our life as husband and wife.
Marco xx
Sebastian and Alf continue to scowl as Sofia and I giggle at them and start getting ready for my big day.
29
Marco
Standing in the foyer with my hands in my pockets, I watch Frankie and her family walk down the hallway, my mother leading them to the west wing. Shaun comes up to my side and places his hand on my shoulder.
“Let’s go get ready, brother,” he says, squeezing my shoulder and slapping my back before pulling me away and taking me into our quarters. Jake and Stephen are already getting ready, and my mom is now back with us and is floating around the sitting room, getting drinks and snacks. I walk over and reach out to her and pull her to me in a hug.
She didn’t know about Frankie and me until about a fortnight ago, where I unloaded all my feelings. Mom was concerned of course, we all are, but having lost the love of her life, my dad, a few years ago, she knows life is short and wants us boys to enjoy it all while we can. I know I have her full support and I am grateful.
As much as we tried, there was no way that she was staying away today. We had her out in the country, hidden in a place with Scarlett and Baxter, but she was adamant that she wasn’t missing my wedding.
“Thank you, Mom,” I whisper to her as I hug her to my chest.
“She is beautiful, Marco,” she says, and I know that she is getting teary. I pull back and look at her. “Your father would be so proud of you for standing up for what you want and being so determined to get the love of your life. I know that he is looking down on us all. Don’t worry about anything, Marco, your father will take care of all of us.”
I smile, thoughts of my dad swirling in my mind as Shaun comes up to the both of us and we embrace mom together, having a small family huddle.
“Right,” my mom says as she pulls away from us both, “you boys go and get ready, we don’t want to be late!” And she walks off, no doubt to her own room to fix her makeup and gather herself. The ceremony hasn’t even started, and we are already getting emotional.
I take a big breath. I am nervous and the boys are too, but for different reasons. Jake is on edge, he is not happy that we have half the New York mob in the house along with their six guards, and I have to say that if someone told me this was how my life was going to pan out, I would have thought they were crazy.
Stephen is on edge because he doesn’t like being away from his girls and worries about them constantly, but also because we are all on the line here. At any moment, I feel like the rug can be pulled out from under us, and I know he feels the same.
Shaun is somewhat calm and collected. He has put an extreme amount of security on Scarlett and Baxter where they are hiding and extra around the house so we all feel like we are in prison. But he leaves nothing to chance. We have the money to get the best security, and we have spent it.
The both of us are worried about mom. I love my mom but we need her to be safe. We have a private jet on standby to take her back to her safe location the minute the wedding ceremony is done. So she doesn’t get too nervous, we have put her on photo duty. She will be taking photos to try and capture everything, because there is no formal photographer or videographer today. In fact, there is no band, no cake, no bridal waltz, or throwing of the bouquet. We are here to get formally married in safety and security with our very close family.
But I will make it up to Frankie. When it is safe to do so, we will have another celebration, put on our formal clothes and have a big party to celebrate our union. She deserves it.
After a quick shower, I join the boys back in the sitting room and Shaun helps me get my tie perfect and mom puts a rose on my lapel. The four of us are all suited up, looking like we stepped off the movie set of James Bond. Mom takes a few photos, getting teary again as she looks over us all, so Stephen grabs her hand and pats her back as I continue to take deep breaths, getting as much air into my lungs as I can because my stomach is a ball of nervous energy. It is time, so the four of us and mom walk to the garden where the flowers are in bloom and there is a garden arch covered in roses.
Mom spends a lot of time in her garden, and it looks and smells amazing. We have chosen a quiet and secluded spot where mom spends a lot of time. Large trees encase the space, but the grass is green, soft and lush and the beds are overflowing with roses. It is dad's garden. It is where his ashes are buried. It is a space that is very special to my family, and I feel love and warmth as soon as I am here.
I am happy to see the Archbishop is here already and Shaun is talking with him and giving him an envelope. I have paid him a significant amount of money to be here, to marry us secretly and push the paperwork through today. It is unusual for him, and I know the minute he sees Sebastian walking Frankie down the aisle, he will understand why I paid him so handsomely. I just hope he doesn’t run.
My mother and brothers stand to the side while the security closes in, and I know the time is now. Soft music starts to play from our outdoor speakers, and I look down the short aisle to see my amazing woman looking so breathtakingly beautiful in the gown I picked for her.
I didn’t want to pick her gown. In a perfect world, she would go shopping for it herself, perhaps with Sofia or my mom to select the one she wants, but with time of the essence I sent her measurements to a couture house and had them design something I thought she would love. Given that she is wearing it, and is looking unbelievable, it makes me think I did the right thing.
