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She starts walking toward me, and my eyes don’t leave hers. I feel Sebastian drilling his eyes into me, but I am only focused on Frankie. I hear my mom gasp as she takes in the same sight I am, and my eyes get glassy knowing that this beautiful woman is going to be my wife.
I continue taking deep breaths, time seems like it stands still. The sun beams on her from above, she looks like an angel, and I know my dad is here with us. I feel him. I watch her; she is smiling at me, her eyes free of contacts, her hair glossy and vibrant, and I know that I will remember this moment for my lifetime.
She walks right up to me, and for the first time I move my eyes to Sebastian’s. He nods, and puts out his hand, which I shake and appreciate the gesture. He then passes Frankie’s arm to me, and we both turn to look at the Archbishop. He is pale and looking at Sebastian in what I can only describe as utter fear. Sebastian gives him a cheeky wink, and the Archbishop looks at me and then Frankie before he clears his throat and starts proceedings.
Although there are only a handful of us here, I hear the soft sniffs coming from both my mom and Sofia, and I am grateful that they are both able to witness our day. It is nice that Frankie can have some women here to support her, given her own mother can’t be here. I haven’t heard much about her mother, I can only assume that she is quiet and reserved and totally under Alessandro’s control.
I am holding Frankie’s hand as the Archbishop does his extremely fast-paced and cut-down version of what he legally has to say. I look at her and watch her and take in this moment. The dress is lace with thin straps and fits perfectly to her body. She looks elegant, soft, so beautiful, and I can’t believe she agreed to marry me. I am the luckiest bastard alive.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sebastian’s jaw ticking while his eyes are roaming the surroundings, willing us to hurry up. He is not alone, we are all on edge, and I can see Jake also taking in the surroundings, looking for anything out of place, listening for any noise which may indicate we are in trouble. I feel Frankie’s hands shaking and I grip hers tighter, showing strength and support in what is a crazy time for us all.
Shaun stands with the rings and brings them to us. I purchased Frankie a band of pure diamonds and me a plain platinum band. I want to give her more, I want to give her the world, but not now, our time will come. We quickly say our vows and place the rings on each other, me giving her hand a quick peck which the Archbishop doesn't seem to like. But he wants to get this over with quickly and get away from Sebastian, so he proceeds without any hiccup.
Frankie and I stand there looking at each other with love and gratitude as the words the Archbishop speaks float around us. He pronounces us man and wife, and I kiss my bride. I kiss her like it will be the last time. I kiss her to mark her and make her mine, and I don’t ever want to let her go. While the wedding is not what either of us dreamed our day would be like, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the happiest day of my life. I now have my queen.
30
Frankie
Marco dips me and kisses me when we are pronounced man and wife and I am giddy with happiness as I grab his neck and savor this moment. The setting was beautiful with so many roses and soft lush green grass, it was the perfect place to say our vows. The dress Marco gave me fit perfectly, making me feel every inch the perfect bride today. I am secretly glad he arranged it, because I certainly didn't have anything remotely formal or elegant to wear.
Although there were less than ten people here as witnesses, not including the security teams, I felt their love for us radiate around the garden as we said our vows. Who knew Sofia was such a crier? I could hear her sniffling through the entire ceremony.
The moment the Archbishop saw Sebastian was a moment for the record books. I wasn’t sure if he was going to faint or run when the look of total fear eclipsed his face, and it took him a moment to get himself together. Marco must have donated a sizable amount to the church to have him here today, another gesture he did for me, knowing that it would be important to me to have a religious service, even though we couldn’t be in a church.
The whole ceremony took less than 15 minutes, but Marco’s mom cried softly throughout the entire proceedings, and I hope it was from happiness and not sadness that he is marrying into the mob. I look forward to getting to know her better. From what I hear, she is an amazing cook, and I can’t wait to cook in her kitchen. I caught a glimpse of it earlier, and it would rival any Michelin starred chef's kitchen, I am sure of it.
As we finish our kiss, Marco and I are both engulfed by our family, with their congratulations. Shaun calls me sis, Stephen welcomes me with open arms, Jake hugs me in congratulations. It is nice to add these boys to my family, and I can’t wait until things calm down so I can spend time with them all. I haven’t even met their wives and girlfriends, but I already know that we will all get along famously.
While Sofia joins in with the well wishes, Sebastian and Alf hang back talking so I remove myself from the hugs and go to them. They look serious, and I know that the fleeting joy I just experienced will now be replaced by serious discussions around the plans for the next few weeks.
“Congratulations, Diletto, I am proud of you and the woman you have become,” Alf says and gives me a hug. I relax into his embrace, and I love that he is here and is giving us his blessing. I am sure Sebastian had something to do with it. Alf pulls back, squeezes my shoulders and leaves me with Sebastian as he steps away from us to congratulate Marco and give us some privacy.
“Sorella, it has been an honor to see you be married, and I am grateful that I could be part of it. You are beautiful, you are strong. Even though you will now go by the name of Marshall, you will always have Romano blood. Don’t forget that.” I nod, weeping at his kind words. He pulls me into an embrace and releases me just as Marco comes up beside us.
Sebastian and Marco shake hands and then Marco’s hand snakes around my waist. I feel very blessed to have both these amazing and important men in my life, I have never felt more loved or as safe as I do right now.
“We need to talk privately before I go,” Sebastian says looking at the both of us, so while the other boys go inside to farewell the Archbishop, Alf, Sofia and Margaret, the three of us go inside to a private sitting room and close the door.
This room is different from the others I have seen. It is dark, moody, and very masculine. There is a wall of books, a dark timber desk and a small bar filled with whiskey bottles and glasses. It has dark red soft carpet, which my shoes sink into, and there is a fireplace along the other wall in front of a chesterfield brown leather sofa and chairs.
By the look of the photos on the desk, I would guess this was Marco’s father’s den, and that it perhaps hasn’t been used much since he passed away a few years ago. Sebastian’s guards wait outside, and I take a seat on the sofa while the boys stand, already going into protection mode.
“The plan is we leave the country for two weeks on our honeymoon and away from any prying eyes,” Marco states, and I look at him wide-eyed, in shock because I had no idea he had such a thing planned. His eyes flick to me and he gives me a smile. The thought of a honeymoon sounds amazing, two weeks with only each other will be bliss. But I worry about our safety and wonder if it is the best decision for us. He must see my hesitation and concern, because he turns, fully facing me.
“Even though we need to hide, it doesn’t mean we can’t hide on the other side of the world on a small island,” he says with a shrug. I smile at his thoughtfulness, and I feel a little bit of excitement starting to build in my stomach. Two weeks on a deserted island with Marco sounds like heaven, and I can’t wait, but my eyes flick to Sebastian, wary of his response, only it seems like they may have come up with this plan together because he doesn’t look surprised or upset at all.
“I have got the details of where you are going and the number to call you on,” Sebastian acknowledges Marco. It seems that my brother and my husband are now close confidants who are sharing everything, and the thought pleases me. I never thought I would see the day that Sebastian accepts a man into my life, but it is happening, and I am comforted by the act.
Looking at me, Sebastian continues, “Take your gun, leave your phones behind. I will call you on Marco’s secure line the minute I hear any chatter. Otherwise, you should be safe and getting out of the country is a smart decision at this point in time. Because if today leaks out, then you are already away from the heat when it comes, and don’t be fooled, Diletto, it will leak out and the heat will come.”
Sebastian’s warning cools the mood in the room. While we have taken every precaution to keep this day secure and private, I am fully aware that there are always leaks to these things. The Archbishop, the security team, drivers, there are a lot of people involved to keep us safe, and it only takes one of them to say too much to the wrong person and we will all be a target.
I take a deep breath, knowing that my dreamy life is going to be shattered at some point; it is all just a waiting game now. My skin starts to develop goose bumps, and I shiver. I rub my arms to try and bring back some of the warmth I felt earlier.
“My family are all in secure locations and will remain that way until I give them the all-clear to return to Boston,” Marco adds and Sebastian looks at him quizzically.
“You do realize that you are part of the mob now, Marshall, and that by marrying my sister, you and your family will be people of interest to the police and rival organizations. But most of all, you will have a target on your head from my papa if he ever finds out. Until my papa is dead, you will never be safe. You and your family will never be safe.”
