“Good, now go back inside. I’ll deal with my dad later.”
The man, who was easily ten years older than Dom, walked away like a scolded puppy with his head down and if he had a tail, it would have been between his legs. It was impressive seeing Dom handle himself like that. He clearly was in charge.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in disarray, transforming him back to my Dom. “My dad thinks I need a bodyguard or a whole entourage like Uncle Marco had following him around. I told him I don’t want that and can protect myself. Besides, there aren’t any threats right now. Everything is calmer than it’s been in a long time,” he said, practically echoing what Grant told me earlier.
We started walking back towards the restaurant. “That’s good, I’m glad. It was pretty crazy there for a while.”
“I’m trying to change how Marco ran the business and so far it’s working. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s working.”
But at what cost? I asked myself. While Dominic was as gorgeous as ever, I could tell he was tired by the dark smudges under his eyes and he was definitely jumpier than usual. His protective display in the alley was just one example.
When we entered the dining area Dom stayed by my side, guiding me through the room with his hand on the small of my back, introducing me to countless relatives. People had started to mingle, leaving their tables to grab coffee and desserts from two stations set up along the rear wall closest to the kitchen doors. I searched the room for my mom to check on her and found her still in her chair, being charmed by Uncle Al.
Dominic led me over to an older woman with hair as white and puffy as a cotton ball. Her olive skin was wrinkled and when she smiled up at me, because she was barely five feet tall, the laugh lines around her eyes and her mouth connected. “Nona, this is Natalie, Grant’s sister. Natalie, this is my Nona Grabano.” Dominic’s grandmother had the same gem-like green eyes as her grandson and they sparkled with vitality. I shook her gnarled hand, which was warm and soft. Her grip was surprisingly firm.
“Ah, Natalie. I hear a lot about you. Sei molto carina.” Her accent was thick and I had no idea what she said at the end.
“She says you’re very pretty,” Dominic translated for me.
“Grazie,” I said to Dom’s Nona, thanking her for the compliment and her smile widened, revealing a few gaps where teeth were missing.
“Natalie, over here!” Bianca called and ran over to get me. “We’re taking pictures. Just us girls,” she told Dominic when he started to follow.
“Nice meeting you!” I called over my shoulder and left Dom behind with his Nona. I followed Bianca through the arched entryway to where Miranda was sitting on the bottom step of a flight of stairs that led to the second floor. We all positioned ourselves around her and Paulina took several candid pictures with her phone.
“Girls, really?” Paulina admonished when the last picture she captured was with all of us flipping off the camera.
Once the photo session was over, I started to go back into the dining area, but was stopped by Allegra.
“I thought you said you and Dom aren’t together.”
“We’re not,” I said. “It’s complicated though. I mean, we both still have feelings for each other. I’m always going to love him.”
Her face twisted up like she bit into something sour. “Allegra, have you asked Dom how he feels about you? If you want him so badly, let him know and see what he says. I’m not in the mood for this passive aggressive bullshit.” I left her with her mouth hanging open and it felt pretty damn good to not hold back. I was also pretty confident that Dom had zero feelings towards Allegra.
The party began to wind down after Miranda announced she was getting ready to leave. In following with tradition, Miranda was spending the night in her childhood home while Grant was going back to the townhouse they shared after he dropped us off at the hotel.
Mom sat up front and I stretched out in the backseat. Between being full and the motion of the car my eyelids were growing heavy.
“Miranda has a big family,” my mom said to Grant.
“Yeah, she does. It took some getting used to.”
At the rehearsal it was decided that all of the pews were going to be open for friends and family of Miranda instead of restricting them to one side. Grant had a few friends from college coming and my mom had invited our distant cousins from Virginia, but they weren’t able to make it. We were it for our family.
I dozed off at some point and Grant woke me up when we got to the hotel. A doorman held my door open and was waiting patiently for me to get out.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, bro. You can still back out,” I teased and he laughed.
“Get some sleep, Nat. See you all tomorrow.”
Grant drove off and I watched as his Audi turned onto Market Street and was absorbed into traffic. This was it for my brother. He’d always be Grant James Ross, but after he married Miranda, he would officially become a member of the Grabano family and there would be no going back.
Chapter 8
DOMINIC
The incident with Frankie ate at me throughout the evening and it needed to be nipped immediately so I followed my parents’ house. My brother Anthony was spending the night at Uncle Al’s house and I waited until my mom went upstairs with my sister before confronting my dad. We went into his office that was located at the back of the house off of the kitchen.
My dad took off his tie and hung it on the back of his chair. Along the wall behind his desk was a mini bar. Grabbing a glass, he poured himself two fingers of bourbon then sat down. He gestured for me to take a seat, but I declined, choosing to pace instead.
“Dad, did you tell Frankie to follow me?”
“Yes, I asked him to keep tabs on you – strictly as a precaution.”
“What the hell? I told you no for extra security and you deliberately undermined my decision. I know you’re my dad, but you can’t do that shit as far as the business goes if I’m to maintain any level of respect.”
“Dominic, what if you were jumped in the alley tonight. You were unarmed and had Natalie with you. What would you have done?”
I stopped pacing and placed my hands flat on the desk, leaning forward. “Nothing happened and I’m not going to live my life worried about “what if” scenarios. I might as well never leave my fucking condo if that’s the case.”
“The moment you became the Don, the target on your back got a lot bigger. You might not have any issues now, but there’s always someone looking to take out the person on top. That person is you, Dominic,” he emphasized this by pointing at me, “and you’re not invincible.”
We had this argument already and we could argue in circles all night. Pushing away from the desk, I continued pacing and ran a hand through my hair. “Dad, you need to support my decisions, not go around my back and do what you want.”
He took a sip of bourbon, watching me over the top of his glass. Setting his drink down, he leaned back in the chair, clasping his hands over his stomach.
“Why do you fight me on this? It’s for your own safety.”
“Dad, there was a lot of bloodshed these past few months and I’m trying to keep us under the radar. If I parade about the city with a soldier following me around or an entourage, I draw attention to myself, and play right into the stereotype just like Uncle Marco did.”
He sighed and scratched at the stubble growing on his chin. “I’ll back off for now, but if you’re so determined to not be like Marco, you need to start listening to your consigliore. Marco never did.”
“I definitely take everything you say under advisement, Dad. Let’s compromise, if things heat back up again or there is a viable threat, I’ll bring in protection.”
“Compromise,” he said with a smile, “now that is a concept Marco wasn’t familiar with.” He stood and walked around his desk. “You’re hard headed, but you have a natural instinct for this business. I
didn’t mean to undermine your decision. I’m proud of you, son.” We hugged it out before I left to head home.
I entered my condo and flicked on the lights. Grabbing a beer out of the fridge, I crossed the living room to the sliding doors that led to the deck and sat down on one of the chairs. Kicking my feet up on the railing, I leaned back to stare at the stars. My thoughts weren’t on the wedding or on business, they were consumed by Natalie. Just having her around wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I wanted her back and knew I had to tread carefully when we finally had time alone to talk. I sat there well into the early morning planning Sunday out. I had two options for her and I hoped one of them was enough to get her to move back to Philadelphia. Once she was back, we could work on us.
Any sign of violence and I knew Natalie would bolt so I said a silent prayer that there wouldn’t be any surprises during the rest of her stay to remind her why she left in the first place.
Chapter 9
Natalie
It was after ten in the morning when I woke up and immediately reached for my cell phone that was charging on the bedside table. I had eight new text messages. Miranda had sent a panicked group text to the bridal party at 2:18 a.m. reminding us to not wash our hair. Apparently dirty hair styled better and since we were all getting up do’s this was critical. Everyone else had responded except for me, which prompted Miranda to send a follow up text. I quickly fired off a response to help the pregnant bride remain calm:
Just woke up – don’t worry, hair is dirty.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky or a trace of humidity in the air when my mom and I stepped outside of our hotel. It was a perfect day for a wedding. A black Town Car was waiting out front to take us to the salon. The ceremony wasn’t until later so we had over three hours of hair, nails and make-up ahead of us.
We were the last to arrive since there was a car accident on Front Street that had traffic backed up for at least a mile. The front desk person immediately jumped into action and sat my mom down in a pedicure chair while I was ushered to a manicuring station next to Miranda.
“Hey, how are you holding up?” I asked.
“Tired, I couldn’t sleep.”
“Nervous?”
“Not really – more excited than anything and I’ve gotten used to sleeping next to Grant. It was weird not having him home last night.”
I nodded in understanding. An empty bed took some adjusting to once you were used to sharing with someone.
Miranda’s manicurist moved her to the next station. We were part of an assembly line of beautification and hours later emerged polished, coiffed and slightly high from all of the fumes.
A white stretch limousine waited out front, blocking traffic. Horns were being blasted and a few drivers had their heads out of the window yelling. We quickly climbed in and were off to the church where our dresses and shoes were already set aside in one of the Sunday school classrooms in the basement. Grant and his groomsmen were getting ready at Al’s house to avoid any chance of Grant seeing Miranda before the ceremony.
I quickly slipped on my dress and heels, making sure my hair and make-up survived unscathed. Bianca asked me to help zip her dress while CiCi fussed with Miranda. Allegra ignored me. My mom came out of the bathroom in her dress, a two piece number in a lovely shade of silvery gray. The satin skirt was floor length and slightly longer in the back giving the effect of a small train. The top had crystals that caught the light and sparkled.
“Mom, you look beautiful,” I said. This was the most formally dressed I had ever seen her. She was usually business casual during the week and jeans and sneakers on the weekend.
“Thanks, Nat. You look beautiful too.” Her eyes darted to the scar on my shoulder, but she didn’t ask any more questions about it.
Miranda’s mom wore a similar style dress, but it was in a deep red and instead of sparkles, the bodice had intricate black and white embroidery.
The two flower girls, Isabella and Sofia, young cousins of Miranda, were adorable in their white dresses that looked like clouds with all of the layers of tulle. The bottom layer was sewn to hold rose petals, the same red as the bows around their waists.
Bouquets were handed out. Gorgeous clusters of red, white and cream roses tied with black and gray ribbon that matched the bow on Miranda’s dress. Each flower girl was given a basket full of red rose petals. Before we knew it, it was four o’clock and the wedding coordinator was gathering us together so we could get into position.
Paulina and my mom left first to take their seats then Miranda went up the stairs and we followed suit. Uncle Al was waiting just outside of the stained glass doors that led to the sanctuary and his eyes misted up when he saw his niece.
“Miranda, you are a sight to behold,” he said as he reached for her hand. He hooked her arm through his and kissed her forehead, lightly crushing the veil.
Dante, Joey D. and Paulie were all waiting outside too and they looked so nice in their tuxedos. They were classic black with white cummerbund and ties. Their boutonnières were red roses. Joey D. kept fidgeting with his bow tie and his sister, CiCi swatted his hand away so she could straighten it.
When the opening chords for our procession started we all stopped and quickly got into formation. The groomsmen slipped through the doors first to make their way down the aisle then I got in line behind Allegra. It was timed perfectly so we were spaced apart. Both sides of the pews were filled and the music from the small orchestra in the balcony overhead resonated through my body like it was a tuning fork. My smile faltered only once and that’s when I saw Dom, only because he made me forget everything, such as breathing. He was standing next to Grant at the end of the aisle and defined the term devastatingly handsome. His dark hair was combed into submission and the jacket made his shoulders look even broader. I remembered exactly what his clothes concealed and that made me even more flustered. Dom winked at me as if he knew what I was thinking. Forcing my eyes away, I focused on walking so I didn’t biff it and land a face plant in front of everyone.
I reached my position and stood across from Dante, turning to see Cici approaching with the ring bearer right behind. He was another young cousin of Miranda’s and was the cutest little thing in his tuxedo. He tottered along slowly, staring up at all of the people standing in their pews. At one point he started walking toward someone only to be quickly steered away from the pew and put back on course, triggering a ripple of laughter. Next the flower girls came, tossing rose petals in their wake. Isabella flung the rose petals freely, skipping and twirling while Sofia’s movements were deliberate as she concentrated hard on taking her role seriously.
Just as the flowers girls reached the first pew and were hoisted onto laps, the orchestra switched to Pachelbel Canon in D and all eyes were on the back of the church.
The stained glass doors parted and Miranda escorted by Uncle Al, stepped into the sanctuary. I heard Grant gasp and quickly looked over to find him on the verge of crying as he stared intently at his bride. I glanced at my mom and although her back was facing me, the tissue she clutched in her hand occasionally rose to her face, indicating she was crying too. In a visceral response, a lump in my throat formed and my eyes filled. Blinking rapidly, I focused on Miranda instead of my suddenly emotional family members. This helped keep the tears at bay and I almost made it through the ceremony until Grant and Miranda exchanged their vows.
Dominic gave Grant the wedding band and without his eyes leaving Miranda’s, took her left hand in his. I was expecting simple vows since Grant’s more a man of action than words. Instead, what he said was pure poetry.
“Miranda, you are my heart, my soul, and my light during dark times. You know when to push me and when to hold me back. Every morning I wake with you by my side is the beginning of the best day of my life. I can’t wait to wake up next to you for the rest of our life together. I promise to honor you, respect you, protect you, cherish you and I will always love you no matter what obstacles come our way.”
At th
is point, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house and I gave up trying to hold back the tears. Then it was Miranda’s turn. She took the wedding band from Dominic and laced her fingers through Grant’s.
“Grant, you surprise me every day with something new, yet I feel like I’ve known you forever. When you walked into my world, little did I know how much you would rock it and in such an amazing way. You hold me when I need to be held. You believe in me and give me the space I need to grow. I feel safe and loved in your arms. You are my rock, my champion, my compass and my constant. I am your love as you are mine and I promise to be yours, physically and emotionally for however long God gives us.”
After they placed the rings on each other, Father DeLaurdis pronounced them husband and wife. Grant lifted the gauzy veil draped over Miranda’s face and they kissed. It wasn’t a gross, tongue in the throat PDA kind of kiss where observers got embarrassed and had to look away, but gentle and sweet as if they were continuing their vows, sealing unspoken promises.
Soon it was over and we were making our way back down the aisle, this time my arm was hooked through Dante’s. Cheers erupted indicating the bride and groom were not too far behind. Limo after limo lined the street in front of the church, but we still had pictures to take before sunset. Wedding guests were getting to the reception early for a cocktail hour and I envied them. I wasn’t the only one needing a drink as Dante called us all over to one of the waiting limos when just Grant and Miranda were getting photographed. He popped open a chilled bottle of champagne and filled flutes for the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
“Evviva!” Dante said, raising his glass and we all raised our glasses with him.
“What does that mean?” I asked Dominic who was standing next to me.
“It’s ‘cheers’ in Italian.”
We quickly sucked the champagne down and hurried back to meet up with the photographer. I noticed that Dominic made sure he stood next to me in the group photos and was always touching me in some way; whether it was his hand on my arm or around my waist or he was brushing against me. Every contact made my breath hitch.
Endings & Beginnings: Book Three of The New Mafia Trilogy Page 6