Black Tears A Marchetti Family Novel

by Nyx, Angel

  I stared at Gio as he moved from his seat and knelt beside my chair. Was he…?

  “I think I fell in love with you that first night. You carried yourself with a poise and grace I wasn’t expecting. You took my breath away then, and you take my breath away now. Amore, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, and make me the happiest man alive.?”

  I sat there in stunned silence for what felt like a lifetime. “Are you sure you really want me? I’m a mess, Gio.”

  “Si, I am positive. You are what I want. You, and Eli. You’re mia famiglia. I want to wake with you in my arms every morning, for the rest of my life.”

  “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. On one condition.”

  “Name it and it’s yours.”

  “We don’t have an insanely long engagement. I don’t need a huge, fancy wedding that takes two years to plan.”

  “Whatever my woman wants, she gets.”

  A few tears slipped from my eyes as I remembered the night he proposed. When we’d told his parents, they’d wanted to plan out this elaborate wedding but Gio kept his word. He’d put his foot down. As much as he loved his mother, he refused to let her steamroll over me and what I wanted.

  Now, six months later, I was getting ready to walk down the aisle and tie myself to Gio for the rest of my life.

  “Here, let me help you get your veil attached.”

  I smiled at Risa in the mirror. She was my maid of honor while Camille and Rosalia were my bridesmaids. “Thanks, Risa.”

  “This dress is amazing, Carly. It’s so vintage, and so you.”

  The gown I’d found was reminiscent of something you might have seen in the days of the wild west. The strapless bodice was form fitting, and the skirt hung in tiers down to the floor, The cream colored fabric had champagne-colored intricate beading that drew the eye and really made the gown a thing of beauty. A choker in a similar beading adorned my throat and the ‘veil’, which was more like a shawl, was attached to it in the back. My curls were pulled up in an intricate twist, flowers intertwined, and a few well placed tendrils framed my face.

  “You are so beautiful, mi hija.”

  I turned to my mother. She’d been thrilled when I’d called to tell her I was getting married. “Thank you, Mama.”

  “I have something for you.”

  She held out a small box and when I opened it, I stared. “Mama. Is this…?”

  “Your Abuela’s bracelet? It is. She would have wanted you to have to have it.”

  I had to wipe the tears from my eyes as I held my wrist out so she could help me with it. “Thank you, Mama.”

  We shared a hug before she kissed my cheek and left to go find her seat.

  The music began and a sense of calm filled me. I turned to the door where Vincenzo, Gio’s father, was waiting. I’d asked him to walk me down the aisle.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I am. I can’t wait to finally be part of la famiglia.”

  “You have been famiglia from the moment Gio brought you to the house the first time.”

  He kissed my cheek and I smiled. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”

  With my hand in the crook of his arm, I made my way into the ballroom where Gio waited.

  Gio

  Standing there, waiting for Carly to walk down the aisle, was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. It felt like I’d waited an entire lifetime for the music to begin. First Tony entered with Camille on his arm, then Deo, escorting Risa, and Frankie escorting Rosalia.

  Then Carly came into view and my heart stopped. Everyone else in the room disappeared as she made her way to my side. She was the most breathtaking woman I had ever seen, and she was mine.

  Pop placed her hand in mine and we shared a nod before he stepped away. The priest’s words wee a buzz in my ear as I gazed at the woman at my side.

  “Gio and Carly have chosen to recite their own vows. Gio, you may go first.”

  I took both of Carly’s hands in mine and stared into her eyes. “Carly, my life was empty before you. I went through the motions, day after day, with this void that I couldn’t seem to fill. The moment we met, I knew you were meant for me. Getting to this point wasn’t without it’s challenges, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything we’ve face, it’s made us stronger. I love you, today, tomorrow, and into eternity.” With the last of my words, I slid her wedding ring onto her hand.

  I wiped the tear that escaped her eye before she took a deep breath and spoke her own vows.

  “Gio. After losing Rico, I was so afraid to let anyone in again. The thought of loving someone, and losing them, terrified me. No matter how much I tried to push you away, you found a way past my walls. You refused to let me live half alive and you pushed, every day, to encourage me to embrace life again. You have loved me when I couldn’t love myself. You have given me the strength and the courage to face each day with my head held high. I would be nothing without you. I love you today, tomorrow, and into eternity.”

  “With the exchanging of vows and rings, Gio and Carly have formed a bond no man can break. With the power vested in me by the great state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Gio, you may kiss your bride.”

  As I pulled her into my arms and lowered my lips to hers, I knew that, as long as we had each other, we could face whatever came our way.

  Bonus Epilogue

  Carly

  Staring at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed. Four years ago, when I was attacked, I’d thought my life was over. I felt broken, ruined, a monster. Gio helped me to heal both physically, and mentally.

  After six rounds of surgery, all that was left of my attack was memories. Most days, those memories were faded and hidden, but every now and again, they reared their ugly heads. When they did, I turned to Gio to help me get through them.

  It was crazy, when I thought about where my life had been just four years ago. I’d been working a job that was killing my soul a little more every day, falling asleep alone, and wishing I had someone to lean on, someone to share the load.

  Then, like a dark knight, Gio came into my life and saved me. When I tried to push him away, he refused to go. When I tried to put up walls, he knocked them down. And when I was shattered in a million pieces, he picked each one up and lovingly put me back together.

  Smiling at my reflection, I rested a hand on my stomach. There was one dream that kept eluding us. That one thing we both craved that would tie our lives together completely. Just when I thought it would never happen, fate showed me otherwise.

  Picking up the little bit of plastic that meant so much, I left our bedroom and made my way downstairs. We were celebrating our three-year anniversary and the entire family was here to celebrate with us.

  “I was beginning to think you were hiding, Amore.”

  I laughed and leaned up to give him a kiss. “No, I just had to take care of something.”

  I could tell from the way he cocked a brow at me he was wondering what I was up to. “Soon, love. Let’s get something to eat, because I’m starving.”

  Was it torture, waiting until after everyone had eaten their fill, to share the news? Yes, but it would be worth it, I knew.

  As the setting sun turned the sky shades of pink, orange, and red, I picked up my glass of sweet tea and tapped against it with a butter knife to get everyone’s attention.

  “First, thank you, everyone, for being here to help Gio and I to celebrate our three-year anniversary. It means so much to have all our family and friends here.” I smiled at the man at my side. “Many of you know that Gio and I have been talking about adopting. We want to fill this house with the sound of children’s laughter and give Eli brothers and sisters. You also know we made that decision because we were tired of trying to conceive with no luck.”

  Pulling the square piece of plastic from my pocket, I curled my fingers around it. “Well, it seems we spoke too soon.” I opened my palm so Gio could see what I held. “We’re having a bab
y.”

  I didn’t really hear the cheers and word of congratulations that came from those around us. My focus was on the man at my side. My love, my life, my husband. When he picked me up and kissed me, everyone else disappeared. Our dreams were finally coming true and staring into his eyes, I knew, no matter what the future held, our love would see us through.

  Glossary

  List of non-English words used in the book.

  Bene – Good

  Tesoro – Darling/Treasure

  Bella – Beautiful

  Amore – Love

  Vita Mia – My life

  Amato – Beloved

  Mio Figlio – My son

  Mia Sorella – My sister

  Picollo – Little one

  Bambino – Child

  Cazzo – Fuck

  Che Cazzo – What the fuck

  Pezzo di Merda – Piece of shit

  Bastardo – Bastard

  Figlio di puttana – Son of a whore/son of a bitch

  Puta – Slut/whore

  If I missed any, feel free to contact me and let me know!

  Acknowledgments

  I'd like to take this time to thank the people who have helped to make this book possible. First, my cover artist, Najla Qamber of Najla Qamber Designs . Her work is amazing and I absolutely love the cover.

  To my beta readers, Kathy Wright, Jacinta Russell, and Rebecca Berland, thank you, for taking the time to read the relatively raw document and provide such valuable feedback. There are a few scenes within these pages that wouldn't have been so well written without your input! You ladies rock!

  To my ARC Team, thank you for offering your time to read this book before it went live and giving me your honest feedback on it! I appreciate it so very much!

  To my readers, thank you so much for giving my books a chance! There are so many authors out there and I am honored to have your support. Without each and every one of you, we authors would not be able to do the jobs we love; bringing our characters to life so others can enjoy them as much as we do. You are our reason for sitting down every day and putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. Again, thank you, so very much.

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  Midnight Orchids: Book Three of the NOLA Shifters Series

  Radiant Violets: Book Four in the NOLA Shifters Series

  Club Equinox

  Whispers of Hope

  About the Author

  Angel Nyx is an author of paranormal, contemporary, and historical romances. Her passion for literature was instilled in her at a young age when her mother read her fairy tale stories at bedtime. Her vivid imagination helps her get in tune with her characters to bring them to life for her readers. She is also a mom, a reader, an avid gamer chick, and a cook in a nursing home. She was once told that her 'OCD is queen' because it allows her to find errors in written word others miss. As a result, she has recently branched out to offer her proofreading services to other Indie authors. When she's not working, writing, reading, or gaming, she is usually relaxing to music, spending time with family, or finding new authors to fall in love with. She has a long time love affair with the city of New Orleans, which is why so much of her work is set there, and plans to visit the city as often as possible in the coming years.

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