Page 62 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

The ceremony is quick, because we both agreed that we didn’t want to bore our guests. And as soon as the priest utters, “you may now kiss the bride”, I hear Carlos and those around him erupt with cheers.

Luca and I laugh together as we run past the crowd and they throw rose petals over our heads.

We escape back to the bridal suite while the organizer takes the guests into the mansion's entertainment hall, which is decorated in a blend of gold and soft pastel colors, with photos of Luca and I from our childhood to now thoughtfully placed around the space.

I can hear the buzz of voices and footsteps, but in the suite, with Luca staring into my eyes, still smiling, I feel like we’re the last people on earth.

“We did it,” I say to him, pulling him in by his neck so I can kiss him again. And again. And again.

He growls into my ear, “Careful, Em. We don’t want to ruin that dress before the pictures.” As he says that, our photographer knocks on the door.

I groan and roll my eyes. Luca laughs and pulls me to the door. We follow her out to the garden to take photos as the sun goes down.

We take so many pictures, my jaw hurts from smiling and my stomach is growling from hunger, but I know I’ll end up printing out almost all of them and putting them up in our home.

Finally, Luca and I join the crowd already having the time of their lives. There is such a celebratory air in the house, I’m actually glad that we ended up inviting the Mexicans.

Drug lords or not, these guys know how to stop and celebrate the big moments. And with Luca’s family, and my own not quite on our side, it’s refreshing to receive the well wishes.

Luca also points out the insanity of the gift table, which is overflowing with presents of all sizes. I laugh at the sight.

We serve dinner and the hall goes quiet for the first time. Luca has arranged for the finest Mexican tequila to be sent around the tables, and Italian wines for variety.

My stomach finally stops growling as I finish the creamy Tuscan salmon that was placed in front of me and I give Luca a puppy-dog look to convince him it’s time to dance.

We haven’t practiced a first dance, but we’re both pretty good on the floor as we improvise perfectly as a team.

It's not long before almost every other guest is on the dance floor, too. Luca pulls me away to the side after a few songs.

We stand just outside the doors, breathing in the cool evening air and staring into each other’s eyes. Luca traces his finger from my eyebrow down to my chin and I close my eyes, soaking in his touch, his smell, this whole evening.

“I hope this night is enough for you, mia cara,” he whispers. That’s the first term of endearment he’s ever used for me. My heart swells.

I take a mental picture, wanting this moment to last as long as it possibly can. I grab a hold of his finger and kiss it, opening my eyes to look into his again.

“It’s so much more,” I say, not lying.

The lavish venues and fancy wedding parties don’t tempt me. If I’m going home with Luca Baldini tonight, as my husband, I’ve gotten everything I could ever have wished for.

***

We join the party again, but I’m eager to have my husband all to myself later—hopefully not too much later. So, I chat with the wedding organizer and ask if we can push the big steps up a bit. She catches my drift and winks at me as she agrees, and I blush just slightly.

As we’re about to cut into the white, four-tiered wedding cake with edible gold roses cascading down it like a waterfall, Enzo comes up and asks to speak to Luca.

“I’m a bit busy.” Luca tells him.

“Okay,” Enzo nods, but keeps speaking anyway. “Has anyone seen Grazia, though? She was with the party until the reception started.”

"I haven't seen her once all day." I add quietly. She's been doing an excellent job of avoiding me like the plague. But with Mexicans within ear shot, I'm not going to leak that drama.

“Hah, we saw her…" Carlos' wife speaks up eagerly. "My cousin Marco had his tongue down her throat, I’m afraid. I warned him not to cause any trouble, but your sister looked like she was old enough to look after herself,” the woman is more than happy to share details, but her husband’s face looks worried.

“Luca…” Carlos comes closer to us as his wife spins off dancing with another ‘cousin’, “Luca you must warn your sister. Marco Rodriguez is not a good man. He works hard, he’s loyal, but he isn’t someone you want your young sister around.”

I see something flicker across Luca’s face, and his jaw tightens. He turns to say something to me, but before he can utter a word, I nod and follow him and Enzo as they make their way to the upstairs portion of the mansion.

Luca and Enzo call out to Grazia, giving her some warning in case she and Marco are in an awkward position.

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