Page 41 of Now and Forever

“I can do that, ma’am.”

Ma’am.

“Oh my God, stop. I’ve aged twenty years in this conversation.”

Armando looked toward the bed. “Let me know when you’re ready for me to take your things down to the car.”

There weren’t that many things present. I’d only spent two nights here. Then I remembered my wedding gown. “Do you know what they did with my wedding gown?”

“Mrs. Luciano…the other one,” he clarified, “had it.”

I zipped my suitcase and double-checked the bathroom for any random belongings. “You can take care of these,” I told Armando. “I’m going to try to find Dario’s mother.”

“She’s on the sunporch.”

“Sunporch.”

Where is that again?

Down to the first floor, I wound my way to the back of the house. The workers must have labored all night long. As I passed room to room and looked out to the lawn and gardens, there were no clues that a large wedding had taken place here yesterday. Maybe the Lucianos wanted the cartel out of their house as much as Uncle Nick wouldn’t welcome the famiglia into his.

I came to double doors opened at the end of the living room.

A summer breeze fluffed my dress as I stepped onto what must be the sunporch.

“Catalina?” Arianna said as I entered. She was sitting with a cup of coffee and writing in what appeared to be a journal.

“I’m sorry to bother you.”

She closed the journal. “No bother. I’m glad to have a minute to talk to you before you go.”

“I was wondering about my wedding dress.”

“Yes.” She sat taller. “The dress.”

“I’m not sure why, but Dario didn’t cut the dress last night. He did cut my corset.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to add that. “I wondered where the dress is now.”

“It’s gone, dear.”

My knees buckled. “Gone?”

She patted the table. “Have a seat.”

Doing as she bid, I sat on the chair across from her at the round table. “Why would you get rid of my dress?”

“I didn’t getridof it. It’s been sent to the seamstress. You see, even though Dario, for whatever reason, chose to not follow tradition, tradition must be followed. Francesca and I took the liberty of cutting the front of the dress’s bodice before bringing it downstairs. What you just told me about Dario not cutting it? Don’t repeat that. It’s better if the famiglia sees Dario as a competent leader who honors our ways.”

She cut my dress.

Arianna and Francesca—Giorgia’s mother.

I knitted my eyebrows. “How is showing kindness to his new bride the sign of incompetence?”

“The famiglia is different from what you’re used to. That’s why we rarely allow anyone to marry from outside. As you know, yours was a special circumstance. There was a time when I imagined Dario and Dante both marrying good Catholic Italian women. Even with his power, some families won’t forget that he…” She forced a smile. “Never mind. Thank the Lord you’re at least Catholic, and what I saw this morning…” She nodded with a strained smile. “I believe you’ll be good for Dario. God knows he needs a good woman at his side, finally.”

“Finally?”

“He should have married a decade ago.” Arianna lifted her coffee mug to her lips. “That’s the past. He sowed his oats, and now it’s time for his future: a wife, children, and soon, capo.”

---