Page 146 of Married with Mayhem

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell him with a straight face.

“In all seriousness,” Luca says, “I couldn’t be happier for you. You and Monte are among my favorite people. You deserve each other.”

“Thanks, Luca. Expect a lot of visits from us.”

“Looking forward to it,” he says and moves closer to Anni as she commiserates with Daisy over morning sickness. Luca stands behind her and slides his arms around her waist. She turns her head to smile at him. They share a kiss.

Elsewhere, Big Man Bowie is standing by the counter and gesticulating with excitement as he tells Sal about his idea for a pizza burger. Sal appears openly skeptical, even a bit perplexed, but I’ve learned that Big Man Bowie knows his burgers so I’ll keep an open mind.

After Big Man Bowie moves on to share his hamburger vision with new friends, Sal’s gaze shifts to my mother. She has eyes for no one but Jane as she rocks her baby granddaughter in her arms and speaks softly in Italian.

As he watches Mama, a smile spreads on Sal’s face. They’ve quickly become friends. And yesterday, when she showed up here to meet me for dinner, she was wearing lipstick. I made no comment.

The only pizzas being made today by the staff of Gino’s are for the wedding guests. Every now and then a prospective customer wanders to the door, their faces falling when they see the CLOSED sign. Sal walks out to speak to them and hands out coupons for free appetizers, inviting them to come back another day.

Every time I look around in search of Monte, I discover that he’s searching for me. He’s now behind the counter, joking around with Stevie, but not more than a few seconds pass before he seeks me out again.

I told Monte he didn’t need to rent a tux but he insisted. I’m glad he insisted. Though his usual rugged old jeans and unshaven jaw never fail to make me salivate, the man is downright breathtaking when he decides to dress up.

Nico switches the jukebox on and Bob Dylan’s voice fills the room. I understand why Sal doesn’t replace the old music. It’s part of the character of the place. Losing it would be like losing a friend.

There’s one guest who stays apart from the crowd. Vittorio Messina has captured the corner table where he can watch everyone in the room and escape small talk at the same time.

Well, he can’t escape me. This is my wedding day and my uncle owes me a chat.

Those black eyes of his, always so inscrutable, are no less mysterious now but he doesn’t appear annoyed when I sit down in the chair across from him. He chased most of his entourage off for the day and sent them to go explore New York on their own, although two of them are still posted just outside the door.

“Congratulations on your marriage,” he says. “Again.”

“Thank you for being here, Uncle Vittorio.”

In the background, I can hear Janie starting to fuss. Anni asks where she can go nurse the baby and Luca says he’ll go with her to the basement.

“And thank you for flying Anni’s family in,” I say. “It means the world to me to have my sisters here.”

He nods without comment and keeps constant vigil on all the action.

My relationship with my uncle is far from warm and fuzzy. It’s impossible to forget that he’s a very dangerous man. But he does care about his family. Besides, I know that in a very odd roundabout way, he gets some credit for bringing me and Monte together.

“I suppose you’re returning to Sicily now,” I say to him.

“Yes. I’ll drop Annalisa’s family off in Colorado first.”

“Thank you for everything, Uncle Vittorio. I know you’re busy. But I hope you’ll find time to fly across the ocean and visit us in New York once in a while.”

Before he can stop me, I cross to the other side of the table and kiss his cheek.

His expression doesn’t shift at all but he says, “You have a happy life, Sabrina. We’ll see each other again.”

“Of course we will,” I say. “We’re family.”

There’s really no need for long goodbyes when it comes to Uncle Vittorio. Besides, it’s time I reconnected with my husband. I want to kiss him again.

Sal has ordered Monte to stay away from the kitchen. He won’t let his son lift a finger on his wedding day. There’s a constant grin on Sal’s face as he rolls up his sleeves and checks the progress of the kitchen staff through the open window behind the counter.

Nico surprises me with a tap on the shoulder. He motions to his father with his half empty beer bottle. “Dad might be yourbiggest fan. Not only does he get you as a daughter, Monte is now joining the family business.”

“Maybe I can stay his biggest fan if I persuade you to join the family business too.”

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