Page 16 of Reign of Hope

He nods.

“Get enough for the guest list and ask if he’ll make special labels for the wedding. What do you think?”

“Better than some frivolous thing you put on a shelf to get dusty,” Dad says with a smile. “I’ll take care of it.”

“As for the cake, why not ask Elena to help? It’ll give you a chance to get to know her and she’ll feel included,” I tell Allegra. “That gives Mom the rest of the week to get back to the restaurant.”

“That’s it?” Mom says sharply. “I’m tossed away, just like that?” She snaps her fingers.

“Well, actually,” Allegra says, “I was hoping you could take care of the restaurant decor and make sure it’s set up properly. It’s a big job, and I wouldn’t have a clue. I saw the pictures you showed me of Elena’s wedding. You did such a beautiful job.”

That’s all my mother needed to hear. She needs to feel useful and wants to be included. “Don’t you worry. It will be perfect, cara.” Mom goes to Allegra and bends down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry if I took over.” Mom stands up straight and announces, “I’ll go get dinner started.”

“No, you won’t. We all need a break, especially you, amore,” Dad jumps in. “I’m ordering in, and we’re going to have a relaxing night. We’ll eat in front of the television and do nothing.” He stands and kisses my mother. “Let’s give these two a minute.” He leads Mom away.

I drop back onto the sofa and close my eyes. I feel Allegra do the same. “Can’t we just go to city hall?” she murmurs.

I open my eyes and turn to look at her. She still has her eyes closed. She’s not sleeping well. I hear her every night. Each evening, she calls her brother to check in with him, then spends the rest of the night tossing and turning. I’ve wanted to go in, but Dad stopped me in the hall and told me that it’s best to give Allegra some space. I see his point. Since the second I came onto the scene, Allegra hasn’t had a second to herself. She’s got to find her way and come to terms with the massive turnaround her life is facing.

Victorio moved into Leo’s carriage house. Leo and I have him enrolled in school for the next semester, and he’s started his physical training forNostra Casa. He’s doing better than I expected, and Leo is watching him closely. He misses his sister; however, I’m thinking that separation is good for both of them. Leo needs a sterner guiding hand, and Allegra has the time to think about what she wants for her future. I haven’t broached the subject yet, but I think setting Allegra up with her own shop would make her happy.

So far this week, I’ve had a message sent to her former boss and friend, Melissa, and arranged for a private call between the two women. Melissa has admitted that the Skulls have been skulking around. The Skulls are not stupid and had one of their women make an appointment asking for her hair to be styled by Allegra. Melissa saw through her at first glance and spotted her ride waiting for her outside, the driver clearly a Skull gang member. Melissa’s quick on her feet and went into a tear about how Allegra was fed up with her brother’s antics and took off with nothing but a text message as notice. She even showed them the text, the same one I sent from Allegra’s phone when all this went down, once we were on the plane.

Anna and Olivia have reached out to check in and have invited Allegra to visit, but my mother has kept Allegra too busy to comply. Elena has tried to rein Mom in but is failing, and that’s why I stepped in this morning.

“Not an option, babe,” I respond. She opens her pretty green eyes. She looks fragile and desperately in need of some chill time. So I ask, “If you could do whatever you wanted for a day, what would it be?”

Allegra blinks. I can see the wheels spinning before a shy smile comes across her lips. “I’d love to do Olivia’s hair. I can’t explain it, but when I’m doing hair, I feel like…me.”

I got Allegra a new phone and programmed the most important numbers into it, including the women I hope she’ll connect with, Olivia being one of them. “Call her,” I urge. “See if she’s doing anything. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you. Elena would probably want in on that. She’s been hoping to spend some time with you.”

“What if she’s busy?”

“Won’t know until you ask.”

Allegra hesitates before making the call, but I give her an encouraging grin. She bites her lower lip but dials Olivia’s number. “Uh, hi, it’s Allegra. I was wondering if you still wanted your hair cut.” I hear a delighted shrill from the other end of the phone. It’s obvious that Olivia is thrilled about the idea. I’ve never seen Allegra light up like this the way she is right now. “Elena?” There’s a pause before Allegra responds, “I’d like that. Okay, I’ll leave that part all up to you. I can pick up what I need at a local supplier.”

The women go on and on, and I leave them to it. I only hope the next weeks go by quickly for both our sakes.

TEN

Lilac, Lace, and Bullets

ALLEGRA

“You look beautiful, Ally,” Victorio says as he assists me into the waiting silver limousine. Along with us is Elena, who happily agreed to be my matron of honor. Dante has arranged for several soldiers to accompany our car to the church. Apparently, I should never play poker because my expression speaks volumes. My first thought was thatNostra Casawas expecting Victorio and me to make a run for it, but where would we go? Elena assures me that the soldiers are here because her husband is an overprotective alpha male, and seeing that Reno, Sebastian, and he have many enemies, Dante doesn’t take any chances with Elena’s safety.

Thinking back to the previous weeks, I have to admit that Elena has been surrounded by bodyguards and I was letting my insecurities get the best of me.

The biggest surprise of the day was when I pulled out my wedding gown this morning and found the more expensive gown that I had refused to buy in place of mine, with a note attached. It read:Ally, you were meant to have this dress. I look forward to seeing you in it. Zano.

The dress is made of tatted lace all the way down to the train. It’s delicate, with thin straps at the shoulders and a deep V-neck. It’s not tawdry, but enough to enhance my breasts, then it narrows at the waist into an A-line skirt. It’s elegant, and with my pinned hair up with soft curls framing my face, even I have to admit I look pretty.

Zano has been nothing less than a gentleman to me. It’s been four weeks and never once has he kissed me properly. I find myself thinking often about what our first kiss will be like. I catch Zano watching me, and then he catches me watching him. A few times over the last couple of weeks, I thought he would finally kiss me, but alas, all I got was a chaste kiss on the cheek or forehead. Unfortunately, it seems our first kiss is destined to happen in a church filled with people.

I glance down at the lilac and cream roses in my bouquet, just as Zano promised, and think that perhaps we have a chance at making this marriage work. It’s not like either of us has a choice in the matter, but I’m not naive and know that many Mafia marriages are contractual obligations between families for power and prestige. My own parents were matched together for that very reason, and look how that turned out.

Still, Zano has risked a lot for me and Victorio, and I intend to be the best wife I know how to be. Looking out the back window, Victorio stiffens beside me, then he seems to focus on the side mirrors. Elena notices too and begins to look around at the cars on the road.

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