Page 14 of The Housemaid's Wedding
“Millie and I are about to get married,” Enzo explains, “and it turns out we have no witness. Do you think you could…?”
Paul beams. “It would be my honor!”
Enzo winks at me. “See? I told you we would find a witness. And as for the something old…” He looks over at Paul, who is eagerly straightening his tie in anticipation of the ceremony. It’s sort of adorable. “Would you excuse us for a moment?”
Enzo leads me away from the other man, who looks so harmless right now, it seems embarrassing that I could have thought he was the threatening caller. Enzo stops when we are out of earshot and flashes me a conspiratorial smile.
“I know you were hoping for your mother’s necklace,” he says, “but I want to give you something instead that belongs to me. It’s something that means a lot to me, and it would mean so much to me if you would hold onto it during the ceremony.”
I frown at him. “What is it?”
Enzo digs around in his pocket for several seconds,which is long enough for me to start to worry. He always carries this old pocket knife his father gave him with his initials engraved on it—does he wantthatto be my “something old”? I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if he whipped that out, but I amnotcarrying a knife during my wedding ceremony. Plus, they have metal detectors at city hall.
But instead, he pulls out a small turquoise item. He holds it out in his palm, and I realize that it’s a butterfly pin.
“This belonged to Antonia.” His voice breaks the way it often does when he says his sister’s name. It’s because of Antonia and what her husband did to her that Enzo and I are together in the first place. “My mother gave it to her as a little girl, and I found it in her jewelry box after she was killed. I carry it around always to remind me of her. And… I want you to hold onto it during the ceremony.”
“Enzo…”
“Please.”
I don’t protest again. He reaches out to pin the tiny butterfly to the fabric covering my shoulder. The color suits the dress perfectly, as if I had picked it out to match.
“There,” he says. “Now you have something old.”
“Thank you,” I breathe.
“So.” He lifts his dark eyes to meet mine. “We may get married now?”
I allow a smile to touch my lips. “We may.”
11
Ten minutes later,we are waiting in city hall for our number to be called.
Yes, this is how getting married works at city hall. You take a number and sit in a plastic chair, waiting for them to call you. I try not to let it bother me that getting married so closely resembles getting a sandwich at the deli. On the plus side, my ears are warm.
Our number is twenty-six, and they have just called twenty-three. Based on how quickly the last few numbers went by, I expect we will be called in the next five minutes. In another fifteen minutes, Enzo Accardi will officially be my husband.
“TWENTY-FOUR!” a voice calls out.
“Last chance to change your mind,” Enzo teases me.
I open my mouth to sass him back, but then something stops me. A slight fluttering in my belly. It almost feels like an air bubble rising up from my insides and poking me. I clutch my abdomen, waiting to see if I feel it again.
And then there it is. Another little flutter.
Enzo’s brow lowers. “Are you okay?”
“I think…” I take a deep breath. “The baby just kicked me.”
“Really?” He rests his own hand on the slight swell of my belly. “I don’t feel anything.”
“TWENTY-FIVE!”
Another couple rises to their feet, disappearing down a hallway. It’s like getting closer in line to a ride that you’re excited about taking. Except you know the ride also has some massive drop and a bit of upside-down stuff, so you’re simultaneously terrified.
I feel that fluttering again, but Enzo just shakes his head. He can’t feel her yet. For now, her kicks are just for me.
