Page 288 of Merciless Desires

Mamma stood behind him, beaming at me with tears in her eyes.

She was my something blue, wearing a gorgeous sapphire dress.

“Mamma?”

“Tesoro,” Mamma replied and opened her arms to me.

I rushed forward, carefully hugging my mamma, not wanting to break her when she was already so fragile. Gisella and Annabella yelled for Mamma and wrapped themselves around us.

Mamma chuckled softly.

“Le mie ragazze,” she said and kissed the top of our heads from oldest to youngest.

“How?” I asked and pulled back to peer at her.

Mamma gently dabbed at my tears and smiled softly. “Matteo.”

She didn’t need to explain further. Matteo had made sure that my mamma would be at my wedding, and I didn’t care how he’d done it. He’d done it.

I didn’t think it was possible to fall even more in love with my fiancé, but that simple act had me falling all over again.

The capo wives lined up behind Annabella and Gianni. Gisella and Matteo’s cousin, Stefano, were behind them, and I stood between Mamma and Papà, ready to walk down the aisle toward the man I loved more than I thought possible to love one soul.

I laughed softly as Annabella kept Gianni on track while tossing flowers perfectly. The capos and their wives went next, followed by Gisella and Stefano.

The music changed, and with one final kiss from my parents, papà pulled my veil over my face.

“Pronta?” Papà asked.

“Certo che sì.”

Papà grinned, Mamma passed me my bouquet, and we stepped through the doors, making our way toward the altar. All eyes were on me, but I only saw Matteo. He wore a burgundy suit with a black shirt and bowtie beneath, looking deliciously lethal.

Matteo looked incredible in red.

As we got closer, a smile cracked wide across my face while Matteo’s twisted with emotion. He was crying softly.

My man was a total softie, but only for me.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

MATTEO

I stared at Mrs. Matteo Cortese, unable to take my eyes off her. She was laughing, swinging Annabella around the dance floor while the tired eight-year-old was just hanging onto her oldest sister like her life depended on it.

I spun my black diamond wedding band around on my ring finger, admiring it once more. My girl had picked out the ring made from tantalum, a rare metal, with a row of black diamonds set in the center.

As the song came to an end, Marcella passed Annabella to her papà, kissed him on the cheek, then her mamma, and finally her middle sister. She waved goodbye to her family and turned to me with a heart-stopping grin.

I could tell that she liked my something blue gift.

I had vowed to her mamma the day we saw her in the hospital that I wasn’t stopping until I found answers for her. For Marcella.

I went with Mrs. Moretti to every appointment to put a bit of pressure on the medical professionals she saw. And we now knew what had been causing her so much weakness and pain. Mrs. Moretti had polymyositis, which could be treated with medication and physical therapy.

So, I paid for the medication and physical therapy.

I was certain Mrs. Moretti was in a world of pain, but she had pushed through for her daughter’s wedding.

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