Chase died laughing while Nixon shared a humored look with the rest of us.
“Dear God, not only are you mafia, but you’ll be in a church still drunk!” Frank made the motion of the cross over his chest. “Your occupation is bad enough; better send some prayers to the saints so you don’t get struck by lightning once you enter holy ground.”
“We’ll send Phoenix in first just in case,” Tex said seriously.
“Why do I have to be the martyr?”
“So all the secrets die with you.” Tex shrugged.
“Man has a point,” Phoenix grumbled. “But I’m not going first, Sergio’s the one getting married, he gets to walk in first. If he doesn’t die, then we all go.”
“Happiest day of your life, yeah?” Chase met my gaze and chuckled. “Just remember, we all do shit we don’t want to do for the Family. But something tells me it’s more about wanting to do her and feeling guilty about it.”
I blinked, and opened my mouth to defend myself when Frank yelled. “Could you women stop bickering and get dressed! It’s like herding a bunch of toddlers with weapons!”
“I support gun control.” Tex placed a hand over his heart. “How dare you!”
“Oh hell,” Frank muttered curse after curse. “Just — go.”
TWO HOURS LATER and I was in the exact same spot I’d been in over six months ago. Only this time, it wasn’t with as much trepidation as it had been then… just an eerie sense of déjà vu.
But she was nothing like Andi.
Nothing.
There were over a hundred family members present. Dante made his way to my side and tapped me on the shoulder just as the last few shuffled to their seats. “She needs to talk to you.”
“What?” I tried to force a smile. “Is she okay?”
Dante didn’t answer right away and then rolled his eyes. “Just come with me, all right?”
My heart did that thing, where it jolts in your chest but you aren’t sure if it’s out of anxiety or sadness. Was she really going to back out? Holy shit, why did that bother me so much? Not that it was an option anyway, but I felt sadness.
Actual sadness at the thought that she would take the easy way out.
That she wanted a life away from what I could give her.
Not that I’d offered her much.
But still…
I went out the side door and followed Dante to the room she’d been waiting in.
“Val.” Dante knocked loudly on the door. “I got him.”
The door opened swiftly, Val pulled me in and slammed it shut again.
I stumbled back and swore aloud as she wrapped her arms around her mid section. “I can’t do this.”
“You’re wearing a table cloth.”
“I know what I’m wearing!” She snapped.
“Okay…” I took a cautious step toward her. “Was that the plan? Put on a white tablecloth and pretend to be the ghost of Christmas future?”
“Hilarious,” she said through clenched teeth.
Damn she was beautiful. She’d put on makeup.
Not that it made her prettier, just older.
A lot older looking.
I swallowed my nerves.
How had I never noticed how big her eyes were? Or her lips?
That mouth.
I instantly hardened as she pursed her lips together and gave me an angry stare. “It’s bad.”
Shit she was fierce when she was angry.
Her eyes flashed. “Sergio, are you even listening to me?”
“Honestly?” I winced. “No, but you look beautiful.”
“I’m wearing a table cloth.”
“I like your hair.”
“Thanks.” She reached up to touch the simple white veil causing the table cloth to fall to the ground and pool at her feet.
“Holy mother of God!” I whispered in a hoarse yell.
It was her turn to wince. “That bad?”
Words. Damn I needed a lot of them. A shit load of them. “No.”
“It was in the stupid package! And I ruined my own dress so I was like hey, what do I have to lose? I brought a back up simple white dress just in case but it made me look like a first grader, and then I opened the box and it’s my size and—”
“Stop talking.” My hoarse voice sounded foreign as I took two steps toward her then tugged her body against mine, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Her arms went around my neck, there was no hiding my arousal as it pressed against her core.
And for once, it didn’t bring me shame.
But this fiery, tempting need to toss her over whatever object I could find and lift up that damn lacy skirt. Shit. Who the hell would buy her something like this?
Val pulled back. “I look like a prostitute.”
“A very highly paid one.” I kissed her again and again. I couldn’t help it, something had snapped, I was hungry for her, starving for another taste.
Shaking, she pulled away. “What will the uncles say?”
“They’ll probably try to shoot anyone who stares.”
“Right, so the table cloth happened soon after Dante saw me.”
“What did Dante say?”
“It was more what didn’t he say,” Val admitted.
“You’re going out there, in this dress, it looks gorgeous on you.”
“I feel naked.”