“Yep. It might get a little out of hand.” Vinnie grimaces for a moment before pulling his lips into a tight smile. “But at least everything will be out in the open.”
We’ll add this day to the list of dumb shit Vinnie’s done in his life. They should’ve been honest about the baby to begin with. I’m pretty sure my mother is going to go apeshit when she finds out about the shotgun wedding. Her anger won’t have anything to do with the wedding not taking place in a church, but the fact that she wasn’t there to witness the blessed event.
“Last chance to run,” I tease as he reaches for the door handle, and Tilly swats my chest.
“Stop. Leave them be. It’ll all be fine.”
She thinks so, which is cute, but I’ve met many men like Mr. Hernandez, and I can say it won’t be fine. He’s going to go crazy, probably close to nuclear, when he hears his baby girl is knocked up and they snuck away to get married at city hall instead of in a church and before God.
I lean down and kiss Tilly’s cheek. “I’ll remind you of that in a half hour.”
“Let’s do this, baby,” Vinnie says to Bianca, ushering her through the door.
Half the pizza shop is filled with family. Everyone’s here, including Bianca’s parents, grandmother, and brothers who look a little out of place and overly curious about why they’ve been asked to attend a dinner at a restaurant they probably wouldn’t normally be caught dead in.
It takes ten minutes to say hello, including hugs and kisses. That’s the rub of an Italian family. Hellos and goodbyes take forever.
“Why are we here, Bianca?” her mother asks as soon as the family starts to settle back into their seats.
Bianca turns to Vinnie, twisting her hands in front of herself, and gives him a nervous smile. “You say it,” she says softly. “I can’t.”
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Sick?” Her mother’s gaze roams Bianca’s body, and I can see the worry on her face.
“No, Mom. I’m not sick,” Bianca says quickly, but it does nothing to alleviate the tension.
Tilly squeezes my hand and leans over. “This is going to be intense, isn’t it?”
“Maybe they’ll take it well, like you said,” I tell her, but I know it’s complete bullshit.
“Then what is it? Why are we all here?”
Vinnie steps forward, his hand linked with Bianca’s as his eyes move across the room. “Bianca and I have an announcement to make.”
Bianca’s mother quickly does the sign of the cross, touching her head, heart, and each shoulder. Bianca’s father’s hand is already clenched so tightly, I’m pretty sure he’s about ready to pop.
“Spit it out, guys. You’re killing us!” Mike yells out, but he knows everything. The parents are the only ones in the dark.
Vinnie holds out Bianca’s hand, showing off the ring. “Bianca and I were married today.”
The people not in the know, my parents and Bianca’s family, all gasp with wide eyes. The rest of the family, my cousins and siblings, all start clapping and hollering for the happy couple.
Bianca’s father stands straight up, hand still curled in a fist. “You what?”
“We got married at city hall, Papa.”
Bianca’s father’s eyes slice to his wife, but she’s too busy crying, and I’m not sure they’re entirely tears of joy either.
“How could you do this to your mother?”
Tilly’s eyes find mine, and I cringe because this isn’t going as happily as Vinnie and Bianca hoped, and they haven’t even dropped the biggest bomb yet.
“We couldn’t wait,” Vinnie says, not giving one shit that her dad is mad.
“We’ll still get married in the church. We’ll renew our vows before God, Papa.”
“The green-eyed one,” Bianca’s grandmother says with a big smile. “I knew. I always knew.”
“How could you not tell us or, hell, invite us to the ceremony?” her father seethes.
