“You look like Grace Kelly in that dress, sis,” Phoenix said.
I had gone traditional for the church ceremony. A dress I wouldn’t have ever thought I’d wear, but when Georgia, even Kitty, teared up at the sketches the designer did, my face and build wearing the dress…I went with it.
I gave him a smile that was braver than what I felt. “How do you know who Grace Kelly is?”
He grinned. “I Googled her after Grandma Kitty said it.”
She loved that my brothers called her that, even though Big and Gio both called her Kitty, unless Gio was messing around with her. He called her a variety of “grandmother” names.
Angelo shook his head but smirked at Phoenix. “It’s true, though, Leo. You’re worthy of marrying royalty. That’s why you’re marrying the King of Vegas.”
I laughed. It was shaky. “You got that right. He is.”
“Yeah.” Phoenix smiled. “But don’t tell Gio that. They’d argue about it and there’d be no winner. Same reason I refuse to play Monopoly with them again. Guns were—”
Angelo held a hand over Phoenix’s mouth. “Time and place, bro. Time and place.”
I tried to take a deep breath, but suddenly, the dress felt entirely too tight, and my head went woozy because I felt like I couldn’t take a good one.
“You look pale, sis,” Phoenix said.
“Yeah, you do. You okay, Leo?”
I held my hand up, a signal for them to give me a minute. Georgia came out to tell us we needed to start heading in, and Angelo called her over.
“She looks pale,” Phoenix said, and I could hear a tremble in his voice. Phoenix still had underlying abandonment issues, but they had gotten better after I married Big. Phoenix trusted Big, and he was on edge, too, after the crash.
“She does.” Georgia’s voice was matter of fact and to the point. She knew about Phoenix’s issues and kept calm to keep him calm. “It’s called pre-wedding jitters, or in her case, she’s nervous about the performance of her life. It happens all the time. Go inside and tell Rocco we just need a minute to fix her hair and makeup.”
“But it’s not her hair and makeup,” Phoenix said. “Maybe we need a doctor.”
“No!” Georgia and I said at the same time. It was a NO, like,oh no, that’s silly.A true waste of time.We didn’t snap it at him.
“Come on.” Angelo set his hand on Phoenix’s shoulder and directed his lanky body toward the church. “Here’s what all this means, bro. They don’t want Big to know she’s freaking out about getting married—again. Because if he finds out, he’s going to charge out here and throw her over his shoulder. Then all the blood is going to rush to her head, and she really will pass out. She just needs a moment to breathe. All is good. You know Leo is a tough chick. You can go tell what’s his name about her needing a minute. I’ll talk to Big.”
I stood a little taller after they started walking off, proud of them. I loved how they were there for each other, and I only hoped as the years moved forward, they would always stay close. It was a given I’d always be there for them.
Georgia was watching them too. “What’s Angelo’s issue with Rocco?” She turned to me.
I shrugged, but I had an idea. He was jealous that Georgia had spent time with him. Because there was something still going on there with Angelo when it came to Georgia, and it made my stomach roll. I didn’t even want to think about Rocco stopping to look Angelo in the eye and talking to him again. Angelo was a smart kid, and if I knew the warning wasn’t in Rocco’s tone or the words he used, it was the look on his face.
I started to hyperventilate again.
“I don’t have a bag,” Georgia said, her voice no-nonsense again. “Stand up straight and slow your breathing. Then when you catch your breath, tell me what’s going on. No excuses. Get to the point. Your husband is waiting to marry you, acting like every minute is a century, andnota whole lotta people, just your nearest and dearest, are dying to get a look at you.” She sighed. “You really are gorgeous, Leo,” she whispered, taking my trembling hand and squeezing. “It hurts so good to look at you. I’m so happy to be here for this. To witness the girl who deserves everything good to get everything good.”
Georgia’s words were so heartfelt, all I could do was hug her tight to me. She was my first true friend, and we had been through so many tough times together, and one day—she just turned into a sister. Family I could count on. It meant the world to me that she could be here.
She set me away from her. Dabbed at her face. Then gave me a stern look. “Okay, no time like the present to spill it. Are you sick? Or are you nervous?”
“I’m having a hard time breathing.”
“Do you need medical help?”
“No, I need the help of a seamstress, but since the one who came this morning said there was nothing she could do on such short notice, I have to suck it up, literally, and really,reallytry to breathe.”
“The dress fit fine before we left.”
“I know.”
