I’d come up with a secret one for Rocco.
Titillating.
Well, that was how he made me feel after I sniffed him.
His uncles asked me to dance next, followed by his brothers.
The entire time I danced with Brando, his eyes were mostly on his wife dancing with Rocco, and Rocco’s eyes were mostly on me. Scarlett and I met eyes and exploded with laughter. When we started dancing together, their eyes were on us. We laughed even harder at the almost blank looks on their faces at why we were laughing.
Scarlett threw an arm in the air, her hips moving seductively, as it seemed like every one of her footsteps matched the beat of the song as she danced toward her husband, and he came for her.
She’d said something in my ear before she left me, though. “I’m so frigging happy for Rocco—for you!” She’d glanced at Amadeo and Ludovico, and even though my heart fell at how their father’s wedding to another woman might make them feel, I plastered on a smile and sent it in their direction, waving a little. I’d made a silent vow to them, too, at the church. Even though they were grown, I wanted them as a part of our lives. A bigger part.
Amadeo approached me first and asked me to dance. Then Ludovico. Both men were grinning and laughing by the time our dances were over. After they left me, both of their shoulders were relaxed, and it was like they were breathing, not caring if too loudly or not.
The smile on Rocco’s face as he watched them made my heart warm. He loved his sons, even if he kept that love close to his chest.
Pisolino even made an appearance. I’d created him a tuxedo style collar, and he flaunted it around like he was a king. Except when I picked him up and was stroking his ears, I noticed that hehad hair missing from his back. It almost looked like someone had tried to grab him too hard and pulled his hair out. It gave me an uneasy feeling. Rocco noticed the look on my face, and without him having to say his usual two words,tell me, I told him.
His face hardened, and he ordered one of the soldiers to keep watch of Pisolino until the night was over. Scarlett and Brando agreed to take him back to the mainland the next day, when the entire island would be cleared except for locals and soliders. That made me feel better, but I knew Pisolino was going to be mad at me. The vet would seem like child’s play if he didn’t leave the island with me. That seemed to be our deal. We were a package.
I pushed the thought aside, knowing I was doing the right thing for him. We’d be together soon enough, and maybe one of the soldiers could bring him back right before we left for the mainland after summer was over. He could say goodbye to his home with me next to him, since he became my family on this island before I found Rocco.
Mac got to his feet and clanked a knife against a crystal glass, capturing everyone’s attention. He wasn’t a loud man, and it wasn’t only because of the scar across his throat. He didn’t need to be boisterous. None of these men needed to draw attention to themselves. The attention was usually on them just naturally.
Mac cleared his throat and looked at us, standing side by side, Rocco’s hand on my hip. His hands were on me almost constantly.
“Rocco has been waiting for you, Ari, for what feels like centuries to him. He was as alone as I was, until Mariposa.” His wife took her place by his side, and without even looking at her, he took her hand in his. “So, when I speak these next words, I speak them in knowledge. In every face of every woman, in every touch of a body that didn’t belong to him, he searched for yours and found empty vows.”
Rocco pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed my wedding rings as I cried at Mac’s heartfelt words.
“Your love story is an accumulation of every love story he hasever witnessed and wished for himself. Aria Amora Bella Fausti. You are a wildflower. A rose. A butterfly. You are Italy. You are New Orleans. You are entirely his. And he is eternally yours.Senza fine. You are the queen of his heart, and he is the king of yours.” He lifted his glass, and everyone followed suit. He wished us a hundred nights such as this one and then said, “Salute!”
“Salute!” the crowd echoed.
Everyone downed their drinks in honor of Mac’s toast, and then Romeo serenaded us with a song that we danced to underneath the thousands of twinkling lights. “Senza Fine.”
Rocco dried my tears. I couldn’t stop the flow of them.
The night seemed to soften after that, everyone relaxed and having a great time. I took it as a good sign that suit jackets had been left at tables and sleeves had started to roll up. Until it seemed like a hush fell over the crowd, and the music had been turned up too loud. Rocco’s grip on my back was hard enough to rip the delicate fabric, but it held up. It was much stronger than it looked.
An older man and woman had arrived, and guests parted for them, giving them a clear line to Rocco and me.
It surely wasn’t my mom and her husband. She had declined the invitation, since she said her daughters only had a short time left of summer and they were looking forward to going to Six Flags—how could she disappoint them by changing their plans and taking them toItalyfor an adult wedding? If I would have given her more time to plan, even though Rocco was paying for all of them, he wouldn’t take no for an answer, sure, maybe. But this wedding was so unexpected!
Before we hung up, I heard her say,hopefully he won’t be a philandering cheat like…
My dad.
Okay. That was the truth about my dad.
Still.
Pfff. Whatever.
This couple was staring directly at Rocco though. The manwas dressed in an expensive suit, just like the rest of these men, and the woman was in a black gown with veil, like she was attending a funeral instead of a wedding.
Juliette slipped a glass of something full of alcohol in my hand. All I had was a sip of champagne in honor of Mac’s toast, but I felt entirely stoned. These people, though, were changing the mood. It felt like reality was starting to slip into our dreamland. Even though I was tempted to down the glass, I set it down, straightening my gown and standing taller next to Rocco. I held tighter to his arm as the couple approached us.
