"We're in a church." Dante laughed as he joined me. "Get your mind out of the gutter."
"Who said my mind was in the gutter?" I asked, still drinking her in as he slung an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close and banging our skulls together as we walked.
"You're telling me you're not thinking about extending the family with the way she looks in that dress?" That earned him a slap to the back of his head, but I couldn't help the grin that came to my face. I'd been caught red-handed.
"You two better not be planning any trouble. I'm not in the mood to talk Mia and Carmen down from homicide." Emilio joined my left side.
"Have you ever succeeded in talking Carmen down?" Dante asked thoughtfully, and I snickered. If Mia was wilful, Carmen was bull-headed. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for the pair of them to spend so much time together. They'd already proven to be a handful when left to their own devices, and I suddenly realised why people weren't keen to leave Dante and I on our own.
"Luc," Emilio said as we stepped out into the fresh air. "Carmen's a little worried with everything that's happened."
"I never would have guessed with the daily phone calls," I replied.
Every evening, like clockwork, Carmen’s face filled the screen of Mia’s phone and the two caught up on everything from christening to wedding to parenting to who knew what else. It was safer to live life in ignorance sometimes. And every evening, without fail, Carmen did a full assessment of Mia to make sure she was okay.
"We just want to tell you we're here if you need us for anything."
Yet another example of how blood meant nothing. "We know and we appreciate it." It was a comfort knowing the Diaz family would stand behind us but there was no need to get anyone else involved. Not yet. We wanted to keep this as contained as possible, meaning that we wouldn't be calling in any favours unless it spiralled beyond what we deemed manageable.
"Are you any closer?"
"Not yet," Dante grumbled.
"But we will soon if who we have working on it knows what's good for him," I added.
"Who's working with you?" Emilio asked interestedly. I shook my head. "Ah," he said in understanding. "I trust we'll be the first to know when the time comes."
Emilio had been wanting Xavier's blood ever since Horatio had been murdered. But Emilio wasn't stupid. He wouldn't start a war that could put so many at risk. He waited for someone else to come in and take the shot. It just so happened that I was the one who stepped up to the plate.
"We're looking forward to the day we toast to you as head of the family," he said with a grin.
"We all are," Dante agreed.
Chapter Ten
Mia
At the house, people filled the rooms and spilled out into the backyard. The caterers had set food on every available surface and champagne was poured with wild abandon. Helium balloons in white and gold floated periodically through the hallways tethered to the ground by small weights and photographs of Luc from his childhood up to now made up a large wall in the living room. Two extravagantly decorated cakes stood in the yard, one for the christening and one for Luc's birthday. Never again would I try to arrange two events on the same day in two weeks while trying to organise my wedding. I was exhausted.
"I don't know how you've done it, Mia," Rosalie said, clinking her champagne glass against mine.
Neither do I,I thought to myself but bit back on vocalising that. "I'm just glad everyone could make it on short notice."
"We wouldn't have missed it," Katia said. Her eyes watched Carmen, and I had the distinct feeling that she felt snubbed at being passed over for the position of Godmother.
It felt right to ask Carmen not only because I was godmother to both her boys but because at my lowest point, Carmen had held my hand and made the world seem less bleak. She'd hidden me despite the fact that it meant lying to her husband and sat with me through my grief and the shock of my pregnancy. She'd shown me light and kindness when I thought the world no longer possessed it.
“I’m just going to check everyone is doing okay for food and drink,” I told them, taking my leave.
My feet ached as I weaved in and out of guests, answering questions and collecting compliments. It was late in the afternoon by the time I decided to check in on Luc who I hadn’t seen in a while. It struck me as madness that we had a house big enough that we could lose each other in it for hours even if it wasn’t filled with guests.
The afternoon breeze was crisp, but the sun kept the day lukewarm as I stepped outside. Luc was with Dante, Emilio and a few others, laughing raucously at some story they shared. It made my heart flutter wildly in my chest to see him so carefree even if it were only for an afternoon. One day, that would be our norm but for now I was grateful for the few hours of peace. A quick snapshot of our future when we’d achieved our dreams.
I was about to head back inside, content, that Luc was happy when someone caught my eye. Tori leaned against the far wall and turned her head away quickly, but I couldn't ignore her. The trio comprising of Vittoria, Gabriel and Chastity had all attended the christening, to my surprise. They sat brazenly towards the front with Chas the only one to show a modicum of emotion as she dabbed a tear at the corner of her eye.
Smoothing out my dress nervously, I crossed the yard to join Tori. She pushed herself off the wall as I reached her, and I half expected her to raise her fists and fight me with the expression she wore.
"Mia," she greeted me frostily.
