Othello smiled, hoping to mask his pain. Since Iago’s death, many things had changed. The Romano family now ran the underworld, and all the businesses thrived.
"I'm sure he would have," Othello said, turning away. "I miss him."
"I miss him too. We all do," Alessandro said.
Othello couldn't look at his father at that moment. He had lied to his parents about the events and how things unfolded, keeping only one truth: that Cassio had pulled the trigger, killing Iago. He had kept Iago’s dignity intact, not wanting Maria and Alessandro to know about the hateful words Iago had uttered.
They had been good parents to them both, and Othello took it upon himself to carry Iago's biting words. Even though, in the end, he was sorry. He had instructed his men not to say a word about what happened that day, and he was glad they were loyal to him and remained silent.
"You're still not ready?" Gratiano's voice came into the room, and Othello groaned.
“Don’t start. We still have at least one hour before I need to be at the altar.” Othello said, looking at the former cop.
"You realize Des is probably freaking out right now?" Gratiano said.
Alessandro said, "He has his mother, my wife, Bianca, Tallen, and Erin with him. I'm sure he's fine."
"Whose idea was it that he and I couldn't see each other before we walked down the aisle again?"
"Ava and Maria, now shut up and get dressed," Gratiano instructed.
Gray and Zoraki have become true friends in the past couple of years. In the days that followed, while Othello was in the hospital, Gratiano and Zoraki worked together to clean up the mess, keeping the cops, news reporters, and everyone else distracted and off their scent while they mourned their loss and buried their loved ones.
It had taken the family a while to accept that Gratiano had been one of them all along. Othello had been considering naming him the new consigliere. The position had been vacant for too long, and it was time he and everyone else moved on. Iago left a big hole and shoes to fill. It was too bad he didn’t realize that he wasn’t second but the best.
A gentle knock came at the door, and Gratiano went to answer it. "What are you doing here?" he asked softly. "Is everything alright with the boys?"
At the last question, Othello knew who had shown up. Emilia had returned for Iago's funeral but left again, stating she needed time. No one stopped her, but everyone encouraged her with a great understanding that she should keep in touch. Emilia returned six months ago with the twins.
At that time, she and Gratiano had grown close, and Othello was certain there would be wedding bells for another couple soon. He wasn’t sure which one, since Zoraki had been trying to woo Bianca and Erin, and neither woman seemed to mind sharing his foreign friend.Zoraki had returned to Japan only long enough to check on his operations, then returned to the United States and integrated the two families operating under Otherllo’s leadership.
Othello hadn't pictured his life turning out the way it had. He was committed to being alone, never marrying or having children. His only plan was to fulfill his promise to Alessandro of making the Romano family the most influential and successful in Verona Heights. As per the rules of the games, the Romano clan had accumulated all the major properties of the Greco and Ricci families.
Greco had an heir, but he wanted nothing to do with his father’s business. He gave Othello everything without a fight and walked away with millions that would last him a lifetime. After learning of Cassio’s death, Dominico Ricci died, leaving no heir, meaning all properties belonged to the Romano family. Othello wouldn’t deny that the events had changed him. He had more than just the Romano properties to protect; he had to keep the people safe, especially those he held dear.
"You don’t look nervous." Emilia handed Antonio to him. The twins came into their features daily, combining Emilia and Iago's appearance.
"It's lessened since everyone showed up," he answered, rubbing Antonio's back. They moved away from the others, taking time to talk. In the months since Emilia returned, they’d grown closer and become more like brother and sister. "How are you doing?"
"I'm better," Emilia responded, looking in Gratiano's direction, who was holding and playing with Tybalt, making him giggle.
"He's good with the twins," Othello told her.
"He is." She nodded. "Do you think..."
"It's time, Emilia," he said, cutting her off. "You don't need to hold onto him anymore."
"Gray feels guilty," Emilia whispered.
"For what?" Othello asked.
"He thinks if he hadn't convinced me to speak to you, things might not have turned out the way they did. Des might not have gotten kidnapped if he had stuck around."
"Nothing Gratiano said or did was his fault. Things were bound to happen. Iago kidnapping Des was on me for what I said to Iago the night you left."
Des had told Othello everything that had happened. Iago had shown up at Des's apartment, ready for an argument. He saw the two best friends hugging afterward and assumed they had something going on. Gratiano left to collect a few things for their trip, allowing Iago to kidnap Des and get him to the warehouse as an insurance policy to make Othello behave. The only thing that made Othello angry was that the two hadn’t left town when he told them to. After he instructed Gratiano to take Des out of the city, he cut off all communication with him to keep him safe. Othello could admit now that it was a stupid mistake.
"He's asked me out," Emilia said, breaking into his thoughts. Her eyes hadn’t looked away from Gratiano.
