Working his way from oldest to youngest, Enzo gave each of his siblings a long hug and shared a quiet word or two.
Victoria was the the last one he approached. They exchanged a short hug, then he took the seat next to her.
"I'm glad all of you were able to be home today," he started, wondering exactly what he was going to say to them. "I'm glad all of you had the chance to see Mum." Slowly blowing out a breath, he continued. "Have all of you met Victoria?"
"Yes," his eldest sister said. "We've all met several times over the years and again a short while ago, but..." She nodded toward Victoria. "With all due respect, why are you here? We appreciate the care and support, but it seems a bit odd."
Enzo glanced at the woman next to him and reached over to take her hand before dropping the bombshell. "She's here because she's my wife."
7
Sitting around the Rainbow Reception Room prior to Enzo’s arrival had been a bit awkward. Victoria had met all of her new in laws before, but she didn’t want to be the one to tell them why she was invading their home on one of the worst days of their lives.
Of course, they were raised far too well to say anything about it. Instead, there were furtive glances between them and whispered asides when she wasn’t close by.
Thankfully, Enzo had arrived just as it started to get awkward enough that she thought about excusing herself or telling them, though that would have been her last choice. She’d received a text from her brother a while earlier so she knew the second round of notifications was being made, and she wouldn’t have to be there alone much longer. After hugging his siblings, he made his way to her side and gave her a hug, whispering his gratitude for her presence.
“Your... wife?”
Victoria couldn’t be certain which sibling said it, not when she’d been staring at the ground the whole time.
“Yes.” Enzo cradled both of her hands in his. “We wanted Mum to know before...” He couldn’t finish then steadied himselfwith a deep breath. “And she did. She was happy for us, and hoped all of you would be too.” The smile on his face grew just a bit as he looked at her. “I know I’m grateful for her presence here, and she will be a wonderful partner in my personal and public lives. She knows the world we live in as members of the Meloni family and isn’t intimidated by the publicity and everything else that comes with it.”
He didn’t say anything about love.
Victoria didn’t know if anyone else would notice, but she certainly did. It didn’t surprise her, and she knew it wasn’t strictly necessary for a long term relationship if it was based on things like trust and respect and companionship.
But it would be nice.
“Right now, the public believes Victoria is engaged,” he went on. “There are photos of us together where they’re pretty sure it’s me with her, but it hasn’t been officially confirmed. For now, we’d prefer to keep it that way. I know something to celebrate is a good thing, but I also don’t want to detract from the celebration of Mum’s life. We’ll release the information about the marriage at a later date. She’ll be with us as a member of the family regardless.”
There were murmurs of assent from the others in the room, but Victoria still couldn’t get a good read on their attitudes. Likely they were overwhelmed and unable to truly process everything, much like she had been in the wake of her father’s passing.
For the next hour, she sat next to Enzo, offering her support in whatever way she could, while also not inserting herself into the conversation. She smiled and laughed appropriately as they shared memories of their parents. Christmases. Excursions. Official outings. Charity work. Birthday parties. Ski trips. Yachting. Holidays on the coast of the Mediterranean.
Though she loved her homeland and the seas around it, Victoria looked forward to spending time in and around the Med before long.
She didn’t have any swim wear with her, though she doubted there would be an opportunity to use it for a while. After making a mental note to have her things sent to the palace, Victoria tried to focus more on the conversations.
Eventually, they all began to disperse.
Once the public announcements had been made, and the people had begun to gather outside the gates and along the sidewalks near the palace. Thousands of bouquets of flowers and other memorabilia had been laid already and the piles grew by the minute.
With her hand in Enzo’s, Victoria allowed her thoughts to continue wandering until they reached their quarters.
“We’ll need to go on a walkabout tomorrow.” The weight on Enzo’s shoulders seemed to grow significantly the instant the door closed behind them.
“I’m here for whatever you need. Walkabouts. Moral support. Cheesy jokes. Anything.”
“I appreciate that.” He dropped her hand then went toward the balcony on the other side of the room. Once the doors were open, he stayed back, out of the light, where he couldn’t be seen by those outside.
It would be a challenge to see in from the outside anyway, but not impossible. This side of the palace faced the water, not the city, but long lenses did exist as did drones with telephoto lenses themselves. Best just to assume there could be eyes anywhere at any time.
He didn’t turn to look at her as he spoke. “I think you should just go with all of us in the morning. No announcement. Just walk out with me, holding hands and let the chips fall where they may.”
Victoria nodded her agreement. “That sounds like it could be the best plan given everything else going on.”
“People will assume we’re engaged since the story is already out that you are. We just won’t correct them for a while.” With his hands shoved deep in his pockets, Enzo continued to stare out the window, almost as though he’d forgotten her presence. When she leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist, he didn't move.
