Page 216 of Claimed At First Sight

“Aldo is still a mafia man, Mamma. He’s spent his entire life giving orders and expecting people to follow them. There’ll be times when he wants to make the decisions for both of you. It’s how men like him are wired.”

“I know who he is. I’m not pretending he’ll suddenly change because we’re getting married.”

Her gaze drops to the ring on her finger.

“But he consults me. He explains his reasoning and listens when I disagree. Your father never did that, not even in the beginning.”

She falls quiet for a moment.

“I was raised to believe that a husband had the right to make every decision and that a good wife accepted it without question.” She looks up at me again. “I’ve learned from my mistakes. Aldo knows I won’t enter another marriage in which my voice doesn’t matter.”

There’s conviction in her voice, but I’m not convinced he’ll remember such promises once someone stands between him and what he wants.

“So he won’t order me to marry Maximo once you two are husband and wife and we’re all under his authority?”

Mamma turns toward me fully. “Aldo will be my husband, Mia. That doesn’t make him your father or give him the right to choose your husband.”

“He might not see it that way.”

“He does,” she says without hesitation. “We’ve already spoken about the place he’ll have in your lives. He knows he can advise, protect, and express an opinion, but he can’t make decisions for any of you.”

“And if he changes his mind once the ring is on your finger?”

“Then he’ll discover how badly he underestimated the woman he married.”

A small smile touches her lips, but her voice remains firm.

“I won’t stand beside him if he orders you into a marriage you don’t want.”

Some of the tension leaves me, although not enough to silence every doubt.

“Even if he believes marrying Maximo is the safest thing for me?”

“He’ll undoubtedly tell us so.” Her smile turns wry. “But there’s a considerable difference between giving advice and issuing an order. You will choose the man you marry, tesoro. No one else.”

The knot of fear in my chest finally loosens. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed to hear her say that, or how frightened I was that Aldo’s ring would place my future in the hands of yet another man.

We sit in silence for a moment. Then I notice Mamma tensing beside me.

“There’s something important I need to tell you,” she says at last, her expression too serious for my liking.

“What could possibly be more important than your engagement and the news that we’re staying in freezing cold Chicago?” I tease to lighten the suddenly heavy mood.

She doesn’t respond to that, but instead rubs her temples.

“This is about Isa.”

She takes a breath, as though even now she’s struggling to believe what she’s about to say.

“Luca is alive. And Isa is with him.”

Chapter Sixty

Mialina

“Luca is alive?”

I stare at Mamma, pretty sure my jaw just dropped.