Page 36 of Married with Mayhem

35

SAbrINA

G ino’s Pizzeria is closed today.

I told Sal this wasn’t necessary. We could just hold a quick ceremony and then have the reception elsewhere to minimize the inconvenience.

Sal wouldn’t hear of it. He’s thrilled that Monte and I want to get married here and he’s turned the whole day into a holiday.

The pizzeria furniture had to be temporarily rearranged to make a space resembling an aisle. At my request, decorations have been kept simple. Arrangements of pink and white roses match my bouquet, which is in the care of my mother now that I’m holding Monte’s hand and saying my vows to the man I love.

This time is different. I’m not nervous. I’m surrounded by the people I love. And I speak every word with complete, unshakable conviction.

“Monte Carlo Castelli, I choose you as my husband. I will love you and cherish you every day of my life.”

Our eyes remain locked on each other. His throat bobs.

“Sabrina Filomena Barone, you’ve given me your hand and I will give you forever. You’ve won my whole heart, cupcake. There aren’t words enough to define how much I love you.”

The priest, who happens to be a regular Gino’s customer, beams and pronounces us husband and wife.

Unlike the last one, this wedding kiss is no obligatory peck. Monte slides one arm around my waist and brings the other up to tangle in my hair before he aims for my mouth. Today I’m not wearing the sling on my right arm but I am still recovering. Monte is careful but no less passionate. We hold nothing back and seal our vows with an extended kiss. It carries on for so long that one of the guests clears his throat with loud irritation.

I’m almost positive Uncle Vittorio is the culprit but he’ll just have to stand there and suffer. I’m going to kiss my husband for as long as I want.

“To be continued,” I say to Monte when we finally need to come up for air.

He smirks. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

I will. However, we can’t run upstairs to our apartment and get freaky just yet. We’ve got guests.

Applause breaks out and my mother rushes over to kiss my cheek. Then she kisses Monte’s cheek. Then she kisses my cheek again. She’s crying all the while.

Mama has decided not to return to Sicily. She couldn’t bear to be so far away from all her girls. When I asked what will be done with Aunt Marcella, she scoffed and said, “Let that horrid old woman become someone else’s problem.”

There was still the question of where she would live. The Long Island house sold right after we left and she has no desire to return there anyway. She wants to stay here in the city.

As it happens, I own an entire building now. Still, I was surprised when my mother, accustomed to huge houses and luxury surroundings, eagerly pounced on an offer to move in. She’s been having fun renovating a second floor apartment. She says it’s the first home that has ever felt like hers.

I hadn’t thought of it that way. But she never had any say in my father’s decisions. She married the man who was chosen for her, then lived in the house he selected and was always made to feel small and inferior. She got by as best she could. Now she gets to make all of her own choices. I’m very happy to have her close by.

Monte and I are quickly surrounded by people. Sal and Nico squeeze Monte with manly hugs that look like they might bruise lesser mortals. They are far more gentle when they hug me.

My sisters are next, impatient for their turn to hug the bride. Vittorio was nice enough to give Anni and Luca use of his private jet to fly out here with Jane. Daisy, now showing a tiny baby bump, admires my new rose gold wedding band. Anni straightens my gauzy veil so that it floats around my shoulders.

My wedding dress is perfect. It’s a swing-style design with a full twirly skirt that ends just below my knees. Between the high neckline and the short sleeves, the protective bandages still worn over my wounds are hidden. This dress won’t need to be cut off me later, although Monte has my permission to undress me however he likes.

Monte’s mother approaches us timidly. She and Monte are obviously not used to hugging and their embrace looks a little awkward. But she’s here and she loves her son. She thanks me profusely for inviting her and says she’s so proud to call me her daughter-in-law.

I wish I could hold little Jane but I don’t have faith that my arm is strong enough yet. Instead, I simply admire her as she observes the scene with wide-eyed curiosity from the safety of Luca’s arms.

Anyway, when Mama is around, no one else gets to hold Jane for very long, including her father. Mama approaches with her arms out and Luca automatically hands over his daughter.

A little bit of a twinkle shows up in my brother-in-law’s eye and I suspect I’m about to be verbally tormented somehow.

Luca says, “I always knew the two of you would end up together.”

I have to roll my eyes over that one. “Oh Luca, you did not.”

“Sure I did. He’d make fun of your cat ears. You’d call him a caveman and ask if he just escaped from prison. Obviously it was meant to be.”

“Go eat some pizza. You are clearly delirious from hunger.”

He grins. “Thank you for making my best friend my brother-in-law.”

“I’d say the pleasure is all mine but Monte would definitely argue with that.”

“Just treat my boy right.” Luca wags a finger. “Or we’ll have to have a talk.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell him with a straight face.

“In all seriousness,” Luca says, “I couldn’t be happier for you. You and Monte are among my favorite people. You deserve each other.”

“Thanks, Luca. Expect a lot of visits from us.”

“Looking forward to it,” he says and moves closer to Anni as she commiserates with Daisy over morning sickness. Luca stands behind her and slides his arms around her waist. She turns her head to smile at him. They share a kiss.

Elsewhere, Big Man Bowie is standing by the counter and gesticulating with excitement as he tells Sal about his idea for a pizza burger. Sal appears openly skeptical, even a bit perplexed, but I’ve learned that Big Man Bowie knows his burgers so I’ll keep an open mind.

After Big Man Bowie moves on to share his hamburger vision with new friends, Sal’s gaze shifts to my mother. She has eyes for no one but Jane as she rocks her baby granddaughter in her arms and speaks softly in Italian.

As he watches Mama, a smile spreads on Sal’s face. They’ve quickly become friends. And yesterday, when she showed up here to meet me for dinner, she was wearing lipstick. I made no comment.

The only pizzas being made today by the staff of Gino’s are for the wedding guests. Every now and then a prospective customer wanders to the door, their faces falling when they see the CLOSED sign. Sal walks out to speak to them and hands out coupons for free appetizers, inviting them to come back another day.

Every time I look around in search of Monte, I discover that he’s searching for me. He’s now behind the counter, joking around with Stevie, but not more than a few seconds pass before he seeks me out again.

I told Monte he didn’t need to rent a tux but he insisted. I’m glad he insisted. Though his usual rugged old jeans and unshaven jaw never fail to make me salivate, the man is downright breathtaking when he decides to dress up.

Nico switches the jukebox on and Bob Dylan’s voice fills the room. I understand why Sal doesn’t replace the old music. It’s part of the character of the place. Losing it would be like losing a friend.

There’s one guest who stays apart from the crowd. Vittorio Messina has captured the corner table where he can watch everyone in the room and escape small talk at the same time.

Well, he can’t escape me. This is my wedding day and my uncle owes me a chat.

Those black eyes of his, always so inscrutable, are no less mysterious now but he doesn’t appear annoyed when I sit down in the chair across from him. He chased most of his entourage off for the day and sent them to go explore New York on their own, although two of them are still posted just outside the door.

“Congratulations on your marriage,” he says. “Again.”

“Thank you for being here, Uncle Vittorio.”

In the background, I can hear Janie starting to fuss. Anni asks where she can go nurse the baby and Luca says he’ll go with her to the basement.

“And thank you for flying Anni’s family in,” I say. “It means the world to me to have my sisters here.”

He nods without comment and keeps constant vigil on all the action.

My relationship with my uncle is far from warm and fuzzy. It’s impossible to forget that he’s a very dangerous man. But he does care about his family. Besides, I know that in a very odd roundabout way, he gets some credit for bringing me and Monte together.

“I suppose you’re returning to Sicily now,” I say to him.

“Yes. I’ll drop Annalisa’s family off in Colorado first.”

“Thank you for everything, Uncle Vittorio. I know you’re busy. But I hope you’ll find time to fly across the ocean and visit us in New York once in a while.”

Before he can stop me, I cross to the other side of the table and kiss his cheek.

His expression doesn’t shift at all but he says, “You have a happy life, Sabrina. We’ll see each other again.”

“Of course we will,” I say. “We’re family.”

There’s really no need for long goodbyes when it comes to Uncle Vittorio. Besides, it’s time I reconnected with my husband. I want to kiss him again.

Sal has ordered Monte to stay away from the kitchen. He won’t let his son lift a finger on his wedding day. There’s a constant grin on Sal’s face as he rolls up his sleeves and checks the progress of the kitchen staff through the open window behind the counter.

Nico surprises me with a tap on the shoulder. He motions to his father with his half empty beer bottle. “Dad might be your biggest fan. Not only does he get you as a daughter, Monte is now joining the family business.”

“Maybe I can stay his biggest fan if I persuade you to join the family business too.”

He shakes his head but he’s smiling. “Not happening but you get points for trying.”

Try as I might, I can’t think of a persuasive argument. This is a source of worry for Monte, that his younger brother is going to remain in the thick of the mafia world. And unlike before, Monte won’t be around to look out for him.

“How do you like the new apartment?” I ask.

Nico didn’t need to move out. The decision came from him. He’s still in the neighborhood, just two blocks away. He joked that he needed some privacy to carry on his carefree bachelor life but I think he doesn’t want his big brother being too close and noticing what he’s up to these days.

Nico takes another gulp of beer before answering. “It’s nice to be able to make as much noise as I want without anyone complaining about all the pounding on the walls.”

“Ha! Same.”

He chuckles. “Why aren’t you going on a honeymoon?”

“Monte and I decided we’ve had our fill of traveling for now. We just want to enjoy being home and being married.”

With no warning, an arm circles my waist from behind and I’m pulled backwards into a warm, strong chest. There’s no mistaking the feel of his body.

“Hello, Sabrina Castelli,” Monte says. He sweeps my hair aside and kisses my neck.

I turn and face him. “I want a better kiss.”

Monte responds with a kiss that’s so long and so heated that Nico complains he’s going to puke up his beer if we don’t stop.

That doesn’t make much of an impression but we do need to put a temporary halt on our make out session when Sal announces the food is ready. The kitchen staff has been hard at work cooking everything on the menu. It’s all placed on a long buffet table set up by the door. The tables are pushed back into place and covered with white linen tablecloths. By the time we get to the cannoli tower dessert, the sky is dark outside.

Anni and Luca aren’t staying. Luca has clients to deal with and Vittorio is in a hurry to get back home to Sicily, which is where he’s headed as soon as his plane drops them off in Colorado.

I’m sorry to see them go but they have a life to get back to.

And I understand. Monte and I have a life to begin.

“Take me home, Mr. Castelli,” I say to my husband.

He smiles and lifts me in his arms like a queen. Nico fulfills the role of doorman as we leave Gino’s Pizzeria behind. Nico jogs around back to the separate entrance that leads to the apartments upstairs and waves farewell while Monte starts the climb.

“Are you sure about this?” I ask him as we ascend the narrow stairwell. “I can walk.”

“My bride will be carried into her castle and that’s that,” he says.

I hug his neck and think about the first time he ever carried me up these stairs. I was slung over his shoulder and didn’t enjoy the ride too much. This time I enjoy it a great deal.

Monte’s arms are occupied so I get to unlock the door to our apartment. He sets me down gently and cups my chin.

“Welcome home,” he whispers and bends down for a kiss.

When we’re alone, there’s no hiding from the fact that kissing always leads somewhere.

Wordlessly, Monte turns me around and swiftly opens the zipper down the length of my back. He pushes the dress down and delicious goosebumps break out on my arms at the feel of the satin fabric falling.

I’m not embarrassed at all, not ashamed to show myself to him. I can feel my husband’s eyes looking at my naked skin with love and desire. Even the bandages on my right side don’t make me flinch. There will be scars left behind but these too are part of me.

After Monte removes my slip and my bra, I reach for his belt.

“My turn.” I open his pants and start to unbutton his shirt. The motor skills on my right side still aren’t great so when I get half the buttons undone he helps out by reaching behind his head and pulling the shirt off. His pants fall and I kiss his chest, hungry for more of him.

His hands roam everywhere and he lifts me up, settling my legs around his waist for the short trip to the bedroom.

In the three weeks that have elapsed since the carnival shooting, our sex life has been gentle. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other completely because that’s impossible, but Monte is always mindful of my healing body.

However, tonight is special and I’m feeling excellent. We have a brand new king-sized bed that needs to be properly tested and when he lays me down, I pull him on top of me.

“Are you sure?” he asks, reluctant to settle his weight.

The way I want him is so intense it should be outlawed. “Are you going to interrogate me or fuck me, Monte Carlo?”

Here comes that devilish flash in his eyes. I love it so much when he doesn’t speak another word before thrusting into me. Monte is still careful to keep his weight off my right side where the wound is still sore. I’m glad to have enough range of motion to brace both my hands on his strong shoulders.

Since we tend to be reckless and get carried away, I’m on birth control for now. Only for now. Someday we’ll be ready to grow our family. Until then, we’re going to enjoy having fun with married life.

Monte pulls out briefly to use his skilled fingers, teasing and stroking until I’m on the edge of losing my mind. Then he enters me again just as I’m about to shatter and I come so hard my legs shake. This is what he was waiting for and he follows me into the abyss, shattering inside me.

“I love you,” I say to him as we’re still breathless from the high.

He turns his head and brushes a gentle kiss across my lips. “I love you too, wife.”

We keep the light on as we hold each other on our wedding night.

There’s only us and the faint echoes of our city.