Page 156 of Sins of the Orchid

Maybe it was something about the women of this family that craved darkness. I was starting to see a trend, though not in a good way.

We resumed the slow dance, the song fading in the background.

“I loved her, but my pride was too big back then.” Our steps moved in sync while I hung onto every word, the glimpse of what had happened finally being offered. “The last time I saw your mother, she asked me where I saw the two of us. Future wise. I told her that I had purchased a penthouse for us. I should have known better than that. She wouldn’t have accepted less than she deserved. Rightly so.” I frowned that he would be so stupid to think that was good enough for her. He should have known that any daughter of Regina wouldn’t be a side piece to any man. “She left me that day with the impression she was good with it. It was the last time I saw her.”

I was convinced that Dad and Mom could have been good together. Despite their differences, they fit. Dad was dark, brooding, and ruthless. True mold of the Cosa Nostra. Mom was light, cheerful, creative, warm-hearted, and forgiving. Yet, they fit. The possibility of happiness was stolen from them.

We continued dancing in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. I knew from my brothers that Dad’s marriage was an arrangement, a marriage contract, and it was a normal occurrence in this world. It wasn’t in my mother’s world. Grandma married for love. I thought Mom loved George, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Thinking back, it seemed like they were very good friends, but it was hard to rely on the fuzzy memory of a child. Grandma had said that George was Grandfather’s acquaintance.

The song ended and I was surprised when it switched to another country song. Alan Jackson’s “Big Green Eyes.” Even more surprising was that Dad wanted another dance.

“Okay, Dad,” I agreed. “You are full of surprises today.” He chuckled but went along. One hand in his, I raised my other one, swinging it in the air, laughing. “Just follow the music. No steps.”

“What kind of song doesn’t have steps?” he muttered but he followed just fine.

“Bennetti, you’ve really got to keep up with the trends.” Grandma showed up on my left. “Let’s show them what we did during your sleepovers, Amore.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Do you know the words, Grandma?”

She waved her hand. “I’m a quick study.” I recited the words and she followed them, and we broke into the same dance moves we used to do in the middle of her penthouse living room.

Seeing them like this, I relished in the fantasy of all of us getting along. All of us being happy.I want it all, the words I had once spoken echoed in my brain. It might have been selfish, considering so many people had nothing. Yet, the wanting wouldn’t go away. I wanted my dad, brothers, uncle, grandma, best friend, and most of all, I wanted Santi.

Grandma must have not been too keen on moving her body the same way we used to, so instead, she and Dad resorted back to a two-step.

“I never thought I'd see you two dancing together,” I remarked with a chuckle.

“We are practicing being civil for the wedding,” Dad replied. The comment cast a shadow over my mood, but I refused to let it bother me. Grandma winked with a smile that reminded me of a cat that ate the mouse.

She had to be up to something.

The song switched again to Tate McRae’s“That Way.” Both Grandma and Dad gave up trying to dance freestyle. Lorenzo stepped up and danced with me while Grandma did an oldie dance with Dad.

The goosebumps broke through my skin listening to the words. I was addicted to Santi, all the while he was kissing me in the dark and away from everyone. I wanted him to lay claim, like he did when we were alone. I wanted to be his, yet just like with my own parents, it wasn’t in my cards. It just hurt so damn bad.

My eyes flitted across the room and caught Santi’s gaze burning into me, making me dizzy with the intensity of it. It would be so much easier if I didn’t want him so much.

“Are you alright?” Lorenzo’s voice was low and soft. “Adriano is watching you like he’s mourning you.”

I swallowed. Somehow when Santi looked at me, everyone else faded.

“I guess I should say hi to him, huh?” I muttered.

He shrugged. “I don’t give a shit if you greet him. I just want to see you happy.”

A loud whistle traveled through the nightclub and had us turning our heads. It was as if Adriano heard us talking about him. He strode towards us, with his powerful strides.

“What? No dance for me?” he asked with a wide grin.

My heart stopped and so did my legs. “Oh my gosh, Adriano, what happened to you?” I reached out and touched his face.

He shrugged, taking my hand away from his face but keeping it in his grip. “Got into a fight.”

“With whom?” Lorenzo taunted. “A fucking boxer?”

Adriano laughed it off. “You should see the other guy,” he retorted dryly.

My brother choked out a laugh. “I’m looking at him. The only thing that looks off on him are his knuckles.”