Page 42 of Soulmate of the Mafia King (Kings of Philly #8)
PAIGE
I walked up the front steps of the imposing manor house Sera shared with Killian for the first time without Tom next to me.
Mom and Dad used to get quiet when we drove past the Ricci place, as though Carmine Ricci could hear us from the street.
I thought I’d gotten over a lot of that, especially after what happened in Egypt, but a little of the old fear shivered down my spine as I rang the doorbell with the hand not holding the garment bag.
The massive wood door sprang open almost instantly, and Joyce swept me up in a huge hug. I struggled between smiling and choking until she released me.
“Oh, even without the dress you’re beautiful.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Miss Sera and Olivia are upstairs already. Go, join them.” She shooed me away.
I laughed as I fled up the massive staircase and thanked God Sera texted me directions through the house before I started the drive over.
Joyce was too excited to help me navigate the mausoleum, and “upstairs” didn’t exactly get me to the closet/dressing room Sera told me she’d be in.
Still, following those, I found my way before too long.
Laughter floated out of the open door, returning the smile to my face before I walked in.
“Paige!” Sera flung herself up off a poofy chair to engulf me in another hug. “I’m so glad you agreed to come.”
I laughed. “I’m in the bridal party. I couldn’t say no to getting ready for the bachelorette party together.”
“No, you couldn’t,” Olivia said as she stepped out from behind a painted screen. “Thoughts?”
Sera squeezed me one last time and turned away. The neon green dress hugged Olivia’s every curve, leaving nothing to the imagination, but the color?
“Eh!” Sera said in her best impersonation of a game show buzzer. “Washes you out. Try the next one.”
“Glad to see you’re already settling into bridezilla.” I hung my garment bag on one of the surprisingly spare racks. “You know, I really thought you’d have more clothes than this.”
She laughed as she returned to her poofy chair and opened an eyeshadow palette. “This is just the dressing room for the wedding. Anything Killian can’t see.”
“So then why are we in here now?” I crossed my arms and leaned against a shelf of shoes.
“Because Patrick can’t see me,” Olivia replied. “What about this one?”
She stepped out in an equally fitted, equally sultry dress, this time in a smoky gray with dark gemstones dripping down the side.
“Much better,” I said. “Why does Patrick matter?”
She giggled. “Killian asked him to guard us tonight, and he asked me to surprise him.”
Sera finished swiping gold over one eyelid and turned. “Now that’s a surprise. But the green wasn’t totally awful in small doses. I think I have a pair of heels in that color that will bring up the excitement and make it impossible for him to look away.”
Olivia grinned. “Perfect.”
“So things are going well?” I asked as I stepped behind the screen to change into my one choice. Bras, shoes, and dresses covered the floor back there.
“They’re almost perfect.” Olivia sighed. “But we both have such demanding jobs that it’s hard to have time for fun like this.”
“You’ll have more time soon,” Sera said.
A thick blanket of emotion fell over the room. Olivia would have more time because Killian and Sera were leaving, and no one knew for how long.
“This is a bachelorette party!” I said to try to break the tension. “We can’t get sad now. Sera, tell me what you’re most excited for. You’re about to be the only wife in the room.”
“Oh, like Tommaso is going to wait much longer,” she said.
Butterflies filled my stomach. Forever with Tom didn’t sound too bad, but we had so much going on all the time that I didn’t want to pressure him. We’d spend forever together no matter what. It was really just a formality and a big party.
A party I’d actually started wanting recently.
“Well…” Sera pulled half of her hair up and looked at either side of her face in the mirror as if deciding. “I actually asked him about kids recently. Today, recently.”
I zipped up the side of my dress. “I can’t imagine Mano Della Morte with kids.”
Sera giggled. “Apparently, neither could he.” She paused dramatically. “Until me!”
Olivia squealed. I raced out from behind the divider to hug Sera. The Sera Bianchi—soon to be Ricci—I’d come to know over the past year deserved to be a mom.
“I can already picture you on the floor playing with them,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her.
“Oh, and I’m sure all their teachers will love you.” Olivia joined the hug with a laugh.
“I’m so excited,” Sera admitted. “I’ve wanted kids for a while, but I was scared to ask.”
“It is weird to think of this spooky old place filled with the pitter-patter of little feet,” I said.
That quiet descended over us again. There wouldn’t be any little feet here. Hell, I didn’t even know if there would be any teachers on their private island.
“We’re leaving the day after the wedding,” Sera said. “And we’re going to visit all the time, but?—”
Olivia squeezed tight enough I thought I might bruise. “It won’t be the same!”
“No, it won’t.” Sera exhaled slowly. “But you guys can visit too. It’s really beautiful there. And I think Killian needs to step away to stand any chance of getting out of this world.”
I understood that. As long as there were women who needed my help, I couldn’t imagine leaving my work. Bizarrely, it was something Killian and I shared.
Olivia sniffled, and abruptly, I realized tears stung my eyes. I was going to miss Sera too. She was nothing like the pampered princess I’d left behind so many years ago. She was a genuine friend.
Joyce bustled into the room and clicked her tongue. “So sad! This is a bachelorette party, Miss Sera. You can be sad later.”
We disentangled ourselves from the hug, and Olivia and Sera both wiped their eyes.
“No problem.” Joyce pulled a gilded cart studded with chocolate and pink beverages. “I brought drinks!”
We all laughed and tried to forget that this wedding might be the last time we were all together for a really long time.