Page 148 of Vows of a Mobster

“You look beautiful,” I whispered against her ear and her body pressed closer to me. “You take my breath away.”

I was smitten with my wife. Completely and utterly in love. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, but memories of unreturned love between my parents and even between my uncle and his wife held me back.

“You look very dashing yourself.” Her voice was a soft caress. “There are women eyeing you from all sides.”

“None of them are you.” And I meant it. No woman would ever matter again.

My eyes searched out Marissa and gave her a little nod. Brianna followed my gaze. Marissa knelt down, speaking softly to Emma who was playing with other little kids that were now her cousins.

“Emma is having a great time,” Brianna spoke softly.

As if she heard her mother, Emma ran towards us. Barely losing a step, I effortlessly picked her up, and three of us danced together.

“I thought maybe the three of us could share the second half of this dance together,” I placed a kiss on my wife's lips. “As a family.”

“Thank you,” she murmured softly.

Fifty-Two

Brianna

Irealized I had never been happier than in this very moment, dancing with my husband and daughter. I was having a great time; everyone that mattered to me and I loved was here with me.

Mateo was a great dancer. But then, I knew that already. We had after all danced at Marissa’s birthday party. I remembered the long story I told him and my cheeks heated.

As if he read my thoughts, he rasped softly, “You have captured me from our very first dance.”

“Must have been my long story,” I murmured, smiling wide. I couldn’t remember the last time I smiled so much that my cheeks ached. I didn’t care. I was happy.

Emma barely made it to the end of the song, then demanded she be put down so she can go and play. She took off the moment her feet touched the ground.

The tunes to the second song came on and I was shocked.

““Crazy in Love”?” I asked him. “And the version I like by Nicole Andresson.”

His grin came slowly. “It took me some research to find it.”

“How did you know I like it?” I questioned him. “I don’t think even Marissa nor Daphne know I like it.”

He twirled me out, and then back to him. He was a smooth dancer. “First time I saw you was in the garage,” he explained. “This song played as you swished by me. You stopped and while your music blasted through the garage, you were digging in the back of your Jeep for a hat. I never saw your face but the evening we walked to your car together, I realized it was you.”

My left hand pressed against his chest, the new band tying us together forever sparked like his emerald gaze, reminding me I was his. It felt right.

“Small world, ha?” I commented. “I didn’t see you that day.”

He chuckled. “It is a good thing you ran straight into me with the coffee,” he joked softly. “Otherwise, I have a feeling you’d have missed me entirely.”

I gave him a guilty look. “I tend to tune out,” she excused herself. “I think my mother berated me too much about stupid things that I got really good at tuning out people around me.”

An irritation flashed in his eyes but it was gone too fast. “That woman wasn’t a good mother.”

I shrugged my shoulder. “No, but I had a wonderful father and stepdad.”

The reception was a hit. I had never been to such a fun party. People were laughing, eating, dancing. Everyone was congratulating us, kissing us… way too many times. Mateo had to talk to Antonio, leaving me with his aunts that were chatting my ear away. But I just kept smiling, unsure half the time what they were saying. They were good women, and after such a long time, it felt like I had a family again.

When the Jonas Brothers’ song “Only Human” came on, Giovanni whistled loud, making everyone’s eyes turn to him and then to me, as he pointed to me and wiggled his finger calling me to him.

I shook my head, laughing. He pretended to be heartbroken, placing his hand over his heart and mimicking the fast beating. Then wiggled his finger again, calling me to him.