Chapter 35

35

Olivia

At least the wedding isn't in a church or at City Hall—two logical venues, both of which I wanted to avoid. He seems to have understood that; Karma told me that the wedding would take place in their conservatory. The same place where I had walked in on Solene's engagement party.

And yes, the wedding is real, but if I pretend I'm playing a role in a movie, I'll be able to get through this with more ease. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. I'm filling a role; that's all there is to it. I'm not getting married to the man who's occupied my dreams, my every waking thought, and who I had masturbated to almost every night since meeting him. Nope. Of course not. I rub my palms down the satin of the dress I am wearing.

Karma Sovrano insisted that I accept the dress. I refused, of course, and told her I was happy with what I had on, but she was so persuasive. She told me it had become a bit of a tradition in the Sovrano household for her to design the wedding dress of the bride. She did it for most of the weddings of Michael's brothers, and she said she would be so grateful if I accepted the dress from her. She was so humble, so sincere, I couldn't turn her down.

Also, she's the Don's wife. Not that she used her position to get me to agree, but I was conscious of the fact that my family is now at the mercy of the Cosa Nostra, and I don't want to upset that balance in any way.

She's my future sister-in-law, and while I can be stubborn, I'm not dumb. I'm marrying into the Sovrano family, after all. And believe it or not, my mother's words made an impact. She was trying to tell me that I need to start this relationship on the right footing, by giving it the kind of respect it deserves. And while I'm not a romantic, by any stretch of the imagination, this is probably the only time in my life I'm going to get married, because neither the Cosa Nostra nor the Camorra believe in divorce.

I have to admit, I didn't want to appear at my ceremony looking less than stellar. And when Karma revealed the dress, I couldn't deny, it was beautiful. I saw the dress and immediately knew I wanted to wear it. And when I saw myself in the mirror, a shiver had skimmed through me. A simple sheath made of a liquid, metallic material that made it seem like the dress had been poured over me and then sewed to my curves, it hugged me in a warm embrace without restricting my movements. It shifted and slithered over my skin and across my thighs, and as I moved, little flickers of static electricity ran under my skin. I looked beautiful, elegant, sophisticated. I looked like I was ready for the starring role in my own life. I had to wear that dress. I thanked Karma, and when I finished getting dressed, she accompanied me down to the waiting car driven by Adrian. My sister and mother followed in another car.

We drove to the Don's house, and now I wait in the room just up the corridor. Soon, I'll walk down the aisle.

Solene and Karma are speaking quietly in one corner of the room. I decided not to have any bridesmaids or have my mother walk me down the aisle. I'd rather get through this as quickly and as painlessly as possible. The door opens and Penny and Jeanne walk in.

Penny breaks into a run and comes over to stand in front of me. Her fingers are squeezed together, and she takes me in with a dreamy expression on her face. "You look so beautiful." Her voice is choked. She takes my hand and squeezes it. "I can't believe you're getting married," she gushes.

"Me neither," I drawl.

"I'm the only one left unmarried. Can you believe that?" She purses her lips.

Jeanne draws abreast. She scans me from head to toe. "Wow, that's some dress."

"Thanks to Karma," I jerk my chin in Karma's direction.

"I thought I spotted Karma's trademark touch." She shoots a smile in her sister-in-law's direction. Jeanne is married to Luca, Massimo's brother, which makes us?—

"Shit, we're going to be family," I exclaim.

"Y-e-p." She smiles widely. "How cool is that?"

"Too bad there isn't another Sovrano brother for me to hook up with," Penny mutters.

"There's only Adrian left, and I'm afraid his heart is already taken," Karma says as she walks over to join us. "I'm so happy to welcome you to the family, Olivia. I'd kiss your cheek, but I don't want to risk spoiling your makeup." She places her hand on her stomach. "I'm feeling a bit exhausted, so I'm going to go sit down in the conservatory."

"Are you okay?"

"Of course." She waves off my concern. "Sometimes I just forget I'm pregnant, so I overdo it. I'll be fine." She smiles at me again. "See you on the other side. It's going to be amazing."

She walks past us and to the door.

Jeanne turns to me. "You sure you want to do this?"

Eh? "Why do you ask that?"

"I know how overwhelming the Sovrano men can be. If you don't want to get married, let me know and I'll get Luca's help in telling Massimo off."

"You'd do that for me? You'd ask your Mafia Capo husband to tell his brother to get lost if I didn't want to go through with the wedding?"

"Of course I would." She looks offended. "Didn't you, me, and Penny decide we were the three musketeers who'd always have each other's backs?"

I glance from her to Penny, then back at her. "We did."

"So tell me, is he forcing you to get married to him?"

"Did Luca force you?" I shoot back.

"Umm..." She chews on her lower lip. "As you know, we didn't exactly meet in the most normal of circumstances. And yeah, he did strike a bargain with me—getting married in exchange for him getting me back to the premier of the musical. So, he didn't force me, but I wasn't exactly overly enthused about getting married to him, either. But things changed. And we figured stuff out, and found out we love each other. And I'm not saying that isn't possible for you. Just... If you need me to back you up in something, then you should know I'm here for you."

"And me, too." Penny tightens her hold on my hand.

I'd held it together when I'd discovered Massimo was getting engaged to my sister. I'd kept my wits about me when things had turned on their heads, and I'd realized I was the one marrying Massimo, after all. I'd been shocked, but I hadn't broken down when he'd taken out my brother. But hearing my friends declare their loyalty to me, somehow, tips me over the edge. A burning sensation builds behind my eyes, and a big knot of emotions seems to lodge itself in my throat. "You guys are going to make me cry," I choke out.

"Aww, honey, I didn't mean for you to get all teary–eyed. I only wanted you to know you have options." Jeanne grips my free hand, and I bring our palms together—mine, Jeanne's, and Penny's—so I can hold their palms between both of mine.

"I want you both to know how much I appreciate knowing you are in my corner." I look between them. "Also, no one is forcing me to get married. At least, not in the strict sense of the word."

Jeanne frowns. "What does that mean?"

"Meaning, much like Luca struck up a bargain with you, so has Massimo."

I'm not going to tell her the details of it. I don't believe Massimo would actually harm my family if, for some reason, I backed out of the marriage, but I don't want to test that theory. Also, as much as it's reassuring to know Jeanne could get Luca to confront Massimo, I don't relish the idea of pitting brother against brother. Massimo would be pissed. He'd probably react negatively, taking it out on either me or my family, and again, I don't want to put either of us in that situation. Besides, if, after all that, we still went through with the wedding, I'd have a very angry groom on my hands, and Lord knows where that would lead. Nope, this is good. I'll marry him, then I'll move to London, where Declan's agent has offered to meet me. Bye-bye, Massimo. Bye, Italy. I'll focus my efforts on my career as an actress, without worrying about my family back home. It's a good deal for both of us.

"And you're fine with the deal?" Jeanne searches my features. "You can tell me if you're not."

"Are you doubting me?" I hold her gaze.

She looks deeply into my eyes, then nods. "I was, but not anymore. I didn't realize you had feelings for the guy."

"Oh, please. This marriage really is an arrangement, one that benefits both of us."

"Hey, who am I to say otherwise?" Jeanne quirks her lips. "If you're happy, I'm happy."

"I'm… not sad about walking down the aisle, if that's what you're asking."

"I'm—"

There's a knock on the door, then a blonde-haired woman—Elsa, if I remember correctly from earlier introductions—pops her head around the corner. "They're ready for you."