19. Sadie
19
SADIE
R ichie Amato hits a wine glass with his fork and stands up at the head of the table.
“I’m a lucky man,” he booms with his glass raised in the air and his belly ready to pop out of his buttoned shirt. “All my most cherished blessings are right here at this table. My beautiful wife, Donna. Our daughters, Valerie and Bianca, along with their husbands. Tonight we’re also celebrating my nephew, Carmine, bringing his lovely bride for a visit. Mercedes, I’m thrilled that our two families are now linked forever.”
He smiles at me.
I smile back, which feels like proper and safe behavior when one is being addressed by one of the most notorious and terrifying mob bosses in New York. Next to me on the left, Cale sits tensely in his chair, his food untouched.
This gathering wasn’t his idea. When Cale’s uncle heard that I was going to be in town for my sister’s wedding he insisted on hosting a family dinner. Cale’s brother Luca even flew up from Florida for the weekend.
I suppose it had to happen. Sooner or later Cale’s family would seriously wonder why I never traveled to New York to visit my husband and celebrate our new marriage. No one in their right mind would want Richie Amato questioning if you’d played him for a fool.
Besides, I don’t really mind spending a few hours being sociable with Cale’s family. His Aunt Donna is a nice lady and she made a huge fuss when I arrived. It’s not her fault that she had no idea I was a vegetarian and dumped three fat sausages on my plate, assuring me that once I tasted this homemade sweet Italian variety I’d never want store bought sausages again.
Luca Connelly sits on my other side. His resemblance to Cale has grown much stronger since I last saw him. They have the same dark hair and vivid green eyes. Their differences are subtle, like how Cale leaves the top two buttons of his black shirt open, showing off a few enticing inches of his tattooed chest. Luca’s shirt is dark blue but it’s fully buttoned and looks freshly ironed. If he has any ink it’s not visible.
Also, Luca’s mannerisms are more relaxed than Cale’s. Luca leans casually back in his chair and when Richie speaks my name, he looks over and winks. Meanwhile, Cale is edgy and watchful, always on high alert, ready to strike if necessary.
He’s far less at ease here than he was during the time he spent at the ranch. Maybe one reason is because the stakes are high in this little charade we’re playing. But I get the feeling the whole truth is more complex.
His hand is flat on the table beside his uneaten dinner. I place my hand over his, a simple gesture of friendship and solidarity that’s not just for show. Tonight my ring is on my finger instead of tucked deep inside my shirt.
Cale’s head turns and we lock eyes. His mouth pulls into a slight smile and he moves his hand to thread our fingers together. The thrill that rolls through me is completely genuine. My heartbeat kicks up a notch. I happen to glance to my right and see we’re being watched by Luca. He’s grinning, clearly amused by the sight of his steely-eyed big brother being affectionate.
But Richie isn’t finished speaking and now his attention turns to his other nephew.
“Lastly, we are here to celebrate our official law school graduate. Luca, it seems like just yesterday you were this little kindergartner asking if you could play with your cars on the floor of my office.” Richie lets out a belly laugh and gazes fondly at Cale’s brother. “We’re so proud of you, kid. You’re like a son to me and Donna. There are great things ahead for you in this life. The whole world will be yours. Just wait and see. Salute .”
Richie tips the glass and drinks, a sign that we all ought to do the same. The one person at the table who doesn’t join the toast is Cale. He remains motionless as he stares at his uncle.
The reason can’t be jealousy. Cale is nothing but proud of his brother. He certainly doesn’t begrudge Luca any praise.
No, the answer lies in the way Cale stares at his uncle.
I don’t pretend to understand how any of this works. What are the rules of succession and hierarchy in the mafia? I was born into a wealthy family but the Wingate dynasty is simple. Baylor will inherit the hockey team and the prestige and the bulk of the wealth. That’s always been a given.
The mafia order of inheritance probably isn’t quite the same but it’s clear Richie Amato keeps his family close and has expectations. I get the impression Cale doesn’t want his brother to get trapped by Richie’s expectations.
“I can take those off your hands,” Luca says, pointing to the sausages on my plate.
I glance down the table to make sure Donna Amato isn’t looking. She’s busy talking to one of her daughters.
“Thanks,” I whisper and slide them over to Luca’s place with a shudder. “I’m not a meat eater.”
“I won’t hold it against you,” Luca jokes and cuts a sausage in half. “But look away if bad table manners offend you.”
“Appreciate the warning.” I squeeze Cale’s hand to bring him back from his brooding.
Cale finally turns to me. “What time should I drive you out there?”
“I’m in no hurry. We can go whenever you’re ready.”
Tomorrow night Hadley’s wedding will be at the Hamptons beach house belonging to the groom’s family. I’ve caught a lot of grief from my sister for failing to be at her beck and call since my plane landed. The rest of the bridal party is already at the Hamptons house. Hadley is already mad so at this point it probably doesn’t matter what time I show up. Anyway, the less time I spend in a room with my she-devil of a sister, the less tempted I’ll be to rip her hair out at the roots.
“Can I take a ride with you guys?” Luca says and wipes his mouth with a red linen napkin. He eats fast. The offensive sausages are all gone.
“Fine by me,” I say and look for Cale’s nod of confirmation.
Luca downs the rest of his wine with one swallow and sets his glass down. He nudges my arm with a grin. “Just warn me when to hide my eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you two lovebirds. But I did just eat.”
That’s right. As far as Luca knows, Cale and I have a real marriage. I’ll have to mind my words in the car so he doesn’t catch on.
The lies do tend to pile up on each other.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave...
Donna will not allow any of us to help carry the dishes to the kitchen. I feel a little bad when she wraps me in a sincere hug and says how happy she is that her nephew has found true love. Then Richie Amato presses a slimy kiss to my cheek and orders me to give my father his regards.
Despite the hospitality inside the house, I’m relieved to get out of there. Upon arriving, I glimpsed a pair of big men with unfriendly faces posted outside the house. They acknowledged Cale and he steered me right past them with no introduction.
Now we run into them again as we leave and a third man has joined their party. Though I grew up accustomed to seeing my father’s security team hanging around, the vibe surrounding Richie Amato feels different.
Cale opens the passenger door to his car and waits for me to get settled with the seatbelt clicked before shutting it. Luca dives into the backseat and starts sharing the dating advice he once received from his older brother.
“It was the summer after sophomore year of high school and I was working as a counselor at Camp Battleax in the Catskills. Janie Frank was the head counselor. She was two years older. Harvard bound. Extremely responsible and organized. No matter how hard I tried to get her attention she thought I was a clown. With only one week left of camp I called Cale in a panic and asked him how to get this girl to give me the time of day. And he said, ‘If she’s really worth your time then she’ll appreciate the direct approach. You should tell her she’s the one you want.’ That’s exactly what I did.”
“And did it work?” I ask as Cale drives past my father’s estate. Though the hedge foliage lining the fences is thick this time of year, I can see a number of lights are on in the house. My father never asked when I’d be flying in for the wedding. Neither did Baylor.
“It did not work,” Luca replies with a laugh. “She basically told me to go kick rocks. But I didn’t feel bad for long because that night she got caught having sex on a cafeteria table with the guy who was the camp soccer coach. They both got fired. I wonder if she still went to Harvard. But Cale’s advice about taking a direct approach was still sound. Hell, I don’t need to tell you that. He got you to marry him somehow.”
I glance at Cale’s handsome profile. He keeps his eyes on the road.
“Your brother was indeed very direct about his intentions,” I tell Luca, thinking back to how I nearly choked on my saliva when Cale calmly proposed marriage on Christmas Eve.
“So tell me about this ranch of yours in Colorado,” says Luca. “Do I get an invitation to visit?”
“Anytime,” I say and then I start telling him all about Bright Hearts.
Luca isn’t faking his interest. He listens intently and asks a few questions of his own. I’m careful to leave out the ranch’s past financial struggles and how they’ve been overcome. Luca is far from stupid. Too much information might lead him to connect a few dots that should stay unconnected.
But I have plenty to talk about without mentioning money. Luca is downright charmed to hear the story of how Cale rescued Tinkerbell and her puppies.
“And then I told him he was my hero,” I say. “He even blushed.”
“I didn’t blush,” Cale mutters.
He said nothing during my long rhapsody about Bright Hearts. Now and then he’d give me an amused glance from behind the wheel.
“You did too blush,” I tease and poke his arm. “Luca, don’t be fooled. Your brother may clock in as fierce and forbidding but he can’t hide his gooey soft side from me.”
Cale throws me a look. I blow him a kiss. Luca slaps his knee and howls with laughter in the backseat.
When I ask Luca about his future plans, he grows less enthusiastic. He talks about scheduling interviews with Miami law firms and how he still needs to take the bar if he’s going to practice law in Florida.
“What made you choose Miami?” I ask. “Warm weather?”
“That’s a definite plus. Originally I planned to attend NYU Law and stay close to the family. Cale was the one who sold me on going to Miami. He argued that it was a good opportunity for me to get new experiences and strike out on my own. He’s right. I’ve enjoyed my years there.”
Sounds like my initial instinct was correct. Cale doesn’t want Luca anywhere near their uncle’s world. Yet Cale chooses to remain in that world himself. Cale stays here as Richie Amato’s right hand man even after his uncle tried to railroad him into a marriage he didn’t want.
A lot of threads are beginning to weave together when it comes to Cale and his brother. And I think the final picture is a big reason why I’m currently wearing a big sparkling rock on my left hand.
In the weeks since Cale left Bright Hearts I’ve thought about him endlessly. Rehashing our conversations. Daydreaming about the feel of his strong arms. Remembering the pleasure of getting him to smile in spite of his best efforts not to.
I’ve really missed him.
Luca has circled back to the topic of the ranch. “It’ll be hard for you to leave Bright Hearts, won’t it?”
“Oh, I’m not leaving,” I say without thinking. “I’ll never leave Bright Hearts.”
Luca is quiet for a moment. “Then I guess Uncle Richie got the story wrong. He was thinking you and Cale planned to settle down in the neighborhood.”
Uh oh. I’ve messed up. I didn’t mean to.
Cale had mentioned that Richie is counting on the fact that I’ll be moving back here. Cale is sure he can put Richie off indefinitely.
I’m not so sure. Sooner or later our lies are bound to catch up with us.
What happens then?
Nothing can be done about it tonight. As we hurtle toward a twenty million dollar East Hampton beach house, a new and unpleasant sense of dread begins to take over. The next twenty four hours are destined to be as fun as walking on broken glass. My peach maid of honor dress is in Cale’s trunk. I wish I could leave it there and pretend the airline lost the garment bag.
We arrive at the house while the party furniture is being delivered. The ceremony will take place tomorrow evening at sunset in front of the water. An enormous tent has already been set up on the property for the reception.
Luca stays in the car while Cale wrestles my luggage out of the trunk. “Hey, Sadie,” Luca says. “I just want you to know that I’m extremely happy for you two.”
“Thank you.” I smile, feeling like a hypocrite. I decide to counter it by saying something true. “There’s no one else like Cale.”
He grins. “I know. Hope to see you again soon.”
“Bye, Luca.”
Cale carries my garment bag and suitcase. Walking to the door feels like walking the plank.
“Don’t look so excited,” Cale says and prepares to ring the bell.
“Wait. I’m not ready.”
“What do you need to do to get ready?”
“I don’t know. We should leave until I figure it out.”
Cale sets my bags down. Gently, he tilts my chin up. “Sadie, listen to me. They’re all assholes.”
I’m too lost in his intense green eyes, too infatuated with the way my name sounds in his deep voice. “Who?”
He jerks his head. “Your whole fucking family.”
“Right. Yeah, for the most part that’s true.”
“You’re worth more than all of them put together,” he says. “Don’t forget that. And don’t take any of their shit.”
“I won’t.” With every fiber of my being I’m aching for a kiss.
Cale nods with approval. “Good girl,” he whispers.
Is he trying to kill me? I can’t take much more of this. Any second now I’ll spontaneously combust from the sexual tension.
But I don’t get a chance to combust, spontaneously or otherwise. The door swings open and my stepmother, Arlena, stands on the other side.
“Oh, you’re here!” she squeals. Then she turns and shouts, “The maid of honor is here!”
No one comes running. Arlena doesn’t care. I’m pretty sure she’s drunk.
After giving my face two enthusiastic air kisses, she turns her dizzy gaze to Cale. “Who are you?”
“I’m Cale,” he says. “I’m Sadie’s husband.”
Her eyes widen and she grabs Cale’s hand. “That’s right. Sadie has a husband now. And here you are. How funny!”
I feel like it’s my civic duty to rescue Cale before my stepmother slobbers all over him. “Cale was just leaving. I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow?”
He nods. “I’ll be on time.”
Arlena claps her hands. “Now kiss her goodbye so we can get the party started.”
Bless her. She’s my favorite stepmother ever. Good thing I’m shameless enough to take a kiss from Cale any way I can get one.
Cale really follows instructions when he wants to. Immediately, his arms slide around my waist. My arms loop around his neck and I arch closer, beyond eager for his mouth. He gives it to me. His mouth. His tongue. And the way he presses against my body is no accident. He wants me to feel him. All of him.
If Arlena wasn’t here to drag me into the house I’d be begging Cale to carry me off and do dirty things. After all, I can think of far better ways to spend the night than getting verbally abused by Bridezilla Hadley.
Once Cale is gone and we’re closed inside the mansion, Arlena hangs on my arm and exhales a cloud of wine breath.
“That husband of yours.” She fans herself with her free hand. “WOW. Hotter than lava.”
Sometimes Arlena comes across as a joke.
But other times she proves that she is literally a genius.
“Yes, he is,” I say, leaning against the nearest wall for support. “Hotter than lava.”