Epilogue
Violetta
The wedding of a talented chef and the owner of a winery was always going to be a lavish affair. The restaurant at Lorenzo's Casa di Lupo vineyard has been transformed for the occasion with sumptuous arrangements of peonies and elegant candles everywhere.
I can't help thinking back to the day Damiano and I exchanged our vows in the Sala Rossa. It feels like a distant memory though it was little more than a year ago.
We've come a long way since then, learning to share our feelings more openly. It's still not easy for this man, but he tries. That's all I ever wanted.
The world he operates in is still dangerous but I've learned to live with it. I feel a little less involved now I no longer work for Damiano at the club.
University is taking up more of my time than I thought it would but I love it. He still comes to bed after midnight most nights and I’ve stopped asking where he’s been. He tells me what I need to know and I’ve decided that’s enough.
As I scan the room, there's a veritable sea of Volante men before me.
All the cousins from New York are here. Even among these powerful men, I find Damiano instantly.
He's across the room in conversation with Niamh Donnelly, a pretty Scots-Irish fixer for the consortium, and his cousin Antonio.
Even from this distance I can tell they're cooking something up.
When Damiano turns and sees me watching, he ends his conversation and cuts across the dance floor to find me. It's eleven thirty but the party shows no sign of winding down.
Now that all the children have been safely put to bed their parents intend to make the most of their time.
Lucia and Lorenzo are now among them. Their baby boy Luca can't even sit up yet, but he's already a force of nature.
From what I've seen today, the next generation of the Volante family will be wild.
"What are you smiling about, volpina?" Damiano asks as he reaches me.
Setting down my glass on the nearest table, I wrap my arms around his waist.
"Nothing, just enjoying the atmosphere."
Damiano kisses me, soft and slow. Then he leans in to whisper in my ear.
"Nobody will miss us."
He nods toward Lorenzo's villa next door.
"We can't," I protest.
From the glint in my husband's eyes I know exactly what he has in mind and I'm not sure I can do that in someone else's home.
"Why not?" Damiano asks. "He's desecrated every room in our house over the years. It's time we returned the favor."
That's something I still haven't got used to, Damiano's casual use of the words our, we, us. It does something to my insides every time I hear it, like he's made me a part of his world.
I look around the room one last time. The happy couple are swaying to the music as the band plays The Best Is Yet to Come, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.
"Come on," Damiano says.
He takes my hand and leads me out through the nearest door. We cross to the villa and Damiano opens the door. Lorenzo never locks it. After all, who'd be crazy enough to break into the home of a mafia prince?
It's dark inside but Damiano navigates the hallways effortlessly until we find Lorenzo's study. The desk is covered with notebooks, stationery and pictures of Lucia and baby Luca.
"Damiano, we can't." I nod toward the photographs.
He solves my issue by placing them face down. I laugh.
"Yes, that makes what we're planning to do so much better."
Damiano grabs my waist and pulls me against him. I feel his hard length against my abdomen and smile. I hope I always have this effect on him.
"And what are we planning to do, Signora Volante?" There's a challenging gleam in his eye.
"Well, my guess is you're going to have your way with me on your brother's desk."
"Have my way with you?" Damiano shakes his head. "Oh, no, I'm going to make love to my wife." His expression turns serious. He cups my face in his hands. "Because I do love you, Violetta."
Since the first day he said those words as we drove away from his mother's funeral, he's taken every chance he can to repeat them. He says it in the same decisive manner every time as if he wants to make sure I believe it.
"I love you too, Damiano."
His arms tighten around me. We stand there a moment, enjoying the closeness. Then he lifts me onto the desk.
The End.