22. Chapter 21 Ginevra
This is the first time I’ve ever known the Morettis to forgo the use of their famous tent for a celebration. Our rehearsal dinner is at a fancy Italian restaurant in town. This place has been in all the papers as the “it place” to go. I’ve heard it takes months to get a reservation. The whole restaurant is rented for the entire night, just for us.
The moment we walk in, the room erupts in a He’s a Jolly Good Fellow and Soren is swept away from me. He cranes his neck back to look at me and I wave him off. I recognize a few of the men as his uncles and a few as cousins from previous parties. I never realized what a big family the Morettis had. When Soren told me that only family was invited, I expected a table of maybe twenty.
My mother is off to the side with a bunch of the older ladies talking to her. She seems happy to be the center of attention. We’re normally ignored when we attend parties. I’m happy my mom is able to have her moment and enjoy this.
“So, you’re the chain tying Soren down?” I look up to find a pretty blonde woman standing before me.
“What?”
Another woman approaches us. “I bet that man kisses like sin,” she says.
Both pairs of eyes follow Soren. They look like they would like nothing more than to rip off his clothes and jump him. I have this sudden urge to jab a pencil in their eyes. Soren is mine.
“I’m Beatric and this is Francesca.”
“How are you related to Soren?”
They laugh and Beatric places her perfectly manicured hand on my arm. “I thank my lucky stars every day that I’m not related. It makes the viewing so much more pleasurable.”
“I went on a date with him once,” Francesca adds smugly.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t make it stick,” I reply, not sorry at all. Both these women look like supermodels. They could use a hideous hair cut. I hate that I instantly hate them.
Their eyes continue to follow my fiancé as the group of men clink their glasses together and take shots of Sambuca.
“Excuse us.” They leave and I’m able to breathe easier, but only for a moment because they’re going straight for Soren.
Francesca has her bony hands on Soren’s tie, and it enrages me. I stride toward them. Soren’s eyes light up when he sees me and it melts my heart. That look is everything. I roll my shoulders back and keep my head straight. When I enter their circle, I grasp Soren’s suit jacket and crush my lips to his.
Soren is mine. I’m not allowing these women to make me feel inferior at my own rehearsal dinner. The way he’s kissing me back has my legs growing weak. His hand sprawls on my lower back, his other hand is cupping my cheek. My head swims as I melt against him.
My heart beat pushes against his chest and he swallows the small moan that escapes my mouth before the sound of the room bursts our bubble.
“Save it for the wedding night.” Whistles and cheers circle around us when we part. I had forgotten we were in a room with a hundred people.
“I fucking love it when you get jealous,” Soren whispers in my ear before he gives me a little nip.
I can feel my face heat up, starting in my chest then crawling its way up my neck and into my cheeks. I want to take a step back but Soren’s piercing brown eyes hold mine. His one hand still cups my cheek and his other hand threads through my long locks. “You are going to be a Moretti now. Never back down to anyone. I liked how you showed everyone your claim on me,” he tells me before letting go.
The entire room is watching us. My mother is standing with Soren’s and they’re both smiling. His father, though, is glaring at me.
“Gin!” Eva squeals, hugging me. “Damn, girl. I never thought I would see you and my brother in love.” Her eyes shine with tears and I’m immediately reminded that she also has an arranged marriage.
“It could end up happy for you too.”
She lifts a brow. “That will never happen. If you haven’t noticed, my fiancé is too busy to join us tonight. He might make it before the wedding.”
“Maybe you just need to spend some time together,” I suggest.
She shakes her head sadly. “Enough about my sad love life. I will live vicariously through you.” She loops her arm around mine, leading us toward the bar. “But save the sex details for someone else. I don’t ever want to hear about my brother’s penis.”
“Eva!”
She grins. “Hey, look! You’re not blushing.”
“I am a little nervous about tomorrow night,” I confess. Soren has been my only experience with a man. What if I’m no good? Or don’t do it right?
“Girl, just get naked and all thoughts will leave his head.”
“Great advice.” I laugh.
She orders us both a red wine and hands me the stemless glass. “How’s work going?”
I bring the glass to my nose and smell the delicious aroma. The last few days have solidified what I have been thinking: I’m going to quit my job when I go back to work. I can’t be working for a criminal lawyer when my husband is part of the mafia. It’s not right, or fair to either of us. I can’t believe this is happening. I’m going to choose Soren.
I take a drink of the boldly flavored liquid and hold it on my tongue for a second before I swallow it down. Eva has been pulled into a conversation with her aunties, leaving me to stand by the bar looking over our party.
“Ginevra,” Alesso greets me.
“Hi.” I scan the room hoping for someone, anyone else to talk to.
“You realize you were never his first choice. He should be marrying Karissa.” A few months ago, I would have rounded my shoulders and tried to slink away.
“Karissa was a cunt.” His eyes widen at the same time as mine. I can’t believe that word actually came out of my mouth. It has me giggling. “You will be able to sleep better knowing your son loves the woman he’s marrying. You’re welcome.” I walk off having had the last word. It feels magnificent. I should have done this confidence thing years ago.
“You, okay?” Soren wraps his arm around my waist and glances back at his father, then to me.
“Never been better,” I truthfully reply. He presses a kiss to my forehead.
“I know my family can be a lot to take in. Once the dinner is done, we can leave anytime you want.”
“Does that mean we get to share a bed tonight?”
“I wish. My mother is making me spend the night at their house. And your mother wants you in her house for one last night.”
“You could sneak into my bedroom…”
“Look at you being a seductive little vixen.”
“Is it working?”
“You have no idea. But I’m not going to break this tradition.” He presses a chaste kiss to my lips.
I pretend to pout.
The rest of the night goes by in a blur. Before I know it, it’s ten o’clock and my mother is telling me it’s time to go home.
Istare up at my bedroom ceiling, the small single bed that once fit me perfectly seeming much too small now. Its old lumps and bumps had always been a familiar comfort, but now they feel like rocks digging into my back and hips. I toss and turn, the moonlight staring back at me through my window.
Tomorrow, I will no longer be a Pasello. I’ll be a wife, and I’m both terrified and excited about what that may look like for me.
I grab my phone from my night table and debate if I should call Sienna. She’s going to be here by the morning anyway.
Sienna and I met in a summer camp when we were about eleven years old, but since her father is the president of a motorcycle club, we could never see each other. It’s been about a year since I’ve seen her last, and it was at her wedding. She married a man named Max Mancini.
She’s a night owl, so she should still be up at this time. I stare at my phone until I press down on her name.
“Gin? Why are you calling so late?”
I sigh. “I can’t sleep. I have two hundred different thoughts competing for attention.” I pause before continuing. “Did that happen to you the night before you got married?”
I hear rustling in the background and the sound of her husband’s voice before she answers. “That’s normal. Put in your earbuds and listen to some classical music. That will help.”
“Maybe…I’ve been thinking about my career, and I think I might quit.” Saying it aloud makes it so much more real. My pulse speeds up just thinking about it.
“You found another job?”
“No. I just don’t think this one is a good fit anymore.”
She’s quiet for a bit, and I try to organize my thoughts on what’s bothering me. “Soren’s job doesn’t stay on the right side of the law. The moment I marry him, I’m stepping into his world and I’m going to have to leave mine behind. I’ve always been the girl who tells the truth, never gets in trouble, and is honest. I’m scared of the unknown. My whole life I had everything I wanted to accomplish set out, and now it feels like those plans are in limbo.” I’m rambling, trying to convey my fears and thoughts. “Who am I, if I’m not the girl who is constantly working to help her family?”
“Listen to your heart. It has a way of guiding us to what we need.”
My eyes look out my bedroom window at the moon. Could it be that easy? “What if my mind is louder than my heart?”
“I know you, Ginevra. You always end up doing what’s best.”
I hope she’s right. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I put down my phone, and it buzzes the moment it touches the table. Tilting it up, I see there’s a message from Soren.
Soren: I love you. Sweet dreams.
I hug the phone to my chest before I respond.
Ginevra: I love you, too.