Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Constantine’s hand moved to my stomach, and his eyes softened in a way they never had before. Like he would burst into tears at the touch, a sense of joy and pride for someone he didn’t know. “Thank you, Your Holiness.”
“Congratulations again.” He blessed each of us before he walked off, immediately surrounded by his private security like he was the president.
Constantine brought me close and brushed a kiss against my hairline. “Ready to party?”
“Absolutely. Just wish I could drink.”
“I’ll drink enough for the both of us,” he said with a grin. “How about that?”
Chapter 29
Constantine
It was a rowdy party. Everyone was there to eat and drink and have the time of their lives. I sat with Aurelia at the front table with the groomsmen and bridesmaids, the two of us in the center, Medusa at our feet with her own bowl of food and water.
Dinner was served and everyone ate, all five hundred guests, as the sun went down over the edge of the cliff. It was an open bar, so a lot of people enjoyed wine and champagne, while all the guys at the Cosa Nostra table chose stiff drinks. It was a good thing Pope Zephyrinus had left, because this was not his scene at all.
Aurelia laughed with her bridesmaids, and I talked to Rocco and the other guys. I was living on cloud nine, the love of my life and now my wife next to me, a baby whose spirit was so profound the pope could feel it through her flesh.
I was the luckiest man alive.
The conversations died down when my mother stood up and tapped her spoon against her champagne flute. She hit the spoon harder against the glass to get the attention of the people all the way in the back. She wore a sparkling black gown, and I knew she’d chosen the color to honor my brother, who couldn’t be there. Her hair was down in thick curls, and she wore more makeup than I’d ever seen her wear—but she looked beautiful. “This is a really special honor for me, because not only am I the mother of the groom, but I already love the bride like my own daughter.”
There was a collective “Aww” from the crowd.
“Every mother fears that their daughter-in-law will take their son away, but it’s been the opposite with Aurelia. When they came to Taormina, she inserted herself in our lives like she was one of us. Offered to work at the restaurant to spend time with us, even though my son has made sure she never has to work a day in her life if she doesn’t want to. Never protested about coming in early or doing the dishes or having the smell of tomatoes in her hair for the rest of the day.”
Everyone chuckled, like they knew all too well what that was like, since most of them were in the service industry.
“It became very apparent to me that Aurelia would do anything for my son, and the moment she knew how important family was to him, she did everything to become a part of that world. She’s caring, thoughtful, and so kind. I really couldn’t ask for anyone better for my son.”
My arm moved over the back of Aurelia’s chair, and when I glanced at her, I saw the tears in her eyes. I moved my hand to her shoulder over her hair and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“And now . . .” My mother took a deep breath as her eyes started to water. “My son . . .” She stilled as she held the microphone in her hand, trying to keep herself composed for the eyes of so many. “I’ve watched you grow from a child to a boy, and then a boy to a man. You were a handful and drove me up the wall until I asked God why he’d given me a demon for a son.” Everyone laughed, even though she remained deadly serious. “But then you grew into the person you were meant to be. I could describe you with a million words, but the ones that ring the truest are honest, decent, kind, and protective. When your father passed, you became the head of the household, took the lead when I couldn’t carry on. You helped at the restaurant, respected me always, and told me every day that I was doing a good job when I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Raising you is the hardest thing I’ve ever done . . . but by far the most rewarding. I couldn’t be prouder to call you my son. To see the man before me so strong and true and brave, and I thank God every day that you were given to me. And I thank God that I’m still here, that I get to watch you embark on your own journey into fatherhood. I can already tell how ready you are for it.” She gave me a long, hard look, her eyes misty with all the emotions she couldn’t fit into a three-minute speech. “I love you so much, baby.”