Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (6 page)

When we turned onto the block, cars were parked on
either side, almost bumper to bumper. I had never seen it so packed and with
more luxury cars than not; Mercedes, BMWs, Jaguars, and Cadillacs lined the
street. Just when I thought we were going to have to park on another block,
Grant pulled up to an empty space directly in front of the restaurant. A
soldier, similarly dressed to the man at the church, was standing in the space
keeping it free. Recognizing Grant’s car, he stepped up on the curb and watched
while Grant expertly maneuvered his car into the spot. I always envied his
parallel parking skills.

   “Well, that’s service,” my mom commented.

   “Bride and groom get special treatment,” Miranda
said. “My aunt and uncle really go over the top.”

Miranda wasn’t lying. I had been to Franco’s
restaurant several times on dates with Dom, but never for a family occasion.
The moment we walked inside, we were assaulted with hugs and kisses on our
cheeks. My mom looked overwhelmed with all of the contact, but she went with
the flow. Suddenly I was wrapped in a suffocating hug that smelled of garlic,
onions and a variety of other spices. I recognized that smell and immediately
returned the hug, my eyes misting with tears. I had no idea how much I missed
this family until I was back in their fold.

   “Natalie, let me look at you,” Aunt Gloria said
as she stepped away, holding me at arm’s length as she began her inspection.
She clucked a few times with her tongue and shook her head. “You’re too skinny.
Go, eat, I made extra of your favorite.” I laughed and started to walk in the
direction she pointed, but she stopped me with a gentle tug on my arm. “It’s
good to see you, honey.” She winked once before turning her attention to my
mother who had silently watched our whole exchange.

I ran into Uncle Franco next as he was setting
bottles of wine on tables. There were three long tables set up in what used to
be a parlor when the restaurant was a house. Deep red tablecloths covered the
tables along with ivory table runners that had silver and black embroidery
along the edges. The runners must have been custom made for their length. White
plates with a silver rim were set on top of silver chargers. The restaurant had
been transformed into something more fitting for royalty.

   “Natalie!” Uncle Franco pulled me into a hug that
was not as all-consuming as his wife’s. “I’m glad you’re here. How are you?” He
raised an eyebrow and I knew he wasn’t going to accept a generic answer.

   “I’m adjusting. It’s nice to see everyone, but a
little strange. It’s hard to explain.”

   “I understand. Our family can be…well, you know.”
He chuckled and it rumbled deep in his chest.

   “Oh, I know,” I laughed with him and glanced
around the room. “Where should I sit?”

   “Grant and Miranda are at the head of this table,
so you’ll sit here. Dominic is sitting at the head of the middle table and
Dante is the head of that table.” He pointed to the one closest to the arched
entry way.”

   “So the leadership sits at the heads of the
tables.”

   “Yes, it’s been like that since I can remember
with the boss sitting in the middle, between his Capos.”

My mom joined us at that point so we stopped talking
and I introduced them. Franco was more reserved, only shaking hands with her
and my mom relaxed when she realized she wasn’t getting yanked into another
hug.

   “We’re sitting here,” I told her and we took two
seats near where Grant and Miranda were going to sit. We had a view of the
entry way and our backs were to the fireplace.

People filled the room and the volume increased as
if they were trying to out talk each other. Servers worked the room, refilling
glasses and wine flowed freely.

   “Do you want any?” I asked my mom and she shook
her head.

   “I can’t because of the medication I’m on. Even if
I wasn’t, alcohol is a depressant.”

   “Oh, okay.” I poured water in her glass from a
crystal pitcher. Several small bowls full of sliced lemons were on the table,
most likely for seafood dishes, but my mom grabbed a wedge for her water.

Gradually the seats were filled. Dominic caught my
eye before he sat down at the head of his table. He smiled at me, a megawatt
smile; all straight white teeth and dimples that immediately made my pulse
pound and my mouth dry. Bastard, he knew what buttons to push. I quickly looked
away and noticed Dominic’s mom, Angela, watching me. She gave me a little wave
and a tentative smile. At first I thought she’d be disappointed to see me since
she had given me money and encouraged me to get out of Philly. Yet, here I was.
The only difference now was that I had the freedom to leave if I wanted to
without fearing for my life.

Soon the food was brought out and the loud
conversations died down, replaced with the clatter and scrape of silverware
against china. Toasts were made and just like at a wedding, every time someone
tapped a spoon against a glass, Grant and Miranda had to kiss. They were going
to need some Chapstick before the night was over.

Paulina sat across from me and dabbed her eyes
frequently throughout the night. She made a few references to how much Marco
would love this and that, but Miranda asked her to stop.

   “It’s so tragic what happened to Miranda’s
father. That’s why I don’t live in the city – it’s too dangerous,” my mom
whispered in my ear.

Fortunately, my mom lived in York and wasn’t around
to hear all of the news stories with speculation over Marco’s murder. She
believed the story Grant fed her; that Marco was a victim of a carjacking.

I was busy stuffing my face with calamari, garlic
knots, eggplant parmesan (my favorite) and clam linguine. Between the wine and
the carbs, my belly was full and I was feeling sated. Excusing myself from the
table I left the dining area and walked down the main hallway to the bathroom.
After fixing my hair and reapplying lip gloss, I stepped out into the hall,
surprised to see Dominic leaning against the opposite wall waiting for me. 

   “Hey, can I talk to you…outside?” he asked.

   “Sure.”

Dominic led me through the steamy kitchen and out
the back door to a small alley that ran behind the entire block. We moved
several doors down, away from a dumpster that was rank with the stench of
rotting seafood and other food. Night had descended upon the city and only back
patio lights illuminated the uneven concrete. Weeds had already sprung up
through the cracks and unseen critters scurried away from our footsteps.

   “What do you want to talk about?”

He turned to face me and took my hands in his. “I’m
sorry about earlier, in the church. It’s hard for me to not touch you.” He squeezed
my hands for emphasis. “I want you to know that you’re it for me.”

   “Dom,” I started to say more, but he silenced me
with a soft kiss; a brush of his lips against mine.

   “There are some things I want to run by you, but
after the wedding. I don’t want to detract from Grant and Miranda’s day. Can
you give me one night?”

He was so serious and his face cast in shadows,
combined with his pleading tone, only exaggerated the effect.

   “Of course, I’m here for another week, let me
know when.”

   “The day after tomorrow? I don’t think I can wait
much longer.”

   “Okay.”

   “Great, we’ll do brunch. I’ll pick you up at the
hotel.”

We were about ready to head back the rehearsal
dinner when we heard footsteps. Dominic reacted quickly and stood in front, blocking
me from whoever was approaching.

    “Frankie, what is it?” Dominic asked. He moved
to the side, letting me know there wasn’t a threat.

   “Sorry boss, Rico wanted me to keep an eye on
you.”

   “You don’t take orders from my dad. You take them
from me, Dante, Grant or Miranda. That’s fucking it. Got it?”

   “Yeah, boss, I understand.”

   “Good, now go back inside. I’ll deal with my dad
later.”

The man, who was easily ten years older than Dom,
walked away like a scolded puppy with his head down and if he had a tail, it
would have been between his legs. It was impressive seeing Dom handle himself
like that. He clearly was in charge.

   “What was that all about?” I asked.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it
stick up in disarray, transforming him back to my Dom. “My dad thinks I need a
bodyguard or a whole entourage like Uncle Marco had following him around. I
told him I don’t want that and can protect myself. Besides, there aren’t any
threats right now. Everything is calmer than it’s been in a long time,” he
said, practically echoing what Grant told me earlier.

We started walking back towards the restaurant.
“That’s good, I’m glad. It was pretty crazy there for a while.”

   “I’m trying to change how Marco ran the business
and so far it’s working. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s working.”

But at what cost? I asked myself. While Dominic was
as gorgeous as ever, I could tell he was tired by the dark smudges under his
eyes and he was definitely jumpier than usual. His protective display in the
alley was just one example.

When we entered the dining area Dom stayed by my
side, guiding me through the room with his hand on the small of my back,
introducing me to countless relatives. People had started to mingle, leaving
their tables to grab coffee and desserts from two stations set up along the
rear wall closest to the kitchen doors. I searched the room for my mom to check
on her and found her still in her chair, being charmed by Uncle Al.

Dominic led me over to an older woman with hair as
white and puffy as a cotton ball. Her olive skin was wrinkled and when she
smiled up at me, because she was barely five feet tall, the laugh lines around
her eyes and her mouth connected. “Nona, this is Natalie, Grant’s sister.
Natalie, this is my Nona Grabano.” Dominic’s grandmother had the same gem-like
green eyes as her grandson and they sparkled with vitality. I shook her gnarled
hand, which was warm and soft. Her grip was surprisingly firm.

   “Ah, Natalie. I hear a lot about you. Sei molto
carina.” Her accent was thick and I had no idea what she said at the end.

   “She says you’re very pretty,” Dominic translated
for me.

   “Grazie,” I said to Dom’s Nona, thanking her for
the compliment and her smile widened, revealing a few gaps where teeth were
missing.

   “Natalie, over here!” Bianca called and ran over
to get me. “We’re taking pictures. Just us girls,” she told Dominic when he
started to follow.

   “Nice meeting you!” I called over my shoulder and
left Dom behind with his Nona. I followed Bianca through the arched entryway to
where Miranda was sitting on the bottom step of a flight of stairs that led to
the second floor. We all positioned ourselves around her and Paulina took
several candid pictures with her phone.

   “Girls, really?” Paulina admonished when the last
picture she captured was with all of us flipping off the camera.

Once the photo session was over, I started to go
back into the dining area, but was stopped by Allegra.

   “I thought you said you and Dom aren’t together.”

   “We’re not,” I said. “It’s complicated though. I
mean, we both still have feelings for each other. I’m always going to love
him.”

Her face twisted up like she bit into something
sour. “Allegra, have you asked Dom how he feels about you? If you want him so
badly, let him know and see what he says. I’m not in the mood for this passive
aggressive bullshit.” I left her with her mouth hanging open and it felt pretty
damn good to not hold back. I was also pretty confident that Dom had zero
feelings towards Allegra.

The party began to wind down after Miranda announced
she was getting ready to leave. In following with tradition, Miranda was
spending the night in her childhood home while Grant was going back to the
townhouse they shared after he dropped us off at the hotel.

Mom sat up front and I stretched out in the
backseat. Between being full and the motion of the car my eyelids were growing
heavy.

   “Miranda has a big family,” my mom said to Grant.

   “Yeah, she does. It took some getting used to.”

At the rehearsal it was decided that all of the pews
were going to be open for friends and family of Miranda instead of restricting
them to one side. Grant had a few friends from college coming and my mom had
invited our distant cousins from Virginia, but they weren’t able to make it. We
were it for our family.

I dozed off at some point and Grant woke me up when
we got to the hotel. A doorman held my door open and was waiting patiently for
me to get out.

   “I’ll see you tomorrow, bro. You can still back
out,” I teased and he laughed.

   “Get some sleep, Nat. See you all tomorrow.”

Grant drove off and I watched as his Audi turned
onto Market Street and was absorbed into traffic. This was it for my brother.
He’d always be Grant James Ross, but after he married Miranda, he would
officially become a member of the Grabano family and there would be no going
back.