Authors: Bethany-Kris
Gio doubted that.
Kim couldn’t shake her nerves as she walked through the exit of her gate, leaving the safety of the plane behind. The five and a half hour flight only made her panic worse. Mentally she was exhausted from worry, but physically she was awake on fear.
Gio hadn’t told her who to expect when she arrived in New York, only that someone would be there to pick her up. How was she supposed to recognize the person if she didn’t know them? Stepping off the escalator, she took two steps forward and stopped.
Leather shoes, navy slacks, and a dress shirt rolled up to the elbows caught her attention instantly. A suit jacket was tossed over the man’s arm, his other held up so he could read the piece of white paper in his hand. Despite his dressy attire, his stance was relaxed and unbothered by the hustle and bustle of people around him.
How could Kim not recognize the man standing in front of her?
Antony Marcello had been one of the most enigmatic and noticeable presences in the church and plaza the day of his oldest son’s wedding. He was the first man her father pointed out to her. They hadn’t been introduced that day, but she knew the man on sight.
Antony glanced up from the paper in his hand, his eyes meeting Kim’s only a few feet away. An easy, slow smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Hello, Kimberlynn.”
Kim blinked. “You know me?”
“Of you,” Antony corrected gently. “I’m sure we’ll have the chance to get to know one another a lot better. I only recognize you because I pulled up some public information last night when I couldn’t sleep. Just to be safe, I figured I should be able to pick your face out of a crowd. I’m glad I did. Gio made the choice I thought he would.”
“Sending me, you mean.”
“For one.” Antony waved the paper in his hand. “Kimberlynn is an interesting name. Where does it come from?”
How did he know that?
“My grandmother from my mother’s side.”
“Not Italian, I take it.”
“No, but her husband was,” Kim answered. “As is my father.”
“I’m aware,” Antony intoned dully.
Kim couldn’t contain her snort of amusement. Antony’s dislike of Nunz was clear. Gio let her know ahead of time his father wouldn’t be pleasant on any topic that referred to Nunz Abella.
“What’s so humorous, Kimberlynn?”
“Kim. I prefer Kim.”
“Good. I thought Kimberlynn was a bit …”
“Stuffy?” Kim asked, filling in the blank she’d always known.
Antony chuckled. “Exactly.”
“Gio warned me you didn’t like my father. I find it funny.”
“Giovanni was correct. You’re not even offended. Sadly, I’m not surprised.”
“I haven’t liked my father for a long time,” Kim replied.
“Well, we have something in common already. Another good thing is I don’t have to introduce you as an Abella, but a Marcello. I think we both can be happy about that, even if it is for different reasons.”
Kim’s brow lifted in her surprise. “You know Gio and I were married.”
Again, Antony waved the paper. “I was just reading over a copy of your marriage license. Gio faxed it to me so I could be aware and get some legal things rolling for him just in case.”
“You’re not angry at us?”
“Why would I be, sweetheart? I was the one who suggested it.” Antony smiled, but it faded. Kim’s insecurity grew knowing he was gaging her bruises. “Is your face still hurting?”
“A little,” Kim admitted. “At least the swelling is gone.”
Antony didn’t look pleased, though he kept his voice calm as he said, “Believe me when I say that doesn’t make me feel better about it.”
Kim remembered what the man Maximo had sent to stop her and Gio from leaving Vegas said about Antony Marcello. The question slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” Antony asked.
“That you cut someone’s tongue out because he called his wife a whore.”
“It is true.” Antony cocked his brow, appearing amused. “That happened years ago. Where did you hear the story from?”
“Someone, somewhere,” Kim replied vaguely. “Seems excessive.”
“Does it? For one thing, he called her that in front of twenty guests and made her cry. I can’t stand to see a sweet woman cry. Secondly, she was a good friend to my wife. I hate it when Cecelia is distressed, and I can’t be held responsible for the things that happen to people who upset her. Thirdly, I felt he deserved it and his boss was useless, so I handled it.”
He spoke completely unbothered, as if they were having a friendly chat about the weather. Kim shifted on her feet, stunned by his candor and lack of empathy about such violence. “Well … okay, then.”
Antony smirked. “Okay. Let’s go.”
• • •
“
Tesoro
.”
Kim’s head snapped up at the familiar pet name. The woman who stood in the foyer screamed many things. She was regal, her walk was graceful. A beauty with caramel colored hair, green eyes, and a seemingly happy disposition. Her sweet smile put Kim at ease. The woman exuded something familiar and comforting, making Kim’s heart ache with longing. This woman felt like a mother.
“Antony?” the woman asked. “I didn’t know we were having guests.”
“Sorry. I didn’t want to bother you until I knew for sure. Kimberlynn, this is my wife, Cecelia.
Tesoro
, this is Kimberlynn. She comes from a fellow family in Vegas and just flew in today. She’s going to be staying here for a little while.”
Kim expected Cecelia to be suspicious of a bruised young woman being brought into her home without much of an explanation, but she wasn’t. Instead, Cecelia crossed the room and held out her hand for Kim to take.
“It’s nice to meet you, Cecelia.”
Cecelia smiled, squeezing Kim’s hand a little stronger. “And you as well. Are you tired from the flight?”
“Not really. I’m too nervous to be tired.”
Antony chuckled. “Ah, well, my wife will surely put your nerves at ease. Cecelia only gets angry if you play around in her kitchen or hurt one of her boys.”
Cecelia’s brow furrowed as she was releasing Kim’s hand. Instead of letting go, her thumb rolled over Kim’s wedding band. The woman looked down, giving the ring a once over before saying, “You’re married.”
Kim swallowed nervously. Antony didn’t prep her on what to say for this. “Um, yes.”
“I hope it wasn’t your husband who put those awful marks on your pretty face.”
“It wasn’t,” Kim said quietly. “He’s a good man.”
“Vegas, you said?” Cecelia asked, turning to Antony.
“I did.”
“Where Giovanni is?”
“Yes,” Antony answered.
Cecelia’s lips pursed as she regarded her husband, a pensive stare taking over. “Antony, why do I feel like you’re leaving out something that you think might bother me?”
“I don’t think it’ll bother you at all. I simply wanted to ease the conversation into it. Like maybe when the poor girl wasn’t standing here feeling awkward like she obviously is.
Tesoro
, I didn’t introduce our guest properly earlier. I’d like you to meet Gio’s wife … Kimberlynn Marcello. She prefers Kim. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
Kim nodded. “That’s right.”
Cecelia turned to her husband. “Giovanni’s wife. My Gio?”
Antony gave her a look. “Yes,
your
Gio.”
Cecelia didn’t let go of Kim’s hand for a single second as she took in the news with the same grace and dignity she had walked into the foyer with. “I’m pretty sure you sent him off to Vegas single, Antony. When did this happen exactly?”
“Last night,” Kim answered. “For—”
“Many reasons,” Antony interrupted. “And most of them aren’t important, but for the fact he loves her very much and is happy. He asked me to apologize for keeping it from you and for not being able to have you at the event, and he promised to make it up to you however you wish.”
Kim was amazed and sort of awed by these people. It was clear they loved each other fiercely. They were fascinating in the way they conversed and acted with one another. She couldn’t help but wonder how many years it had taken to get to this level of trust between them where one could simply speak and the other just gave blind faith.
“Well,” Cecelia drawled slowly. She turned to Kim. “Are you Catholic?”
What
?
“Uh, yes?”
Why did that sound like a question?
“That’s my good boy, Gio,” Cecelia said, grinning.
Antony laughed loudly. “Is that the only important thing?”
“No, of course not,” Cecelia said chidingly. “It was fast between them, but we weren’t much different and neither was Lucian when he found his
amore
. I would have loved to see Giovanni be married, or at the very least, received a damn phone call. It sure doesn’t surprise me that he did get married this way. That’s just Giovanni. But it does make it a lot easier.”
“How?” Kim asked, so fucking confused she felt dizzy.
“It was a Vegas ceremony, I assume,” Cecelia stated.
“A Justice of the Peace at the clerk’s office, actually.”
Cecelia hummed, nodding. “Yes, well, the church won’t recognize the marriage and neither of you can continue to receive the Sacraments unless they do. I can’t have that. But, you’re Catholic, so that should speed things along when I contact Father Peter about getting in touch with the Bishop to grant a convalidation of marriage. No, this is good. I’m so happy.”
Kim felt dazed. “Really?”
“Very. If my son is happy with his choices, then I’m happy for him. It’s that simple. I love my sons and I want them to have whatever they need. I don’t care how it happens, either.” Cecelia smiled wider. “Where is Gio?”
Antony cleared his throat to take the attention off Kim. “He’ll be home soon and at your mercy,
Tesoro
. Worry not.”
Cecelia asked Kim a few more easy questions while she pulled off her coat and heels. Antony was right, his wife did immediately put someone at ease with her easy disposition and honest nature. By the time Kim looked back in Antony’s direction, the man had disappeared.
Cecelia sighed, drawing Kim’s attention. “My husband is keeping something from me because he doesn’t want me to worry, yes?”
Kim could only nod. Gio’s mother was perceptive as hell.
“Should I be worried?”
“I am,” Kim replied.
“Out of my three boys, Gio is the one who keeps me going to the doctor for heart checkups. I’ve sworn by it from the day he learned to walk. Come, Kim,” Cecelia said, turning with a wave. “Can you cook?”
“Didn’t Antony just say you get riled up when someone else is in your kitchen?”
“Antony thinks it’s appropriate to put Cayenne pepper in mashed potatoes when he can’t find the black pepper.”
Kim cringed. “Oh.”
“Yes. Besides, this is not the same. I need to make sure my boys have wives who can feed them, even if I did teach them how to cook.”
“I can cook,” Kim said.
Kim followed along behind her new mother-in-law, completely in awe and overwhelmed by the house as they walked through it.
“Did your mother teach you? My mother had me at the stove from the time I could stand. Today, you get told that’s child endangerment.” Cecelia must have realized Kim hesitated before answering because the woman turned fast on her heel in front of the entrance to a huge kitchen. It looked appropriate to be in the spread of a high-end home design magazine. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” Kim assured, smiling sadly. “My mother did teach me, but she died almost four years ago from breast cancer. I miss her, that’s all.”
“Well …” Cecelia wrung her hands together, glancing at a clock on the wall. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad feelings.”
“You didn’t, Cecelia. Really.”
“Jordyn will be around with Antony’s schedule for the next week soon, and I think you should talk to her. I bet you have a few things in common, and you both could use some friends.”
“Lucian’s wife, right?”
“She is. And she’s lovely. Much like you.” Cecelia offered an easy smile. “Now, let’s cook.”
“Okay.”
Maybe cooking would keep Kim’s mind off the fact that she had no idea where Gio was, or if he was even okay.
“And Kim?” Cecelia turned, gracing her newest daughter-in-law with another brilliant smile. “If Antony hadn’t already said it, welcome home.”
• • •
Kim liked Jordyn Reese-Marcello from the moment the girl said hi. The two were practically the same age with similar interests and tastes. Jordyn was laid back and sweet-natured, although quick to be sharp and honest when needed. It didn’t take Kim long to figure out why Cecelia thought she and Jordyn would find an easy friendship when Kim asked about Jordyn’s parents.