Vince’s dad is standing in the doorway, greeting all of the boys with big hugs and slaps on the back. When the crowd has cleared, and only Lee is behind us, Vince lets go of my hand to greet his father.
“Pops!” He opens his arms and then embraces.
“My boy.” He pats him on the back with a hearty laugh. When they pull apart from the hug, he looks at me with a glimmer in his eye that reminds me of Vince, and I smile affectionately, embracing him after he kisses me on the cheek.
“How are you, Jess?” He implores as I retract from the hug. I feel Vince place a hand on the small of my back before reaching for my left hand and raising it to Pops. His eyes grow wide immediately upon seeing it before he bursts out laughing.
“Vincenzo San Giovanni!” He gives him another slap, this time on his bicep. Vince lets out a laugh, beaming proudly as he pulls me closer to him.
“This is wonderful news!” He turns his head to one of the maids in the doorway. “Get me the 1820 Juglar Cuvée from the cellar. We must toast!” He chuckles again and motions for us to come inside with his cane.
We follow his welcoming gesture immediately. He trails behind us, walking next to Lee and asking about his family. I don’t know how expensive that champagne is that he asked for, but he might be sorely disappointed to know that I won’t be partaking in it. Hopefully, the let-down can be quickly recovered when we tell him why.
The moment we walk through the double doors to the dining hall, the room bursts with noise. Somehow, with this large of a crowd, it feels even bigger than it did last time I was here. We’re immediately overwhelmed by the greetings of mafia members and their wives and the cousins I couldn’t name if you put a gun to my head. They begin to swarm us with excited faces and pleasantries.
Romeo, Tito, and Espie come trailing up to us in a group and throw their arms around me, kissing my cheeks and asking how I’m doing. It feels far more comfortable with them now than when I first came here. It’s actually a relief to be drawn out of the random mafia talk that Vince and I got sucked into.
“You have to meet Olive!” Espie squeezes my hand and yanks someone by the wrist out of the crowd. She is a gorgeous, modelesque type– taller than her older sister by half an inch. She smiles at me and immediately goes for a hug. I was expecting her to be mean for some reason, but she isn't. She's a warm burst of sunshine. Her hair is the lightest of all the siblings– a golden brown that I don’t think is natural– but she definitely paid good money for it to look this good. Her eyes are, fittingly, pure olive-colored— sweet and curious when they blink at you. Likewise, her button nose and cheekbones make her look like she stepped off the cover of a magazine.
“You’re so stunning!” She says with so much awe I don’t know how to react as she shakes her head, looking me up and down.
“I know! I told you!” Espie nudges her, and they begin to ask me questions as the boys start to engage in the mafia conversation still going on behind them. Vince pulls me away from the girls who whine at him for killing the conversation, but he just rolls his eyes with a grin. Smart move not to engage in their teasing. Something tells me they can be just as brutal as the boys– if not more– when it comes to defending themselves.
Vince reaches downand takes my left hand, holding me close to him as he introduces me to new faces. Bertie is a beefy man with peppered waves and broad shoulders. His wife, Mare, is lanky and smooth-skinned with a smile that could light up a dark room. We chat for a while, mostly about Neptune Holdings and real-estate properties. Just as I’m being introduced to another couple, Pops hands Vince the bottle and a glass, which he clanks together to silence the room.
“I have some very exciting news,” he begins, but Pops interrupts.
“The first thing he wants to tell you is that he is officially in charge of the family businesses.” Vince's smile drops to a parted mouth of shock as he turns his head to him. Pops nods reassuringly as everyone begins to clap, celebrating this new leadership that they’ve anticipated for a while now. Vince’s smile returns, and he accepts their congratulations, then lifts his glass to silence them again.
“Thank you. All of you are family, and I vow to be the best leader of this family that I can possibly be.” He turns his head to me, something behind his eyes that scares me a little. Nervousness. I don’t see the look often, so when I do, it’s unsettling. I see the knot in his throat move as he swallows, then he looks back to the crowd.
“That’s why I’m proposing a new era of the mafia. One that brings stronger security, unified peace, and deeper strength to our leadership. I hope in doing this that we can form deep trusting relationships with other members of our world, ultimately securing this new era as the era of peace. A safer world for our children and for generations to come.” He takes a second to collect his next words, and the second he does, the entire room erupts with applause.
I search their approving faces for the one I’ve had a deep sadness for since killing his brother. Antonio’s in the corner, clapping along. Yet, his eyes are as distant as they were when we brought Vince back from the hospital. I find Pops next, who I know might not be happy with breaking traditions. It was pretty bold of Vince to propose change the moment he was given control.
Pops doesn’t seem disappointed, he claps along and nods as if approving, and I can tell this means a lot to Vince. He raises his glass again, and the room goes silent.
“Jessica Lee will be by my side. For those of you who don’t know what that means, you will once you meet her. She is strong, brave, unfailingly loyal, and she’s also my Fiancé!” He takes the glass and bottle in his left hand and holds up mine with his right, showing off the ring on my finger. The entire room gasps; more cheers burst through the room and bounce off the walls. He nods along with them, and they chant for us to kiss.
He turns his head to me, his brow twitching in question. I bring his face to mine before answering him, and I think that is my answer. Our lips collide, and that thing is happening again where we’re alone in the world. I could stay like this forever, every sense numb except the ones responding to his touch. When he pulls away, there’s hollering and whistles echoing.
“And!” He raises the bottle and glass again, but the room already got significantly more silent just by him speaking.
“She’s also the physical bringer of this new generation because we are expecting our first child in five months.” I didn’t know it was possible for this volume to get any louder. However, my ears are practically ringing as the shock and excitement blares from everyone’s mouths. Pops pulls him into a full embrace and then brings me into it. The smell of aftershave and expensive cigars fills my nose as he does, and when he pulls away, I see the tears glassy in his eyes.
“Toast! Toast!” He chants, and the room mimics him. Vince pops the cork and fills his glass as the maid comes around and serves everyone theirs.
“To a new era of reform, peace, and above all, family!” Vince raises his glass, and the room follows, their bubbly flutes sparkling in the warm light of the chandeliers.
“Amen!” They shout, and I have to say the amen thing after a toast is a first. I take a glass of water off the table and clank it with everyone else before taking a sip. The night progresses into a meal when the servers begin to come around the table, placing food for everyone to eat that smells absolutely incredible. Vince and I take a seat across from Antonio. He is lackluster compared to how I first remember him, continuing his trend of silence.
Eventually, the meal comes to an end, and Vince kisses my cheek, whispering in my ear that he’ll be back, and asks Antonio to step outside with him. Antonio stands, and they disappear from the room, leaving me to chat about the baby and wedding with all of the people left at the table. It’s not like I mind the topic, but it does make me feel exposed without Vince by my side to deflect the questions we’d rather not answer. I try my best to nod along as everyone gives me unsolicited advice. It’s not the worst thing that could happen, though, I still feel very comfortable in this home, and I like the company of Vince’s family.
Espie and Olive find their way to me and hug me tightly again to congratulate me as they begin to fill every silent space with gleeful hopes for my baby. They want it to be a girl, of course. And they give me at least five names I didn’t ask for, but it’s sweet they are so thrilled.
“I love the name Bentley!”
“Espie…” Olive mocks, and Romeo contorts her face when he catches wind of the name suggestion.