Endings & Beginnings (New Mafia Trilogy #3) (8 page)

With a vodka tonic in hand and food in my belly, I
was feeling better. It wasn’t hard to find my assigned table because my mom was
already sitting there and she was alone sipping on a glass of water. 

   “Hey, how are you doing?” I asked, sitting down
next to her. Each place setting had a name card and I saw that Dante was going
to be sitting next to me; I had a feeling that was intentional. There were ten
seats at the table and all assigned to the bridal party. Grant and Miranda had
their own table and it was situated on a small stage by our table. It was set
up like they were the king and queen looking out over their royal subjects.

   “Honestly, I’m feeling a little inadequate.”

Whoa, okay, I wasn’t expecting that kind of
response. “What do you mean?”

   “Everything is so elaborate and Miranda’s family
spared no expense. I couldn’t even pay for the rehearsal dinner.” She lowered
her head and started fidgeting with the crystals on her dress. “I barely had
enough money to pay for this.”

   “Mom this is what her family does. You remember
my graduation party.” When I graduated from the University of the Arts, Marco
let me use Crimson for a private party. Dominic and Grant paid for a lavish
spread and Marco comped the bar. Reaching up to my throat, I touched the
diamond teardrop necklace Dominic had given me that night.  “Their family motto
should be Go Big or Go Home.”

This remark actually caused my mom to laugh. A sound
I rarely heard. Her face lit up when she laughed and her eyes sparkled.
“Besides, have you seen how happy Grant is? In the end it doesn’t matter who
paid for what.”

   “You’re right, Natalie. I’m sitting here blaming
your father and getting into that vicious cycle of self-loathing.” She reached
over and grabbed my hand.  “Thanks for the perspective.”

I looked down at our hands, still not used to
physical contact between us. “I blame dad too, but wonder if he stayed, would
it have changed anything? I think he would still always have the urge to leave.
I think he’s flawed, not us.”

She looked up at me and her eyes were glistening.
“When did you get to be so insightful?” she asked with a smile and gently
squeezed my hand.

The DJ made an announcement that dinner was going to
be served. Dante came to sit next to me and the rest of the bridal party soon
joined us. He raised his glass towards me in a private toast. A server came
around and set baskets of warm, crusty multi-grain rolls with homemade butter
down at our table. I quickly inhaled two and caught Dominic laughing at me.

   “What?” I asked.

   “I forgot about your appetite and I’m glad to see
you haven’t lost it.”

   “Despite popular belief, people do eat in L.A.,”
I replied, which made everyone else laugh too.

Soon the main courses were brought out. I had
ordered the surf and turf; NY strip steak with Maine lobster tail and a side of
broccoli rabe sautéed with garlic. I really tried to eat it all, but the rolls
expanded in my stomach, so I passed my plate over to Dante.

As plates were cleared, the DJ called Miranda and
Grant onto the dance floor for their official first dance as husband and wife.
All of the background chatter stopped and the room was eerily quiet as the
newlyweds walked out together. Grant put his arms around Miranda’s waist, just
below the ribbon, and pressed her close, she placed her arms around his neck
and looked up at him. They stared into each other’s eyes, seemingly oblivious
to everyone else. The lights dimmed just as their song started. They had chosen
John Legend’s “All of Me” and it was truly the perfect choice. While the lyrics
weren’t identical to their vows, they contained the same sentiment:

“Give
your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you”

Grant and Miranda didn’t bother with taking dance
lessons; they just moved naturally with each other and at one point Grant
dipped his bride, making them both laugh. It was such a beautiful moment and I
loved seeing Grant so relaxed and carefree. When their song ended, Grant kissed
Miranda and walked her over to where Uncle Al was waiting on the side. Since Al
gave Miranda away, he was stepping in for the Father/Daughter dance as well.

I was surprised at the song choice when the acoustic
guitar started for Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers”. As I listened to the lyrics
though, it made sense for Miranda, especially one particular chorus:

“You
belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free…”

Growing up with Marco for a father wasn’t easy for
Miranda. He was oppressive, abusive and sexist. I knew she felt freedom with
Grant. He constantly supported her. When the song ended, Miranda and Uncle Al
hugged, before walking off together. Miranda was crying and Grant kissed her,
giving her some comfort before he and my mom were called out onto the dance
floor. I was feeling pretty weepy at this point and had no idea what song they
decided on since they didn’t have a lot of warm and fuzzy memories to draw
upon. This too started out with acoustic guitar and I smiled when I recognized
the gritty voice of the lead singer of Shinedown. The cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s
“Simple Man” was a perfect mix of old and new school and a great choice:

“Forget
your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need now is in your soul
And you can do this (oh baby) if you try
All that I want from you my son is to be satisfied
And be a simple kind of man
Be a something that you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh won't you do this for me son if you can
(if you can)”

Goose bumps rippled across my skin and tears leaked
down my face as I listened to the meaning behind the song and watched my mom
and brother dancing, completely focused on each other. I noticed my mom was
mouthing the words as Grant twirled her around the dance floor. I could see it
then, somehow my brother had found a way to forgive her. He had let go of the
resentment. I was so caught up in this rare and emotional moment that I didn’t
notice Dante getting up, but noticed when Dominic sat down beside me as I was
always hyperaware of his presence. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arm
around my waist and tucked me against his side, letting his tuxedo jacket
absorb my tears. He kissed my forehead and held me.

Grant was always a simple man and he never wanted
for anything except to take care of me and he did. Now he had his own family to
take care of and he would be the father we never had. He’d get up on Christmas
morning and make pancakes; he would be the provider and watch his children
grow. I knew Grant would never walk out on his family. As Miranda said in her
vows, Grant was her compass and her constant and that’s what he always was to
me. Because of him, I was able to take care of myself. I also realized that
maybe it was time for me to stop harboring resentment towards my mom. If Grant
was able to, I could too.

My tears slowed, but I didn’t move away; drawing
comfort from Dom’s presence.

   “You okay?” he asked.

   “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to get so emotional.”
Snuggling closer, I was content to stay there for the rest of the night, but as
the dance ended and my mom started walking back towards the table, I
straightened up and wiped away any lingering tears. Dom remained by side until
a black man approached. He had the fanciest cane I had ever seen. It was topped
with an engraved gold knob and the bottom tip was gold too. The man wasn’t old,
but walked with a limp. His gray eyes moved around the room as if they were
recording everything and committing it to memory. His thick dreadlocks were
pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. He wore a well fitted black suit
with a gray shirt underneath the jacket. As he got closer I noticed he had
severe pockmarks from acne or burns, it was hard to tell, but they only added
to the bad ass vibe he was giving off.

   “Hey Demetrius, how you doing?” Dom asked,
standing up and shaking the man’s hand.

   “I’m doing aright. I need to talk to you though.
Business,” Demetrius said this and looked sideways at me.

   “Yeah, sure man. Let’s go over there,” Dom gestured
toward an unoccupied section of the ballroom, getting Dante’s attention in the
process. “I’ll be right back, Nat.”

   “Take your time. I need to go clean up anyway.” I
felt like a hot mess and imagined had mascara running down my cheeks.

I went to the bathroom, which had a lounge area
reminiscent of the 1920’s. A sofa and matching chair with a scalloped back and
curled arms accented with wood trim and upholstered with plush cream fabric
were the main pieces of furniture. One of the wedding guests was sitting in the
chair talking on her phone. The thick carpet felt good on the balls of my feet
as I passed through the lounge and entered the bathroom. As I was coming out of
one of the three stalls, Dominic’s mom, Angela, entered the lounge and she got my
attention when with one look she was able to get the woman on the phone to
leave.  When it was just us, Angela locked the main door. I raised my eyebrows
and walked over to the sink to wash my hands and fix my makeup; as suspected
mascara had stained my cheeks, despite it claiming to be waterproof.  Angela
came to stand next to me, leaning against the vanity. She watched as I dabbed
at my cheeks with a wet paper towel.

   “Hi,” I said and was relieved that my voice
sounded strong and didn’t reveal the uncertainty I was feeling. I had no idea
what Dom’s mom wanted with me. Did she want the money back she leant me to help
fund my escape from Philly? Was she going to tell me to leave again?

   “Hi Natalie, how are you?”

   “I’m good and you?” Drying my hands, I looked up
at her when I threw the paper towel away. So far we were just two women having
a normal, civil conversation.

   “I’m good too. Listen, I wanted to talk to you
alone and I hope you don’t mind it being here. I saw the opportunity.”

   “No, that’s fine. Should we sit down?” I gestured
toward the furniture and she nodded. This just added to the whole bizarreness
of the situation, it felt like I was playing hostess in a freaking bathroom.
Angela sat down in the chair and I took the loveseat. I crossed my legs and
pivoted so we were facing each other. Angela was wearing a black and white
cocktail dress and she tucked her long legs under, sitting with her back
straight. Her hair was pulled up in a French twist like mine.

   “I don’t know if Dom told you about the real
reason why I helped you to get out?”

   “No. There’s another reason?”

Angela shifted in her chair and took a deep breath.
“Yes and Dom was pissed at me when I told him. In fact, he’s still a little
mad.” Dominic adored his mom so her revelation made me prepare for the worst.
What had she been hiding? “I knew Marco had put a hit out on you. I overheard
him talking to Rico and Al. They tried to talk him out of it, but once he set
his mind on something…” Angela trailed off and looked over at me expectantly,
but I didn’t know what to say. One of her legs started to lightly bounce up and
down; a nervous trait Dom had clearly inherited.

   “Anyway, I knew that having you taken out would
devastate Dom, more so than you just leaving. At least you were still alive.”

   “I don’t understand, why didn’t you just tell Dom
when you first found out?”

   “It wasn’t my place to say anything. I wasn’t
supposed to know. I knew Dom would try to take Marco out and I was afraid he’d
get hurt or even killed. It seems so irrelevant now since he found out anyway
and what’s done is done. I’m just grateful he kept a clear head to take Marco
out and wasn’t his usual impulsive self.”

   “Thank you for telling me… I guess?”

   “Dom is miserable without you and I don’t mind
interfering with this kind of business. I’ve seen the way you two are – it’s
like you can’t stop touching each other. So, as his mom, I need to know if
you’re going to break my boy’s heart again.”

She sure as hell didn’t hold back and I was stunned
at being put on the spot. Why was everyone so interested in my relationship
with Dom?

   “I love your son,” I told her, pausing to gather
my thoughts, “but now that things aren’t so crazy, I’m trying to figure myself
out and I don’t know where that will take me. I certainly don’t want to hurt
him.”

We were interrupted when someone tried to open the
door and they started pounding on it. Angela stood up and looked at me. “Do you
really love him?” she asked.

   “I do.”

   “Then don’t string him along.  Either you accept
him and take him back or let him go for good.”

She quickly crossed the room and unlocked the door.
The person on the other side practically fell forward into the lounge. Grabbing
my clutch, I left but waited in the hall for a few minutes to allow enough time
for Angela to reach the reception.

Her words weighed heavy on my mind as I walked back
and it also made me wonder what Dom wanted to talk to me about. Upon entering
the ballroom, I headed right for the bar.

The lights had dimmed and strobe lights lit up the
crowded dance floor. As I waited in line for a drink, I looked around the room
and spied Dom in the corner with Demetrius, who I assumed was a “business
associate”, and Dante. Two Asian men sat at the table with them and they all
seemed to be having an intense conversation where a lot of close talking was
going on. Grant and Miranda were busy mingling with guests near their table and
I was surprised to see mom was not at our table. I found her in the most unexpected
place; dancing with Uncle Al. My mom was dancing and smiling. Holy shit! She
was actually capable of having fun and looked years younger when she traded her
signature terse mask for a smile.