Rushed(124)

"Oh, well . . .” Tomasso said, before cutting through the knotty issue by simply displaying his left hand which had been wrapped around the head of his cane, where his brand new, plain gold band rested on his third finger. "Sorry, Red. I know you wanted to be first, but things kind of happened."

Adriana gawked as I laid my left hand on top of his, where my matching band rested on my finger. "Would you like to hear the story?"

"You lucky f*ck!" Daniel exclaimed, laughing and pounding Tomasso on the back and interrupting us. "How'd you do it?"

"Getting his ass kicked and choking her brother unconscious, mostly," Carlo, who was last off the plane, said. "Come on, let's all get going. Luisa and Tomasso can tell the story on the way to the rehearsal dinner."

We’d gotten lucky with our timing, as Adriana and Daniel's rehearsal dinner only had to be delayed thirty minutes. Since most of those in attendance were Bertoli men anyway, it wasn't like they wouldn't have waited all night if need be.

We piled into the rented limousine, Tomasso and me sitting together in one of the side-facing seats so that he could stretch out his leg. "All right, spill the beans," Daniel said once the car started moving. "Because this is just too crazy not to hear.”

The story of Tomasso's fight with Eduardo took the shortest amount of time, although it earned the most praise from Carlo. "Oh, Daniel, you should have seen him out there! He'd have given you a run for your money that fight."

"No, I wouldn't," Tomasso said, holding my hand. “I was fighting for my life out there. I was fighting for Luisa. I knew as soon as she told me she was pregnant that—”

"Wait!" Margaret said, interrupting. "You're pregnant?”

"Yes," I laughed, rubbing my stomach. "That was the cause of all my father's ranting and raving. Apparently, while falling in love, Tomasso and I were also making a new life."

Adriana leaned over and punched Tomasso in the shoulder, laughing. "You just have to be first in everything, don't you? Well, never mind, go on."

Tomasso rubbed at his arm and chuckled. "Anyway, you get the point. I was fighting for our lives.”

"I only pray it's a boy," Margaret said. "A daughter who’s half-Italian and half-Brazilian? Lord help this family."

"And the shiner and scratch you're sporting came from the fight, and not any post-nuptial cuddling?" Adriana asked, laughing.

"Nope, that's all Luisa’s brother. But seriously, until after the ceremony, let’s keep this between us six,” I said. When I got questioning looks, I pointed at Adriana and Daniel. "Tonight and tomorrow are all about you two. I feel bad that we may have taken some of the attention from you.”

"We'll have to include a seventh," Margaret said, "unless you plan to hide it from your new brother-in-law for the next two days. Angelo’s supposed to meet us at the party."

"Okay, seven. But really, this is about you. We can break the news about the rest later," I said, taking Tomasso's hand. "Let's celebrate Adriana and Daniel first."

Carlo, who'd remained mostly quiet through it all, smiled and nodded. "I knew you were a special girl. Especially when you had that forty-five pointed at your father."

The reaction from everyone else in the limo was immediate and loud. "You what?”



After the rehearsal dinner, I met Angelo, who I had to admit was a funny guy who had a unique sense of humor. At the time, I didn't understand why Adriana was ready to hit him when he said that the pop group, Genesis, would be playing at the reception. He was still a handsome, funny guy, and I knew I would have to keep him away from my sister, Ana, if she ever visited Seattle.

Tomasso and I both slipped our wedding rings off before the wedding, so it was nice to not have to answer questions, at least not about being married or being pregnant. The most common comment I had to deal with instead was how nice it was that I’d taken the time to visit again. Most of the people assumed it was due to the new friendship between the Bertolis and the Mendosas.

After dinner, I rode back to the Bertoli mansion with Adriana and Daniel while Carlo left for work and Margaret caught a ride home with Angelo. Daniel looked over, and in nearly flawlessly accented Portuguese, asked my reaction. "So what did you two think?"

"I never knew he spoke Portuguese," Tomasso said, leaning over to Adriana. "Did you know, Red?"

"I get amazed on a weekly basis with him,” Adriana replied. "Be careful, or else you're going to be looking pretty bush league compared to my husband."

Tomasso leaned back and laughed. “It was great. The reception should be an eye opener, though. Tonight was mostly just the well-behaved members of the Bertoli family. Everyone’s going to be at the reception.”

"Who all will be there?" I asked, worried. "This is my first American mob wedding."

Adriana chuckled and took Daniel's hand, leaning back. "I guess it is a mob wedding, isn't it? Anyway, since Daniel here isn't representing any of the other big families, it won't be as bad as some I've been to, but there'll be representatives from most of the bigger West Coast families that are friendly with Uncle Carlo."

We got back to the mansion, where Daniel gave Adriana a kiss outside the limo and looked over at his BMW. "Well, one night of a cold bed isn't too much to pay."