Ruthless Mafia 16

She couldn’t stop her eyes from straying to the man at the front of the church waiting for her.
Icaro Lucchesi wasn’t wearing a suit and tie to their wedding. He was in a royal blue tuxedo. He’d gotten dressed up to
the hilt for her and he was the most beautiful thing in the entire church, she bore no doubts. Not even the stained
glassed windows compared to his shine.
His hair was slicked back, glossy and damp. His suit showcased his long legs and his wide shoulders and the bowtie at his
neck matched the hints of blue in the flowers in her hand. His smile was wide, his teeth on display as he listened to
something Vodingo said and then he looked down the aisle.
Their eyes locked and she fought the laugh as she watched his mouth form the words to a very strongly worded curse as
he took her in at the entrance. She knew her uncle would have heard it and somehow it made her giggle.
Sidonia looked over her shoulder, “he just cussed in the church!”
“I bet its not the first time. Get walking!” she pushed Sidonia forward as they walked down the aisle.
“Stop!” Icaro raised his hand and turned to her uncle. “Why is there no music for my bride to walk to?”
Her uncle mumbled angrily at Icaro.
Icaro motioned to the audience, “who can play?”
One of the men sitting in the pews leapt up. “Boss, I can play. I played at my sister’s wedding as a gift for her. It’d be an
honor to play for you and your bride.”
“Thank you, Misaele.” Icaro waved to the man who raced to the piano. He turned back to Zorah, calling down the aisle,
“Sidonia, come up here quickly. Zorah, you wait for the music. You deserve the music. Never again will your family
deprive of you of the things you deserve.”
She felt her cheeks flushing at his words and the way he shot her uncle an annoyed glance which made her uncle flush.
She ignored the startled noises her mother made at the bold insult. When the music for Celine Dion and Andrea
Boccelli’s The Prayer started from the piano, she felt her heart racing and slowly, in time with the music, made her way to
the front of the church.
When she reached the altar, Icaro held out his hand and gently took her flowers from her and passed them to Sidonia
who was trying to look everywhere but at the man behind Icaro who was deadlocked on her. Zorah, for a split second wondered what was going on there but then she was tugged by Icaro to stand in front of him.
“You look fucking amazing. I can barely breathe at how beautiful you look. The lace is exquisite on you as I knew it would
be. I am the luckiest man on earth today.” He was rambling.
Zorah heard Sidonia’s little giggle behind her, and she smiled at Icaro, “thank you. You are very handsome.”
“I know,” he winked at her. “Let’s get married, no? There are a few surprises today so let’s say our vows and then get to
starting the rest of our lives together.” His smile dropped as he looked to her uncle, “do your job.”
Her uncle gave a brief nod and then took a breath. “I will ask you three questions, and you must answer them truthfully
and you respond with “yes”. Have you both come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to each other in
marriage?”
Their voices were both firmly resolved as they looked into each other’s eyes, “yes.”
“Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?”
“Yes.”
“Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?”
“Yes.”
Zorah noted a smirk on Icaro’s face at the last question, but she said nothing. He squeezed her fingers playfully.
“Zorah, repeat after me.” Ippocrate recited the words he wanted her to say
“I, Zorah Maria Esposito, take you, Icaro Dagoberto Franco Giovanni Lucchesi, to be my husband. I promise to be true to
you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
Her uncle wrinkled his nose as if fighting to hide his disgust at how firm her voice was and how she didn’t break eye
contact from Icaro as she recited her words with solemnity.
Icaro winked at her knowing from the trembling in her fingers she was not as calm as she was portraying to be but
recognizing she was making certain her uncle was not thinking he was getting the better of her.
“I, Icaro Dagoberto Franco Giovanni Lucchesi, take you, Zorah Maria Esposito, to be my husband. I promise to be true to
you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
She shivered as her uncle mumbled about rings. She hadn’t gotten Icaro a ring but when the man at his side held his
hand out there were two waiting. She waited until her uncle blessed the rings and she knew the older man’s heart wasn’t
in it because normally he would have made quite the show over the ritual.
In moments the rings were exchanged, and she was shaking harder now as she remembered how good of a kisser Icaro was.
“You may now kiss your bride.”
When Icaro grabbed her around the waist and drew her close, his kiss was deeply passionate and while there was no
tongue at all, the way he lifted her clear off her feet to press his lips to hers, caused a few of his men to whistle and
catcall.
The shriek of her mother’s “this is the house of God!” made her giggle against Icaro’s lips.
“You’ve made me the happiest man ever,” he whispered against her lips.
She was surprised by his words. “I have?”
“You have.” He kissed her nose and set her back on her feet. “Now, next surprise. Switch places with Sidonia.”
“What?”
“Switch places with Sidonia.”
“But” she looked over her shoulder at Sidonia who appeared completely confused at the request. “But why? Are you marrying her too?