Page 390 of Niccolo

Two women, I might point out.

I was still no-contact with my own parents, and I had no close friends, so it was just me.

Overall, it was a very small wedding:

Dario, Alessandra, and Alessandra’s grandmother…

Adriano and Bianca…

Massimo, Lucia, and the Widow…

Lars and Rachel…

Roberto and Mei-ling…

Valentino and Cat…

And Niccolo and me.

It was perfect.

I’d never dreamt about some over-the-top production when I was younger. As long as I was happy, that was all I wanted.

I got an off-the-rack wedding dress in Florence that Bianca altered for me. She added a few simple yet stylistic flourishes of her own, like a silk sash around my waist, that made the dress look more elegant.

Roberto obtained a license online and officiated for us.

We wrote our own vows. Mine were simple and to the point, like me.

Niccolo’s were a bit more showy.

But I absolutely loved them.

“My darling… my rival… my greatest ally…

“I swear an oath on my mother’s soul that I will cherish you my entire life.

“I will love you in prosperity or poverty… in sickness and in health…

“I will always be faithful, both in body and mind…

“For I have never met another woman like you, mygentildonna…

“Someone I not only can livewith…

“But whom I cannot live without.”

I could barely wait until Roberto got to the part where I could sayI doand kiss my new husband.

After the wedding, we had a magnificent feast prepared by the staff but overseen by Caterina, Valentino’s wife. Even though she no longer worked in the kitchen, she absolutely insisted on making sure every dish was perfect – which it was. I’d never eaten a better meal in my life.

“It’s my way of welcoming you to the family,” she said with a smile.

All of us ate and drank and laughed long into the night.

“What are we going to do with TWOconsiglieresin the house?” Massimo joked at one point.

“I’m still looking for one,” the Widow said pointedly.

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