She, on the other hand, had no experience with family gatherings. How could she when all she’d known was the life of a lowly card in a deck, shuffled from foster home to foster home till she’d been shoved out on her own the day she turned eighteen.
She was used to being on her own. In fact, she’d grown to like it – except, of course, when the holidays came around. That was the only time she found herself wishing she had a family. And soon she would have one, the perfect one, when she had Maya in her arms and Rome by her side as her husband. That was all the family she would ever need.
But when she married Rome she’d be marrying his family, too. They would be hers, like it or not. Assuming they even accepted her…
But those were the thoughts of a defeatist and Arie was no loser. She would face this family head on and they’d better love her or else. “Hurry up, slow poke,” she said as she tugged on Rome’s arm. His smile told her he was surprised and pleased at her change in demeanor. “Let’s go show your family what a gem of a woman you’ve found.”
“Now you’re talking my language. I can’t wait to show you off.”
His words giving her a shot of confidence, Arie was smiling as they approached the main entrance. The door was opened by a diminutive woman in glasses that looked too big for her face.
“Signora Luca.” Rome gave the woman a hug then turned to pull Arie forward. “Please meet my fiancée. This is her first visit to Italy.”
“Benvenuto, signorina.” Signora Luca gave Arie a deferent bow but her smile was warm and her dark eyes twinkled in her softly wrinkled face. “I hope you will enjoy Italy.”
Arie smiled back, glad for the pleasant welcome. “I’m sure I will.”
The signora nodded then turned her attention back to Rome. “Your mother and sisters are in the green room. They are anxious to see you.”
“We’re on our way,” Rome said and took Arie’s hand then he was leading her down a hallway that could only be described as palatial.
“The green room?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“My mother absolutely loves gardening. The room was designed to remind her of the gardens she used to have back in Sicily when she was a young girl. As you can imagine, the room's got lots of green.” He gave her a sly grin. “Be warned.”
It was a good thing he put her on notice. When they entered the room Arie was so surprised she almost came to a halt. It was like she’d stepped into the Garden of Eden. When she’d heard of the green room she’d expected to see the walls in that hue but there was no such thing. Instead, the walls were a softly elegant shade of ivory accentuated by wainscoting of deep mahogany. The striking thing was the abundance of plants that filled the space. There were palms, tall and elegant in the corners and soft ferns in charming pots hanging from the ceiling. Vases of fresh-cut flowers adorned the side tables, adding brilliant bursts of color to the scene. But it was the centerpiece that drew Arie’s attention. In the middle of the room was a low glass table on which sat the biggest bouquet she’d ever seen, an explosion of red, pink, white, blue and orange, a floral celebration of color that could compete with the most brilliant of fireworks.
She was so entranced by the scene that it was a moment before she noticed the woman, tall and regal, standing by the piano and regarding her with cool, dark eyes. In fact, there were two more of them, a brown-haired beauty sitting on a sofa by the window with a younger-looking woman who now hopped up to greet her.
“Hello,” she said as she approached. “I’ve heard so much about you, Arie. I’m Sophia, Rome’s sister.”
Arie almost sighed her relief out loud. A friendly greeting. It seemed that she was off to a good start. Gratefully, she took the girl’s outstretched hand. “Pleased to meet you, Sophia.”
But her relief was short-lived because now it was time for her to meet the matriarch and Mrs. Milano did not look happy at all. It wasn’t that Rome’s mother looked unpleasant. On the contrary, there wasn’t even a hint of a frown on her face. But she wasn’t smiling, either, and that said a lot. As she approached she seemed cautious. Aloof, even. Arie could tell that this woman wasn’t going to accept her as quickly as her daughter had. It was obvious that she wasn’t getting close until she’d had a chance to feel Arie out.
“Welcome to Italy, Miss Angelis,” she said as she reached out to take Arie’s hand. “I’m glad we’re finally getting a chance to meet.” Emphasis on the word finally. Obviously, she’d had many a conversation with Rome about his intended. Arie could just imagine the questions that had flown. Who was she? What kind of woman was she? What was her background? Was she of good stock? Mrs. Milano looked like the type for whom those things would be of the utmost importance.
But Arie refused to be intimidated. The woman wanted cool? Well, she could be that and more. “Thank you, Mrs. Milano. I’m happy to meet you, too.” Now that was a lie if there ever was one but she could play nice just as well as anyone. And, for the sake of her beloved, she would play nice. Only for Rome.
“And I’m Lucia.” Miss Brown Hair had come to join her mother and, just like the older woman, she was regarding Arie with a look that could only be described as wary.
“Pleased to meet you.” Arie took the proffered hand and gave it a shake that said she was here and she wasn’t going anywhere soon. She didn’t know where she’d gotten this newfound bravado but, no matter how she was quaking inside, she would never give them the pleasure of seeing her sweat.
She got a reprieve when Rome stepped forward to gather his mother and then his sisters in big bear hugs. “Where’s Papa?” he asked as soon as he’d released them. “I want him to meet Arie right away. He’s going to love her.”
Yeah, like your mom and sisters love me? It was a good thing Rome couldn’t read minds or else her thoughts would deflate him for sure. When he’d said he couldn’t wait to show her off he hadn’t been joking. She could see it in his goofy grin and the way he kept looking at her like she was some kind of trophy he’d brought home to show his family.
She should be flattered, she knew, and she was touched by his pride in her. She really was. She just wished he would take off his rose-colored spectacles and see that he was the only one going crazy over her. Maybe then he would wrap up the visit real fast so they could beat a hasty retreat back to New Orleans.