“Sandro?” He made a protesting sound before raising his head and blinking at someone standing behind Theresa. She watched his face light up and a smile grace his lips before he launched into rapid Italian. Baffled, she turned in his arms and froze…
“Cara, this is my mother and two of my sisters… they flew over to meet you and the latest edition to our family. Mama, Isabella, Rosalie, this is my wife, Theresa.” The four women eyed one another warily, none of them quite certain what to expect. Finally, the youngest of the trio of gorgeous brunettes stepped forward with a smile. Theresa guessed that she had to be Rosalie.
“I’m very pleased to finally meet you, Theresa,” she said in lightly accented English and to Theresa’s utter shock gave her a warm hug. “I’m Rosalie.”
“I… nice to meet you,” Theresa muttered helplessly in response, her eyes desperately seeking Sandro’s. He looked anxious but smiled reassuringly when he met her gaze.
“I was expecting them to arrive next week but they flew in late last night, just in time for your birthday,” she could see the apology in his eyes, as if he feared their presence would diminish her pleasure in the birthday party. She shook her head, the gesture so slight that only he caught it and smiled at him.
“Well, what a doubly wonderful surprise then,” she shook off her shock and bestowed a genuinely warm smile on the small group of Italian beauties. Sandro’s sisters were receiving a lot of speculative male looks already.
“My daughter Gabriella couldn’t make it, she’s having some trouble with her oldest child,” Sandro’s mother finally said keeping her voice determinedly neutral. “And of course, my mother-in-law is too old to travel. But they both send their best.” Therese very much doubted that, remembering how particularly hostile those two women had been to her during the video call.
“Mrs de Lucci,” Theresa reached out to grip the other woman’s hands in both of hers. “I’m so sorry for your loss and I’m sorry that I was unable to attend the funeral.”
“Don’t be silly, Theresa,” she older woman scoffed, determinedly blinking away her sudden tears. “You were heavily pregnant. Travelling in that condition would have been foolish. You did the right thing. Now, where is this granddaughter of mine? I’ve seen photographs of course but I’m ready to meet her.” The imperiousness in her tone brooked no disobedience and Theresa grinned when Sandro practically saluted before abandoning them in search of his daughter.
She tensed, when she realised that he’d left her alone with his intimidating family and braced herself for whatever would come next. She was under no illusions that they liked her or accepted her, knowing that they would all pretend to get along just find for Sandro’s sake… but that what went on behind his back would be another story entirely.
“I owe you an apology,” Sandro’s mother finally shocked her by saying and she dared a glance into the elegant older woman’s face. The woman no longer looked intimidating, in fact her face had softened completely and Theresa blinked up at her in surprise. “I was less than…. gracious, when you called to speak with my husband. After the funeral, Sandro told us the truth about your marriage, about the way both he and your father had treated you, so I now know that you would have been completely justified in not wanting to speak with my husband. But you showed a greater depth of character than the rest of us combined when you agreed to meet him… you made a dying man very happy in his last few hours. He was so worried about Sandro and what he’d sacrificed for our family but talking to you eased his mind considerably and he was at peace when he passed away that night. I have you to thank for that.”
“I was happy to meet him,” Theresa responded, a little blown away by this turn of events.
“Well, this is nearly two years too late but I am very happy to meet you too, Theresa,” her mother-in-law engulfed her in a totally unexpected and very awkward hug. Theresa returned it in bemusement before both women stepped back a few seconds later, looking equally flustered. Rosalie and Isabella were both grinning. Rosalie introduced Theresa to Isabella, explaining that the other woman spoke little English
“But she wanted to meet you,” Rosalie confided cheerfully. Theresa could see that she and Rosalie were going to get along just fine. The other woman was an irreverent bundle of laughs and they were both giggling conspiratorially over the way Sandro had practically jumped earlier to do his mother’s bidding, when he finally returned carrying Lily. The baby was awake and wailing, not happy with the crowd of unfamiliar people surrounding her. Her little face was wet and scrunched up but her aunties and grandmother immediately started fussing all over her.
Sandro handed her over to his mother for a moment before turning to Theresa.
“You okay?” He asked in a low voice that only she could hear. She nodded, smiling reassuringly up at him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect them to show up so soon, I hope they haven’t spoiled the party for you? I wanted this night to be perfect.”
“And it has been pretty near perfect so far,” she assured him. “They’ve been lovely, Sandro. All of them.”
“Good, because I would have bounced them the hell back to Italy if they’d said anything at all to upset you” he told her firmly.
“Don’t be silly. They’re your family…”
“Wife trumps all,” he retorted and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m going to rescue Lily from the Kissing Brigade over there. She’s probably hungry,” she went over to do just that, practically floating on air as she felt Sandro’s gaze still on her. Wife trumps all? She very definitely liked the sound of that.