Oath of Obedience (Deviant Doms 2)

They marry next month. Angelina and I will be their witnesses, and the rest of our family will attend. They’ll have the lavish Italian wedding Nonna and Mama dream of.

The Regazzas have made their peace. A smaller group than ours, they moved fully to Tuscany after the death of Luigi Regazza. Elise doesn’t seem bothered at all. Probably grateful she has fewer reminders of Piero to haunt her.

Romeo and Tavi, despite their strongest efforts, could not find the traitor who aided Regazza. Romeo fired every last one of them, from the gardener to housekeeping. A new start, as it were.

Nonna sits at the front of the church in her traditional formal black dress, beaming at all of us. Mama sits beside her, her gaze cooler but still pleased, and when she sees me, she gives me a wink. Romeo holds my son against his shoulder, dressed in the white satin baptismal gown passed down from generation to generation.

“Why does he wear a dress?” Natalia asks Rosa, who smiles and shushes her.

“It’s tradition,” Rosa tells her then gives me a wink.

Tradition. It’s the very foundation on which we’re built, the rock that sustains us. Some may call them pointless rituals, but I know better.

My brothers take vows upon their initiation to the Rossi brotherhood, woven in the customs that bind us. Oaths that weave our family from threads to tapestry, a seamless bond that outlasts the ages.

Romeo smiles at me when he hands me my son. I tuck the sleeping child against my shoulder and draw Angelina to me. She looks up at me, with her eyes shining. I bend and kiss her, my beautiful wife. All around us, cameras flash like we’ve been captured by paparazzi, but I know why they encapsulate this moment. Life is fleeting and the days pass quickly, but love… love is eternal.