Authors note: Hello everyone. Thank to everyone who takes the time to vote and comment, as always I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who read this series. Thank you once again to Paul who continues to be my second set of eyes. ~ellie.
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"I'm going to be late if you don't let go of me," Cat laughed. Matteo held Cat tightly against him and kissed her deeply, not wanting to let her go. He had stayed with her until she slept last night and had not left her side for more than a few minutes this morning as she packed her overnight bag and prepared to spend the night with Lucia at the small house she had taken over for her wedding preparations.
"I don't want to," he grumbled. "Why can't you just stay here tonight?" It wasn't just the guilt and awkwardness he still felt from the evening before that made him not want to let her go. He had a bad feeling. Like Phil's sixth sense or Dante's gut feeling, he just felt that something big was looming over them, even though he couldn't place exactly what that was.
"It's bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding. Besides, you're the one who wanted all the traditions. It's too late now to complain and want a more modern wedding," she laughed again.
"Then stay at Papa's tonight, they have the room, and they would love to have you and Lucia both there. Theresa, especially, would love to have you there for all those last-minute things," he suggested.
"Theresa has me on speed dial, plus she has to be here for the gathering events. All your friends will be here soon, you have to let me go," she kissed him and wriggled against his hold on her again.
"Let her go, Matt," Ricco chuckled as he walked into the room. "Nathanael is here early."
"Someone finally talking some sense," Cat shook her head as Matteo's grip on her loosened.
"He's only saying that so he can kiss you goodbye," Matteo grumbled.
"Is that a problem?" Ricco asked, raising an eyebrow. He felt just as unsettled after last night as Matteo did. He'd fucked up, and for a second time he had believed she was leaving him.
"Here, keep my place warm while I say hello to Nathanael," Matteo finally let her go, passing her to Ricco.
"This is ridiculous, you realise," Cat sighed. "Let me go and say hello to Matt's friend before I leave. You can hold my bag hostage if you like for a few minutes, but I have to leave soon or I will be late to meet Lucia." She wriggled out of his arms and picked up her bag, smiling as he took it from her and followed Matteo to the living room.
"Hello," Cat said, greeting the man who stood talking with Matteo.
"Hello," Nathanael turned toward her. "I've heard so much about you, but I doubt he has even mentioned me, despite our long friendship."
"I'm just going to assume he said good things about me, so don't disillusion me if he hasn't," Cat grinned. "I won't disillusion you either if you want to believe he talks about you all the time!"
"Deal!" Nathanael grinned, liking the woman immediately. "I expect you need to be somewhere, so I can babysit him now and make sure he gets to the church on time."
"Oh, would you?" Cat enthused. "I do so worry about him when he's left to his own devices."
"I'm standing right here," Matteo groaned.
"We know, my love, but you and Ricco do tend to get into too much mischief when you're on your own, so it will be nice to have someone responsible here to keep you out of trouble, especially when Dante arrives," she said patronisingly, and included Ricco in her statement.
"You don't have to worry, Catriona. I'll keep an eye on them both," Nathanael reassured her. "And if I don't, Phil will when he arrives."
"Now I really have to go, so give me my bag," she held her hand out to Ricco.
"Knox is coming up to get it," Ricco said. "It's heavier than it looks."
"Good grief, if you have to. But I thought we decided that Hugh would drive me so Knox could be here in case you needed him?" she looked between Matteo and Ricco.
"Changed my mind, I'll feel better knowing Knox is with you," Matteo said with a shrug. "I need to know someone will make sure you get to the church on time. There's nothing that could stop me from being there tomorrow, and I would like to know you won't be late."
"I won't be late, we're doing this whether you like it or now," she laughed as Knox walked in and took her bag from Ricco. "Don't have too much fun, I don't want to be bailing you out of jail or having to get you back from Timbuktu because your friends thought it would be fun to send you on a little trip," she turned to Ricco and Nathanael. "No shaving his eyebrows or any other body parts, no permanent markers or any of that other stuff, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Nathanael said seriously.
"Thank you," Cat smiled. "Despite what you think, he did tell me about you, and I am glad you're here early to keep an eye on him for me, Nathanael. Don't let Dante or..." Cat paused to think, "Or Massimo, I think, convince him to do anything too dumb."
"He did tell you about us," Nathanael laughed.
Cat kissed the men goodbye and left with Knox to meet Lucia at the hotel where she and Dante had booked rooms. They had planned a relaxed lunch and a trip to the spa before heading over to the small house for the night, where her wedding dress waited. She walked into the hotel and, far from being late, she was early. She checked at reception to find that Lucia Battaglia had just checked-in and had left a message that she would meet Cat in the bar once she had been to see her room.
Cat ordered a coke, not wanting to end up drinking too much during the afternoon and evening, then find herself feeling awful on the morning of her wedding when she needed to look and feel her best. When Lucia arrived, they went into the restaurant and Cat left her to order a bottle of wine while she went to the bathroom. Cat was standing at the sink and washing her hands when the woman beside her struck up a conversation.
"You're Catriona Leonne, aren't you?" the woman asked.
