Page 30 of Disgrace

Dante’s grin deepened a bit. “Not for long, John.”

John’s gaze darted to Andino, who only smirked. No, he supposed someone else was getting ready to take Dante’s place, now.

It was appropriate.

All reigns eventually came to an end.

Even a Marcello King’s.

“I certainly hope you’re ready for this day, and what comes after,” Dante said, eyeing John with a careful eye. “Are you?”

He didn’t know what the hell his uncle meant.

He didn’t care, either.

“Of course, I am,” John replied.

Dante nodded, and reached out a hand. John took it, only to then find himself dragged into a quick, tight hug from his uncle. Dante let him go, and smiled again in that way that reminded John of when he was a young boy, and idolized his uncle to the ends of the earth and back.

“You have ten minutes to get dressed,” Dante told him with a smack to his cheek. “Hurry the fuck up—nobody here wants to make Andino wait longer than he already has for this girl of his. Isn’t that right?”

Laughter colored up the room.

Everybody agreed.

John made quick work of getting dressed in a separate private room, and had only took one step out before his mother damn near tackled him in a hug. Well, his mother, grandmother, and both aunts. Lips found his cheeks for kisses that were then quickly wiped off to avoid lipstick stains, hands patted his cheeks with sweet affection, and Italian words filled his ears.

Nipote.

Bambino.

“Let me breathe, donnas,” John heard himself say with a chuckle.

The women didn’t really let him do anything.

John didn’t really mind.

Soon, though, his aunts and grandmother dispersed to leave John alone with his mother. Jordyn checked him over, ran her fingers through his hair to slick the longer length of the high fade back further, and smiled in a way only a mother could when she was staring at her child. Those blue eyes of hers lit up with love, and John smiled back.

“Hey, Ma.”

Jordyn let out a happy noise. “I missed you, my boy.”

“I know, Ma. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Never, John. I only worry. You’ve certainly made my life interesting when things seem boring, though. Big day today, huh? You kind of ended up thrown in the middle of the whole shebang.”

John shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“Not when it comes to Andino, right?”

“Right.”

“Come on,” Jordyn said, tangling her arm in with his. “I will walk you to your spot. It’s my job to make sure you know what to do today.”

John didn’t mind indulging his mother—she loved him so very much, after all. He chatted away with her as she walked him through the large Marcello mansion, and to the main ballroom where the chairs and decorations filled the room. Outside would probably have been nice for a wedding, considering the weather, but he didn’t even ask why they hadn’t bothered.

He already knew.