Unwanted Inheritance

by K. Forest

  Entering the small chapel, I see the priest and an elderly nun already standing up front at the altar waiting. The simple free-standing altar was now covered with vases of white flowers and glowing candles. Taking my place in front of him, I turn keeping my eyes focused on the open double wooden doors of the chapel in anticipation of her arrival. Beams of sunlight flicker through the one narrow stained-glass window, leaving wisps of rainbows on the white, stuccoed walls. A dozen or more candelabras of varying sizes filled with soft beeswax candles were placed throughout the bare chapel giving off a soft, warm glow. From the doorway to the altar, a red runner had been placed over the limestone floor giving the simple chapel its only color. The hotel manager has done a beautiful job fulfilling the vision I planned for our wedding. Now all he had to do was bring her here.

  I hear the motor of the golf cart come to a stop, and, finally, there she stands in the doorway, mirroring my smile, confirming the love we share. The nun takes the bridal bouquet from me and walks toward Katarina, handing it to her.

  Slowly, tantalizingly, she begins her walk toward me. Drinking in her beauty, I can’t believe I am just minutes away from calling her mine forever. The simple dress skims her curvaceous, slim body. No adornments other than her engagement ring. She wore her honey-colored hair freely cascading down her back. Still holding her wedding bouquet, Katarina now stands facing me. I reach for one of her hands, and she allows me to finally make contact. Her mere touch soars through my fingertips straight to my heart.

  As we gaze at each other, the priest begins his elocution on marriage and lifelong commitment. Finally, he gets to the part I’ve been waiting for. He asks me to repeat after him the following vows. “I, Santos Ferrari, take thee, Katarina Morrone, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.” Every word is uttered gazing into her glittering eyes. The priest requests I place the wedding band on her finger. Katarina’s eyes mist slightly as she repeats the same vows back to me softly, without hesitation.

  Finally, we are pronounced husband and wife as the priest states I may now kiss my wife. “Beauty, this is going to go down as my all-time favorite kiss.” I whisper leaning down into our first married kiss. I break away slowly, joy radiating through me as I gaze at her. Catching my breath at the scope of my love for her, I slowly wipe the trickle of her tears, thinking she is all mine. “Hello Mrs. Ferrari.” I say, and her radiant smile once again appears.

  “Hello back, my wonderful husband.”

  Together, we stroll out of the chapel into the sunshine and our future together.

  “Wake up, my beautiful wife. We are about to land.” Laying on my side, just watching her sleep, I am once again amazed that this stunning woman had chosen to spend her life with me. Besides being beautiful, she’s smart, funny, kind, patient, and one hot lover.

  “Hmmmm, hello my handsome husband.” She murmurs as she turns to face me. One time she had let it out of the bag that she had many items on her bucket list. One of them was to make love on an airplane. I made sure to cross it off her list on our return trip.

  “Are you ready to tell the world you belong to me, Beauty?” I ask her with a smile.

  “Oh yes, I’m ready to tell the world you belong to me, my handsome man.” She leans in and gives me one of her sugar-tasting kisses.

  As we exit the plane, I see Angelo waiting for us, rolling his feet toe-to-heel impatiently, with an all-knowing smile on his face. Well, his nose is going to be out of joint in another minute or so. I grab Katarina’s hand as she takes the last step of the plane, a shy, hesitant smile on her face.

  “Ignore whatever he says,” I warn her. “I was actually telling Maria not long ago, that I look forward meeting the woman he falls helplessly in love with,” I continue. “It will be the best free show around, watching him be tortured.”

  Katarina rewards me with a soft laugh and sparkling eyes as she looks up at me. “I agree that will be wonderful to watch.”

  “So, I’m assuming she said yes, and I will be gaining a sister.” Angelo says as he walks towards us with his hands held out for a group hug.

  “You know, Angelo, one should never assume. You could just make an ass out of yourself.” I say, giving him a grin as we both step in for the hug he’s offering.

  “Let me see grandmother’s ring on you. Wait... why are you wearing the band with it?” He looks over to my hand and sees the titanium wedding band that I’m now wearing. “Seriously, you eloped! Mother and Father are going to flip. Who was your best man? I should have been there, asshole! I’m sorry for swearing, Kat.” He storms away, opening the door of the car for Katarina to climb in, then he proceeds to turn around and give me the finger. I decide to sit in the back with my wife and give my dear old brother time alone up front to simmer as our driver.

  “Angelo, I never took you as a traditionalist.” Katarina states, looking at him in dismay.

  “Well, I guess you have a lifetime to get to know me, dear sister-in-law. I do believe in some traditions, not that my feelings matter on that topic.”

  She starts laughing, holding her stomach. “I’m so sorry. I’m not laughing at you, Angelo. It’s just Santos said out of everyone, you would be the only one having a temper tantrum. I didn’t believe him at the time.” Reaching forward for his shoulder, she gives him a squeeze of tenderness. “I’ll need your assistance for our reception in Las Vegas. I would love your input since I’ve never been there.” Sitting back, she gives me a pleading look to say something nice to Angelo.

  My brother has really stepped up to my expectations lately. I knew I could depend on him to be there for me, just like I knew that he would be upset that he wasn’t included being part of the nuptials. But I had wanted that moment to be just for Katarina and myself. Those vows would be our personal, solemn promises for just the two of us. “Thank you for picking us up, Angelo. We just had a priest and nun as our witnesses. Katarina is correct; we will need you in Vegas. I’ll be wanting my best man to give us a great toast at the reception I’m sure mother will most likely plan.”

  “I get it, Sonny. I get that you two are spontaneous and in love. It’s just a big surprise. I was thinking it was just an engagement, but now I find out the two of you got hitched.” He quickly dismisses any further talk. “On another note, tomorrow, you both need to go to the Girasole Estate to meet the contractors for the changes that you requested, Sonny. Also, I got confirmation of the delivery you requested.”

  And just as quickly as it happened, Angelo’s little tirade is over, and the rest of the ride is a pleasant exchange on news.

  Katarina and I had briefly discussed our future living arrangements. Having fallen in love with the place at first sight, she readily agreed living at Girasole Estate would be the perfect place to start a family and monitor our individual business pursuits. We only needed to do a few modifications to really make it our home.

  Oskar was waiting outside the boathouse upon our arrival. “Sir, Miss Katarina, welcome back, and I believe congratulations is in order.” I knew he was congratulating us on an engagement, not on our marriage, but I figure everyone would know in a very short amount of time. He reaches to shake my hand and then does the same to her.

  Instead of shaking his hand, Karina gives him a quick hug. “Thank you, Oskar. Santos and I are both very happy.”

  Chapter 18

  The reception for us in Italy on the hotel terrace is magical with Katarina’s parents and GF among the first to congratulate us. I told Angelo to invite all our friends, and Oskar took care of the small reception details. He even included sunflowers and white roses throughout as subtle accents. As per our wishes, it was kept casual.

  Katarina is wearing a chic, off white, beaded, body-skimming dress that reaches just to her ankles, along with a pair of open-toed, impossibly high stilettos. Her gol
den hair is swept up in a loose bun at the base of her neck. To match her, I am wearing linen trousers with a finely fitted long-sleeve silk shirt. She made sure some buttons were left undone, and no tie as per her request. It is so us. Funny that it’s not just me anymore, I’m an ‘us’ now. Angelo gets Bianca and Maria on FaceTime for a few minutes; though they are stuck in school, they both congratulate us. Both are looking forward to being part of the celebration in Las Vegas.

  Claudette arrives an hour into the celebration, making, as usual, a grand entrance. She had hopped on the first flight available once she heard. I had given my wife full disclosure on Claudette, explaining that although our families always thought we were an item, we absolutely never were. I explained that her heart had always been for Tony and I was just a cover.

  Surprisingly, Tony is noticeably missing. Since our meeting with Father, he seemed to be laying low. No texts, no return calls; he just went dark. But who was I to point the finger, having spent almost all my time with Katarina the last couple of months? Plus, I had no desire to poke the hornets’ nest. Our little Claudette gifts us with matching robes and champagne flutes from Bloomingdale’s, which my wife graciously accepts with a big smile. Even though Claudette and Katarina are as different as night and day, my wife seems to endear herself with everyone. She and Claudette begin discussing the style of dress Katarina would be wearing at the Las Vegas wedding reception.

  That is my signal to leave them and wander over to the bar area for a much-needed whiskey. A non-descript brand in a fancy decanter had replaced any sign of Lion Whiskey. I am noticeably hesitant after having acquired a taste for the best, but I take a tentative sip waiting for the aftertaste. Surprisingly enough, it has all the taste and smoothness of Lion Whiskey.

  Looking up in surprise, I see Mateo watching me from a small group of friends he was talking to. He gives me a sly wink before turning back to the group continuing the discussions they had going on. Shaking my head, I smile and enjoy the fine liquor. Got to love that guy. He had finally come to terms with his growing family. Both he and Josephine are glowing with happiness.

  Celebrating under a full moon and a star-filled sky, we glory in new beginnings. No drama, just unbridled joy and laughter. I finally play the piano for my new wife, dedicating the song “She” by Elvis Costello to her. Of course, that brings bright, sparkly tears to her eyes and a wobbly smile to her face. Walking over to her, I draw her into my embrace, eliciting cheers from our guests.

  Then, we get the next surprise. Angelo loudly announces he would dedicate the next song to us. My brother still surprises me from time to time. I knew he was pretty decent with the guitar, but tonight he decides to dedicate a song on the piano for us. I gathered Katarina in my arms to start our first dance as man and wife. Angelo plays a few soft riffs of “Unchained Melody” on the piano keys as we slowly start to sway. Of course, I should have guessed it would be completely Angelo-style. Within seconds, he breaks into “Great Balls of Fire” by Buddy Holly, setting the keys on fire. Katarina looks up at me, her face as astonished as mine. But, without hesitation, she breaks into a dance and urges me to go along with it. Well, I have to show her a few of my moves, and there in front of family and friends shouting and clapping, we have our first dance.

  Right at midnight, fireworks are set off in our honor and for surrounding villages to enjoy. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, I’m done sharing her, and we begin to say our goodnights to the guests. Among much ribaldry, I carry my beauty out the door.

  Once up in my room in the boathouse, we make long, slow, sweet love till the sun peaked up over the horizon.

  The next day Angelo, Katarina, and I are in route to what will be our new home, the Girasole Estate. Waiting there is my wedding gift to her. I’m excited to see her reaction to the gift. Maria was spot on with her assessment of this estate. It’s perfect with exactly the right amount of property for both my personal and business endeavors. We arrive at the ornate gate which is surrounded by stone walls and encased by thick forest.

  “I love it, Santos. It is perfect how it is private from the street, but as you drive in, the land opens up to enormous meadows. Visitors will love the magical surprise of the scenery.” She sighs happily.

  “I’m going to make a separate entrance down the street for my architecture business, along with the main entrance to the stables. Angelo came up with that idea to keep our residence a little more private and safer. Maria actually helped me narrow estates down to this particular one.”

  “She and you found this?” Angelo asks. “I thought it was Mateo?”

  “No, it was actually Maria’s first assignment once she came on board working for me. Angie, pull alongside the first meadow fence line we come to please.”

  Angelo pulls over to the beginning of the fence. I’ve watched Katarina do this numerous times, and she even taught me the sound once. I’ve practiced a couple times without her knowing. I hope that it works this time. Walking hand and hand over to the fence, I pick her up and sit her on top of it. Looking behind us, I see Angelo leaning against the driver’s door. I silently curse bringing him along. He had her gift delivered while we were away and bet me a hundred dollars that I wouldn’t be able to do my magic trick.

  Turning back to my wife who is sitting on the railing, I give her a little squeeze. “I showed you the drawings of the stables, and now you can see for yourself where our breeding and boarding program will be. Over to the left from the big stable, peeking from just over the horizon, we will add another one.”

  “This is horse paradise, Santos.” She sighs in contentment. “We just need some horses to fill these meadows.” She looks down at me with her brilliant smile.

  “Well, your wedding gift awaits you, Beauty.” She looks at me, questioning my meaning. I let out a loud whistle, just like she taught me. Turning her head to look back towards the stables, on cue a large black horse comes charging at us.

  “Oh, come on! Thanks a lot, Kat; I just lost a hundred bucks.” Angelo says, totally annoyed as he gets back into the driver’s seat, slamming the door.

  Total stupefaction is written all over her face, and she asks as if she might be dreaming, “Obsidian? He’s my wedding gift? You bought him for me?” She jumps down and starts walking towards the beast, not caring that a ton of horsepower is heading straight towards her. “I love you, Santos Ferrari. You really are my very own prince charming. You are making all my dreams come true. I can’t believe you did this for me.” She’s blowing kisses at me in thanks.

  Obsidian continues barreling towards us but passes by Katarina, which again leaves her in open-mouthed astonishment. I pull out a piece of sugar and hand out to the greedy beast. Making a little snorting sound, he finally turns and heads back to Katarina. He circles her, making pleased neighing sounds. He smells her, gently rubbing her head and roughing up her hair. She playfully grabs his head, rubbing him back in praise. Then, the majestic beast steps back and kneels down, allowing his queen to hop on. Once she’s on, she turns him to me. “We love you, Santos! Race you to the barn, Angelo!” And off they thunder, like two magical creatures in the meadow.

  “That horse is the devil, besides being a huge pain in my ass. Took me and three handlers to get the beast into the trailer.” I smile listening to Angelo’s list of Obsidian’s faults as we drive off to meet them both at the barn. “Seriously, did you know that you also now own a donkey? Mr. Morrone insisted that it would help calm Obsidian’s nerves about being away from Kat and being moved to a new barn. This is unbelievable.” Angelo shakes his head.

  Although he’s wearing sunglasses, I know his eyes are sparkling in amusement. My brother has always had a soft spot for animals.

  “Since you are my twin and all my secrets are not secret to you, I’ll let you in on something.”

  “Yeah, what’s the secret?” He looks at me, revealing his eyebrows from behind his sunglasses.

  I get out of the car, and before I shut the door, I whisper to him, “Sugar cubes
.”

  Katarina and I walk together toward the house to survey what changes we want to make. It is not as outdated as I had thought; it just needs some TLC. We both agree we want some modern luxuries in the master bathroom and the kitchen appliances needed upgrading. In the great room, we decide to replace one wall with a large window overlooking the barn and the main meadow.

  “Santos, I can imagine our family here; it’s perfect. You and Maria did well finding this gem.” She grazes her hand along the fireplace mantel. “I was thinking we should engrave our names and our future children’s names on the stone of this fireplace.”

  I walk up behind and give her a hug. “I like that idea; it would make it our place.”

  “Excuse me, love birds. The contractors have arrived, Santos. Want them to start in the stable area first?” Angelo asks as he enters the room.

  “Yes, let’s start there so Katarina can give them her input, and then she can spend time with Obsidian.”

  We walk outside to meet the contractor and Mr. Morrone. “Papa, what are you doing here?” Katarina walks up, giving him a hug.

  “He’s here to give input on the stable area and to let them know what he wants for his new home that will be over there.” I answer, pointing to the open area near the main stable.

  Looking at me in total surprise for the second time that morning, she says, “You, my husband, think of everything. Are you sure you want my parents this close?” She turns quickly to her father and adds, “No offense. I love you both.”

  Her father raises his hands, laughing. “None taken. Believe me, we were just as surprised; but with the new job offer, it makes sense to be close. Your mother surely needed no convincing. We will make sure to give you newlyweds enough privacy.”

  Katarina walks over to me and wraps her arms around me, giving me a tight hug. “You are such a good, generous, and amazing man. Thank you.” Stepping aside, she now looks over to Angelo who has been very quiet during our tour. “Angelo, Santos and I discussed it and decided the suite that is on the third floor with its own entrance is yours. The both of you will be working together, so it only makes sense that you not live too far away. Also, the estate is for family, which you are a part of. However, no girls; you can keep the boathouse for that.” Like a true queen, she says it with authority but intwined by love.