Sadie hugged Adamo and Santo and then greeted Nicola with a warm embrace. Over a short period of time, she and Nicola had come to a wonderful understanding of each other and their bond only strengthened through these incredibly difficult times. It was a curious thing to Sadie that Nicola played along with her daughter’s antics. She could clearly see a love between them, but she ached for more than just love for them. In fact, she silently urged marriage.
“How are you, Sadie?” he asked hugging her warmly.
“No, Nicola. The question is how are you,” Sadie said ushering her group inside the sanctuary.
“I’m fine. Really. Where is your daughter?” Nicola asked taking in his surroundings.
“Just finished dressing. She’s in the bride’s chambers with her bridesmaids.” Sadie motioned down the long corridor of the church. Opening the beautifully embellished wooden doors of the main sanctuary, they were met by elegant decorations of soft white burning candles, ivy vine and beautiful white calla lilies. The symphony was already rehearsing and mood was that of a wonderful dream. Nicola looked around in admiration and then looked sadly at his father. As he sat his children down, his father nodded at his mother and pulled Nicola to the side.
“Are you sure that you want to be here for this, Nico?” Adamo asked quietly.
“I need to see this thing through,” Nicola said avoiding eye contact.
“Well, you know that this family is behind you in whatever you decide to do. And as strange as all of this is, I think that I understand your reasoning. However, I also want you to think about this…if there are things that you need to confess to Ivy, now is the time to do it. Once she is married, she will have no ear for your words. And if I know you, you’ve held back your true feelings. It may be late in the eleventh hour, but better late than never.” Adamo placed his hand on his slouching son’s shoulder. “If she feels for you as you do for her, then you are doing her a favor by going to her and telling her now. Then she can make an informed decision before rushing into this marriage with another man.”
“I told her that I love her, pop. It wasn’t enough for her.”
“Yes, but did you ask for her? Did you?”
Nicola thought back on all of his requests of Ivy. “No, I don’t think that I did.”
“When you ask a woman to give up everything that she knows, you have to offer her more than that in return. If you love her, go to her and tell her, but also offer her more than just your love…offer her your life, Nicola. It is the only thing Grey has respectfully offered that you have not. She does not need a boyfriend, a man friend, a lover. She needs a husband. If you want her, you have to make the ultimate sacrifice, otherwise your love is just a word and not a real action.”
“Dad, you’re telling me this at 4:15. She’s not going to want here this now.”
“She needs to hear this now,” Adamo said reassuringly. “And she needs to hear it from you.”
“But what if she rejects me?”
“But what if she does not?” Adamo asked.
Nicola was confused. Was it not too late? Wasn’t this now past the eleventh hour? His brow crinkled as he tried to understand his father who stood before him wise in his years. But Adamo didn’t elaborate; he simply turned Nicola around and urged him towards to the door. And with that and a nod from Madison who stood within an earshot of the two, Nicola excused himself from the small crowd in the sanctuary and headed to Ivy’s chambers.
***
Ivy stood looking at her reflection in the gold, full-length mirror at as her mother placed her veil on her head. Sadie had informed her daughter only seconds before that Nicola had arrived, and she had watched her daughters bottom lip quiver in sheer anticipation. Ivy turned around slowly and faced her mother and then after smiling softly let the tears fall from her eyes.
“What is it, little girl?” Sadie asked affectionately.
“All of this beauty around me doesn’t seem to compensate for my pain,” Ivy said absently. “None of it seems to matter right now.”
“Why now?” Sadie asked. She needed to hear it. A true confession. Ivy had been holding out much too long on her own feelings. It was time to put herself first, but she couldn’t do it for Ivy. Ivy had to do it for Ivy.
“Last night, I found out why Nicola hasn’t been as forthcoming about his feelings as he should have been.” Ivy looked over at Trina and decided not to expound. She was grateful for her friend’s honestly and would now do everything to help her protect her secret from the world. However, she needed to let her mother know that Nicola had good reason to stay away.
“Why has he been holding out,” Sadie asked urging her daughter to continue.
“That isn’t important,” Ivy said darting her eyes away from Trina. “The point is that as long as there is a possibility of him wanting me, I’ll never truly be able to be happy with someone else.”
“Well, that is a very bold statement to make,” Sadie said with her hands on her hips.
“Momma, I can’t do this,” Ivy said taking her hands and sobbing. “God forgive me for waiting so long to say it.” Her heart skipped a beat as she felt her confession pass through her lips. “I’m in love with Nicola.”
Sadie was lost for words but so ecstatic that she could not suppress her bright smile. She grabbed her
