Mafia Marriage

XXI

Giuliana let out a nervous laugh, "We've decided to wait a couple of years before we try to have any kids. We just want to get used to it just being the two of us for a awhile."

"Well I hope after you're done waiting that you and Giovanni have a bunch of babies!" Philomena smiled.

"How many are you thinking?" Giuliana picked up the big salad bowl while Laura grabbed the basket of garlic bread and they followed Philomena out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

"I was thinking five or six, that's how many your mother had."

"Five or six what?" Giovanni asked as he waltzed into the dining room with his father and brother.

"Children!" Philomena said to her middle son as she filled the china plates with pasta, salad, and garlic bread.

"Mama," Gio sighed exasperated as he looked to his wife who was trying to stifle a giggle.

"That's a lot of kids," Vinnie said as he took his seat.

"But don't you worry about that my dear, you have a lot of time to think about," Philomena addressed her daughter-in-law.

"Now Mena don't get into their personal business," Anthony Graziano gently reminded his wife as he took his seat at the head of the table. Philomena relented and allowed her husband to take control of the conversation.

"So Giuliana how has my son been treating you?" Anthony spared a glance at Gio before directing his attention to the petite brunette sitting next to his son.

"Yes, he's been wonderful so far," she gave Gio a smile that he returned instantly.

"I'm glad to hear it," Anthony gave Giovanni a pointed look. He knew about the incidents involving Tiffany, and he was aggravated that his son had not taken his advice seriously when he told him to cut her loose early on. "How are you feeling after the car accident? I imagine it was frightening for you."

Giulia took a sip of red wine and nodded, "It was, but thankfully I was near home. So I wasn't stuck out there for too long. Gio, Vinnie, and Dante came right away."

"Giovanni told me that you were wanting to work," Anthony said. "What were you thinking of doing?"

"I was thinking about working retail part time, but Gio said it was still too dangerous to go out without security," Giulia shrugged. She wasn't going to continue to argue about getting a job with Gio, if he felt that it was still dangerous then she couldn't do anything about it.

"That's true," Anthony said looking thoughtful for a minute. "But what about working at one of the Family businesses?"

"No," Gio said. "She's not going to be involved in Family business."

"What about the casino down in Atlantic City?" Vinnie asked after a forkful of pasta.

Giovanni gave his older brother a glare, "That's not an option."

"Why not?" Giuliana questioned.

"Yes Giovanni, why not?" Anthony was most definitely enjoying how irritated his son was becoming.

Giovanni turned to address his wife, "Giuliana you don't know anything about casinos or gambling. Besides, I don't think you'd be comfortable working there." He was trying to skirt around the fact that the women who worked at the Graziano Family casinos wore barely there cocktail waitress outfits, and he most definitely would not tolerate his wife wearing anything like that.

Vinnie shook his head, "I'm not talking about working there when it's open." He turned to talk to Giuliana, "The Atlantic Quarter is closed for the next six months for renovations. It's going to be completely redone on the inside, and you redid your entire house. You might want to try your hand at renovating the casino or other smaller businesses that we own."

"You've always had an eye for style, and your house looks amazing," Laura chimed in with an encouraging smile.

"You should let her try it Giovanni," Philomena added.

"What do you think?" Anthony posed the question at his son.

"I'll think about it," Gio said sparing a glance at his wife who looked like she was about to burst with excitement. He then redirected the conversation onto another topic, tired of being ganged up on by his family. He did not want Giuliana out and about like a sitting duck, she was lucky to get out of that car accident unscathed next time she might not be so lucky.

After dinner Giovanni, Giuliana, Vinnie, and Laura said their goodbyes and were on their way to Queens to drop Laura off at home. Then they'd drop Vinnie off at his apartment in Manhattan, before heading home.

"Keep her happy," Anthony whispered to Giovanni as Giuliana and Laura were getting into the awaiting SUV. "This problem with that whore Tiffany isn't going away, she's going to eventually find out. Keep her happy as long as you can."

"I've got it under control," Giovanni said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe you do, maybe you don't," Anthony shrugged. "What I do know is that Giuliana loves you, I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at you. I doubt she even knows that she does, that's what is going to make this whole mess even worse."

"We haven't been married for long, I doubt she loves me."

"She does, that girl is in love with you and when this blows up she's going to be crushed," Anthony affirmed. He leaned in closer, "And Don Bellucci and his sons are not going to be happy with you."

Giovanni sighed as his father patted him on the back and walked back into his house, shutting the door behind him. He thought about what his father had said the entire ride back to Queens, then to Manhattan, and finally back home. Giuliana has noticed his sudden shift in mood, but decided not to ask him about it in front of Vinnie and Laura. When they finally arrived home and walked up to their bedroom she asked, "Are you upset about me working at the casino, because if you are I won't work there. I don't want to make your life more difficult than it already is."

He turned around and looked at her, he saw how she nearly held her breath while she awaited his response. Her mouth lifting into a smile at the corners, the way her eyes stayed trained on him.

He shook his head, "It's not that. We can head over to Atlantic City in a few days and we can talk about it once you've seen the casino."

"Then what's the matter?" Giuliana asked.

'I'm fucked,' Gio thought to himself as he stared back at his wife. 'She's never going to look at me the same way again.'

"Gio? Are you alright?" She waved her hand in front of him.

He cleared his throat, "I'm fine, it's just stress. I don't want you to worry about anything." Giovanni walked towards her and cupped her face with both hands, as he gazed at her. "Everything's going to be okay."

She smiled up at him, even though she wasn't convinced by his response. Something else was worrying him. "Well come on, let's go to bed," Giuliana grabbed his hand and winked before leading him to their bed.