The Legacy (9 page)

We set our wedding date for the end of July and it is
already the middle of June. Time is passing fast and I am so
grateful for Jessica. With her help, we are able to put the
wedding together quickly. Most of the people we're inviting–
besides Ingo’s family–are the ladies I work with at the boutique
and a few of the regular customers I have gotten to know. I am
a little sad that there will be no family of my own at the
wedding, but it can’t be helped, and I frequently remind myself
that Ingo and Jessica are my family now.

Ingo is excited to call his parents and tell them about
Cisely, as well as invite them to the wedding. And as he'd
expected, they are blown away by the news. They are all flying
in for the event. He can’t wait for them to officially meet
Cisely.

When he makes his monthly call to his best friend
Adagio, he tells him about Cisely and invites him to the
wedding.

“Congratulations, my friend!” Adagio says heartily. “I am
so happy for you! Of course, I was beginning to wonder if, like
me, you were going to be a confirmed bachelor for the rest of
your life.”

Ingo laughs. “Yeah, you and everybody else, but when
you meet Cisely, you will understand why she’s the only woman
for me. She was worth the wait. No one else has even come
close.”

“She must be amazing to have pinned you down. And
just wait until I tell the guys at the restaurant. Sam will probably
call you right back to make sure I am not making this up.”

“I can believe that. Those guys have always considered
me a lost cause anyway, especially Mr. Happily-Married-ForFifteen-Years Sam.”

Adagio laughs. “You were not lost, just wandering, same
as me.”
“Well, I’m no longer wandering, my friend. I’ve found my
destination and she is amazing. I love her so much.”
“I can tell.”
“So, what’s happening with you and Maria?”
“Actually . . . nothing is happening.”
“What do you mean? I thought things were moving along
between you two.”
“Sadly, she turned out to be like the other two before her.
My money and my restaurant were my biggest draw.”
“I’m sorry, man. I can definitely empathize, as you well
know. Been there, done that.”
“I do know. I guess it comes with the territory when you
are single
and
wealthy. But I am sure God has a plan and I still
have hope. I am also still waiting for that plan to emerge.”
Ingo chuckles. “Well, while you’re waiting, get your travel
plans made, because you’re my best man.”
“It's about time you finally admitted I am the best.”
“But of course,” Ingo agrees with a snort.
They talk a little longer and Ingo shares more about
Cisely, wanting Adagio to understand just how special she is.
Before hanging up, he gives Adagio the date of the wedding
and Adagio assures him he will be there.

Treviso, Italy
Hanging up the phone, Adagio rakes his fingers through
his tousled hair and smiles. He can’t believe his friend is finally
getting married! Ingo is never far from his thoughts, and he is
happy the man he’s come to think of as a brother has finally
found someone to share his life with. At times it still amazes
him that he and Ingo are so close, and the connection between
them is unexplainable. It's as if they have known each other all
their lives. Having grown up an only child, Adagio treasures the
close relationship he shares with Ingo. True, he has other
friends, coworkers and acquaintances, but Ingo is definitely a
kindred spirit.
Adagio lost his mother when he was sixteen. His father
died before he was born and there were no other relatives to
speak of. When his mother died, she left him money she'd
saved through the years from cleaning houses, and he used the
money to fulfill his dream of becoming a chef and opening his
own restaurant.
Five years ago, Adagio traveled to America and opened
an Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City. A couple of years later,
an arsonist burned the place to the ground. He had suspected it
was a disgruntled employee he’d fired, but he couldn’t prove it.
In any case, the person was never found. Disappointed and
saddened, Adagio moved back to Treviso, the place of his
birth, which is only twenty minutes away from Venice. He
bought a villa, opened a restaurant in the right wing of the
home, and invested in stocks. The years have been very good to
him as far as finances go.
He smiles once more as his thoughts return to Ingo’s
good fortune. Chuckling, he heads over to tell the guys at the
restaurant. They are not going to believe it!

During the week of the wedding, Ingo and I help
Jessica prepare the extra five bedrooms for our expected guests.
I've never seen Jessica so excited. She hasn’t seen her family for
almost a year and is eagerly looking forward to their reunion.

Taking a break to sit and visit for a bit, Jessica and Ingo
talk about the family and speculate what they are up to, but my
own
longing
for
family
brings
an
unexpected sadness.
I
continue to smile, attempting to blink away the tears that have
come unbidden, but Ingo notices and immediately comes and
sit on the sofa beside me. Jessica joins us.

“I’m sorry, love,” he says, squeezing my hand. “I know
this is hard for you.”
“I’ll be okay,” I assure him with my brightest smile.
“After all, I have you and Jessica now.”
“And you always will,” Jessica says, then moves back to
the chair across from us. “Since we have a few moments, this is
the perfect opportunity to discuss something very important
with you. I was wondering, have you two discussed where you
will live after you are married?”
Ingo and I glance at each other. “Well, we kind of wanted
to wait until we got back from our honeymoon before we make
any decisions,” he says.
“I’m glad, because that is what I wanted to talk to you
about.” She looks from Ingo to me. “You know, since I was
never blessed with children of my own, both of you have been
like my children. Ingo, you come to see me regularly and I
don’t need to tell you how much I enjoy our visits.”
Ingo smiles. “You know you’ve always been my favorite
aunt.”
“I know. I love the fact that you come here to escape the
rest of the family.” He grins sheepishly and Jessica and I laugh.
“And then there’s you, dear,” she says to me. “The day I
met you was the most fortunate day of my life. You have
become the daughter I’ve always dreamed of having, and I have
grown to love you very much.”
“I love you too.” Her unexpected outpouring of feelings
is just what I need right now. “You've also been like a mother
to me. You have been there for me when I've really needed
one.”
“Thank you.” Flicking a tear away, she goes on. “Well,
the reason I’m glad you're waiting is because a couple of weeks
ago, I had some things changed in my will. Now mind you, I've
put a lot of thought and prayer into these changes and I feel
very good about my decision.” She pauses, her eyes intent.
“Cisely, when I die, this house and everything else I own will be
yours.”
The word stunned doesn't come close to describing what
I feel. It takes me a moment to really grasp what she just said,
and then another before I can speak. “But . . . why?”
“Because I love you. You’ve brought joy and sunshine
into my life. And now that you are marrying my favorite
nephew, it will belong to both of you. So, if it’s okay with you
both, I would like you to stay here, because if you leave, I will
be more lonely than I’ve ever been. I bought this place thinking
I would one day marry and fill it with children of my own, but
that never happened. One old woman in a house this size
makes for a very lonely life.”
“You really want us to stay with you?” Ingo finally asks,
his expression mirroring mine. I know how much he loves this
house and I don’t want to leave any more than he does. When
his eyes meet mine, they affirm that our feelings are the same.
“Aunt Jessica, we would love to live here with you.”
Sighing, Jessica smiles, drying her eyes. “You have made
this old woman very happy.”
We stand and embrace. The wealth of love present flows
through me, warming my entire being. I finally draw back and
kiss Jessica’s cheek. “Thank you for loving me so much.”
“Thank you for giving me the chance to love you.”
“I have to second that,” Ingo says, kissing his aunt as
well.
As I stand in the loving embraces of these two amazing
people, I know that no matter what happened in the past or
will happen in the future, mine is a blessed life.
At moments like this, the slight uneasiness that tugs at me
from time to time simply disappears.

It is three days before the wedding and Ingo's family
arrives in a caravan of rental cars. His parents, Gloria and
Patrick, are amazing and immediately take me into their family.
His brothers, Michael and Luke, and their wives, his uncle, Bill,
and his wife, as well as his aunt, Sarah, and her husband are all
equally
welcoming.
The
children
and grandchildren
are a
jumble of names, but one day I will eventually remember them
all.

As Ingo had warned me, Patrick and the rest of the men
immediately break me in. They tell Ingo what a babe I am and
joke
with
him about
holding
out
on
them,
making
me
extremely
grateful for
my
brown
skin,
because
I would
definitely be two shades of red by now.

I love watching Ingo interact with his family throughout
the day, and I am grateful they embraced me so readily.
Understanding the emotional baggage their son is willingly
tying himself to, his parents accept me with no judgments. The
day Ingo called to tell them about the wedding, I had given him
permission to share the details of my life. They in turn have
shown me nothing but love and support.

Gloria
follows
me
to
the
kitchen
to
grab
more
sandwiches and lemonade for everyone.
Placing her arm around my shoulders she says, “Jessica
has told me over and over how special you are and how
fortunate Ingo is to have you. I agree with her. I couldn’t
understand why he never liked anyone enough to even attempt
a relationship. I guess he was saving himself for you and didn’t
know it.” She smiles, squeezing my shoulder. “I'm so happy to
be acquiring such a beautiful daughter-in-law.”
I'm not going to cry! I'm not going to cry! I'm not . . .
“Thank
you,” I manage to say as those blasted tears brim my eyes. “I’m
happy to be part of your family.”
She wipes her own face and we embrace.
“Hey,
what
are
all these
tears
about?”
Patrick
says,
entering the kitchen.
Gloria laughs. “Oh, you know I get emotional a lot.
Probably my hormones.”
“Yeah, probably,” he agrees, dodging his wife's attempt
to swat him with the dish towel. I laugh as he ducks behind me.
They are a total riot and I love them already!
Patrick smiles, placing a fatherly arm around me. “I know
it's not official yet, but welcome to the family.”
“Thank you.” I briefly take in his handsome features,
marveling at how much Ingo looks like him.
After talking another moment, we take the sandwiches
and lemonade to the family room and rejoin the others. A while
later, Ingo discreetly pulls me into the hallway. Wrapping his
arms around my waist, he presses me against the wall and
whispers, “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Yes, but it
is
okay if you want to tell me again.”
“I love you.” He kisses me tenderly.
“I love you, too,” I murmur.
“So . . . you wanna get married?”
“Married?”
“Yeah, you know, married? Get hitched, tie the knot,
jump the broom, live together, sleep together, make babies.
Married.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe we should.”
Grinning, he kisses me again. “We probably should head
to the airport to pick up Adagio.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
Ingo sticks his head in the family room and tells the
family we're leaving and won’t be too long.
“Shall we take your car or mine?” he asks as we head to
the garage.
I smirk. “I guess we should take yours. It’s roomier.”
“Well, my SUV
is
a lot roomier than your Jag.”
“Ya think?”
Laughing, he kisses me quickly, bringing back to mind the
day he gave me the beautiful car. After returning from North
Carolina,
Ingo
decided he
needed to
get
himself
some
permanent transportation. He also decided I needed a car of
my own. I couldn't believe it when he pulled up in the shiny,
metallic, gray Jaguar and presented it to me as a wedding
present. I laughed and cried for almost an hour as I drove it
around the city. I never dreamed of owning something so
extravagant. I immediately traded my North Carolina license
for a Utah one.
Smiling at the memory, I pull him close for another kiss
before getting in the car.