The Twelve Vitali Ch. 21

"I know, that's why I know you will be in the hunt for real this year instead of not being able to compete properly," she said as if he was an idiot. "It's got an old-school theme, no tech, so even Sebastian is in this year."

"This just got a whole lot more interesting," Vanessa said. "I might reconsider joining. It may very well be my last year to do it. Can't stay engaged forever, and with Mia and Cat getting married, I may as well set a date after the gathering."

"Shit, next you'll be telling me you're getting married!" Lucca accused Ricco.

"Not me," he chuckled. "Marriage is definitely not in my immediate future."

"What's the hunt?" Cat asked, feeling lost in the conversation.

"Oh yeah, I was supposed to explain it to you the other night, but I got distracted by something I saw, and my mind went down a totally different track," Lucca said easily, but his eyes darted to Ricco. He'd seen the playroom and hadn't been able to get it, or that fact that Cat liked kinky sex, out of his head. Even now his mind threw up visions that threatened to undo him in front of his siblings. "We can tell you about it over lunch if you like. Do you know where you want to go?" he asked. "The new restaurant downstairs is pretty good if you haven't had the chance to try it yet."

"I was thinking something light. A café maybe?" Cat said, looking at Aria for confirmation.

*****

Matteo arrived back in the mid-afternoon from his final inspection of the building and hand over ceremony. He sat back in a comfortable chair nursing a beer and looked at the other men who had flown for eight hours or more from their respective parts of Australia to be here with him.

"If this is a bachelor party, you guys suck," he said in such a casual register it took the group time to react.

"This is a bachelor party?" Phil looked at Dante as if he had been the brains behind the gathering. "Where are the strippers?"

"Not as far as I know. Did I miss a memo?" Dante chuckled.

"Why are you all here then?" Matteo looked confused.

"I think I can clear up the confusion," Nathanael cleared his throat.

"Oh god, seriously, at least get another bottle if Nate's going to tell us a bedtime story so I can try and keep my eyes open," Soliman grumbled and shook the bottle of Sambuca on the table.

"Get it yourself, you know what I'm going to say anyway," the serious man from the Gambaro family rolled his eyes and turned back to Matteo. "Instead of the long version that started with a friendship formed by our fathers and our united destinies, I will point out who and what we have in this room, Oracle," he pointed at Dante and then went around the group listing Oracle or Chair until coming back to Matteo, and then he tilted his head. "Rumour has it you know your fate, which is why you are rushing to marry a girl you've known for only a few weeks."

"You know the thing with rumours," Matteo chuckled, not finishing the sentence or admitting that he knew his fate.

"The Vitali Gathering starts Friday. When will they announce it?" Phil asked. "Before or after the wedding?"

"My fathers' asked you all to come here, you tell me," he acted as if he had no idea what they were talking about.

"Joseph Donati's death rattled the thirteen. Each of the tables has named their successors except the Vitali's, and we have reason to believe we're all here because they are about to do just that. Theo's wife is about to give birth to their first son, so he couldn't make it. We know what happened to Pellegrini. The Battaglia do things a different way, but Marcus was invited and declined. Rick's just had his appendix out. The rest of us are here, think about it," Nate said in a challenging tone. "We were forced together on annual camps from the time we were twelve, we were always the next generation of leaders."

"I don't know about that, I think I just tagged along with Lio," Dante said thoughtfully. "I doubt anyone ever saw me as a leader, even you clowns. Let's face it, none of us would have predicted Phil would be nominated any more than me." He teased.

"Makes sense," Matteo nodded, still not giving anything away. "None of your fathers have retired yet, so D. is the only one actively leading a table. Well, Josh is, and D.'s doing a good job of pretending to be helpful," he chuckled.

"Hey! I keep that little control freak grounded, thank you very much! And let me tell you, that is more than a full-time job! This trip couldn't have come at a better time," he sighed exaggeratedly as if he was exhausted just thinking about it.

"That's the thing we've all learned since being named, what we do doesn't matter a great deal, it's all about the Mother. In a patriarchal family, it's funny and disheartening to know that the real power doesn't lie with us and never has. She keeps the family bonded, especially those of the table. She creates the next generations. Without her we're just CEO's, she is what makes it a family," Zachariah finally weighed into the conversation.

"It's an interesting choice you've made in Cat," Dante said. "Not that I can point fingers. Peri wasn't from a table either, and everyone loves her."

"Far better than the first woman I proposed to," he admitted. All of these men knew what had happened between Nik and himself. "I knew within the first hour of meeting Cat that she was the one."

"Oh yeah, that's a great story," Dante chuckled, earning him a scornful look from Matteo.

"You're the one getting married, so I am assuming you're a chair. Did you leave Cat behind with the soon to be Oracle?" Nathanael asked. He had struggled to accept the three-way relationship and had opted for a Kept, only joining his brother and his wife on occasion, which suited them as well. His brother, too, continued to struggle with jealousy over the close relationship between his wife and brother.

"Yeah," Matteo admitted. "But I'm surprisingly good with it. They've been dancing around each other for weeks. I guess I was the reason. I told them last night to just get over it already, and this morning I believe her words were, "Amazingly good", and he was just as happy," he said cheerfully.

"You really are good with it, aren't you?" Soliman asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? Do you know something I don't?" Matteo asked.

"It's not that easy for all of us," Soliman grumbled.

"I didn't think it would be either, but, like D., my brother fell in love with Cat on his own before either of us knew what was coming. He's not with her because it's expected, he's there because he loves both of us, in different ways, but with equal strength. You can't just rock on in and expect an instant connection or relationship," Matteo tried to sum up all the conversations he'd had with Ricco.

"Yeah, I'd agree with that. Date nights and making your own memories with both of them separately and together," D. said, considering Matteo's words about him falling in love with Peri before he knew that a relationship with her would be possible. "He's right, though, I fell in love with her long before I even dared to dream that she might love me back. When you feel like that it's easy to accept that the love includes your brother, and make an effort to almost date him and get to know him on that intimate level too. I know how wrong that sounds, but it's like that without the incestuous sex."

"Or, in my case, I trust both of them implicitly and have no insecurities about what they are doing without me. I hate the fact that he's probably encouraging Cat to eat junk food the whole time I'm gone a whole lot more than the idea that they're fucking every minute of the day," Matteo said to the sceptical looks he was getting.

They continued talking about their own situations, giving personal stories and advice to their friends from their different perspectives. It dawned on Matteo why his father and those of the other men in the room had done this. Roberto was dying, and Stefano wasn't well. Like Josh, he would have to step up sooner rather than later, and he would need these men, all of them, as advisors and sounding boards when dealing with such a large empire.

******

"I know you don't have long this afternoon, so I just wanted to go over a few things with you," Theresa said as Cat walked into the living room.

"Theresa," Cat said, taking a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about something, and I realised it would be easier if I showed you, and I was wondering if you'd come visit a friend with me this afternoon."

"Is something wrong?" Theresa asked, frowning, wondering if she had pushed Cat too far in their argument over cake yesterday.

"Quite the opposite, really," Cat smiled. "I realised yesterday that I have been unfair to you and I'd like to rectify that if you'll let me."

"Unfair to me?" Theresa frowned in confusion.

"It's hard to explain, I'd rather show you, if you will come with me," Cat invited again.

"Okay," she agreed warily. "Just let me tell Roberto we are going out so he can keep an eye on Stefano. He has a nurse, but the poor thing is terrified of him," she gave a small laugh.

"Roberto knows I was inviting you out this afternoon. I was talking to him about the hunt when I arrived," Cat said easily. "You will enjoy what I have in mind; at least, I think you will." She reassured her soon to be mother-in-law. "Would you like Knox to drive, or are you brave enough to come in my new car?"

"If Knox drives maybe we can go over a few things in the car. Will it be a long drive?" Theresa considered the question. "You could stay for dinner tonight before going home and get your car then."

"It's not far, but we can go with Knox if you like," Cat wanted this afternoon to go well. Matteo's sisters' reactions yesterday had bothered her a lot, and she realised that, while she had thought of her arguments with Theresa as minor disagreements that she could grumble about and get over, others were walking on eggshells around her in case she called the whole thing off. Given her history with both Matteo and Ricco, she couldn't blame them, but she wanted Theresa to know how much she valued everything she was doing, even the arguments they had and why.

Cat called Knox as Theresa gathered her purse and phone and went to see Roberto about supervising Stefano, so he didn't scare away another nurse. Unsurprisingly, Knox was close by, having assumed he would need to pick up Ricco later that afternoon. Then she went to the library where Theresa was talking to Roberto and Ricco.

"Where are you going?" Ricco asked.

"Secret wedding business, but Knox is taking us, so you don't have to track me," she laughed. "Theresa invited us for dinner," she said, hoping to distract him.

"You are invited to dinner every night. Why would tonight be any different?" Roberto frowned.

"Theresa asked me personally?" Cat said, unsure of herself in the face of his frown.

"Will you be gone that long?" Ricco asked disapprovingly.

"I doubt it, but I imagine we may have other things to discuss when we get back. This wedding is getting closer, and poor Theresa is dealing with organising the Gathering as well. I'd like to say I could do more about the wedding, but the truth is I'd be lost without her organisation of me and... well... everything. I can't even begin to imagine feeding so many people, and most of the RSVP's have begun coming in as well. Lucky, I don't come from such a big family," she grimaced. The look on Theresa's face told her that she had no idea Cat felt that way, and she knew she had made the right decision about this afternoon.

"Keep your phone on you," Ricco advised. "Have you got a power pack just in case?"

"No, but I'm sure Knox does. He's a boy scout about being prepared for everything," she laughed again trying to keep the conversation light-hearted and seeing Ricco's concern that she was going out alone with Theresa.

"She's a grown woman, Ricco, stop fussing. Even if she wasn't, I am more than capable of keeping her safe for an hour or two," Theresa stepped in to chide her step-son.

"I have no doubt that you could, but if one hair on her head is out of place when Matt returns, I'm the one who has to deal with him," Ricco said with a pained expression.

"Do look in on your Papa, won't you?" Theresa patted his hand. "You two make a good pair at the moment," she rolled her eyes at him, making Roberto chuckle.

The two women left a few minutes later, both sitting in the rear of the car after Cat told Knox where they were going.

"I never had a mother, in the traditional sense," Cat said softly, unsure how much Theresa knew about her past. "I never had to argue with her, or even have a small disagreement about anything I did because she was always so focused on her next fix that she didn't bother worrying about David and I. If I'm honest, she wasn't conscious most of the time she was at home."

"Oh, Cat, that's awful!" Theresa gasped.

"It made me pretty independent and self-sufficient, so having so many people weighing in on my life and the decisions I make is a new experience for me. To tell you the truth, I hadn't actually thought about it from your perspective until yesterday. You're doing so much for me, and I have been totally unfair not sharing my vision of the perfect wedding with you," Cat tried to explain.

"What happened yesterday?" Theresa asked, nervously going over the disagreement about cake and other smaller issues.

"Mia overheard Matteo's warning to be nice to me or we would elope," she laughed lightly.

"He wasn't serious though!" Theresa put a hand to her cheek in horror at the thought.

"No, he wasn't serious," Cat reassured her. "But I had been joking with Chase that morning when he dropped off the car and tried to tempt me to elope with him as part of that joke. So all four of your daughters staged an intervention yesterday because they were worried that our... disagreements were getting too much for me."

"Oh no!" Theresa gasped again, the look of horror not leaving her face. "Cat, I..."

"Please don't apologise," Cat stopped her. "Everyone walks on eggshells around me lately except you, and I love that. I love that you will advise me and disagree with me, and even though we haven't fought, as such, I'm sure if you truly thought I was making a huge mistake you would fight with me."

"You love the disagreements?" Theresa didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I know you just want the best for your family, for Matteo. If you didn't you wouldn't care enough to argue for what you think is the right choice, but after yesterday I realised you didn't have all the information you needed to help me make those decisions, and the arguments were probably my fault, not yours," Cat said looking guilty. "So, I'm going to try and fix that this afternoon and introduce you to some friends of mine."

"I don't understand," Theresa said in obvious confusion.

"You will," Cat grinned and turned the conversation back to the fact that she was more than a little overwhelmed by the size of the family and how much she had to learn about them all. Fifteen minutes later they pulled up in a small street in a nearby suburb.

"Keep an open mind, please," Cat said before she knocked on the door of the small cottage style house that belonged to the Vitali family.

"Of course," Theresa nodded. She was amazed by what Cat had said in the car. None of what she had said about the family being overwhelming had ever occurred to Theresa. The fact that Cat looked at her as a mother figure already, and was seeing their disagreements as some sort of bonding process, stunned her. This was how she worked with all of the women in her family, and even though she realised now that Cat had never been included in a real family, it was still hard to accept her words at face value. Jacobi's wedding to Maryanne had been completely different, with Antonia gently suggesting and Theresa following those suggestions to the letter, because Antonia, though wonderful, was a force to be reckoned with, and Theresa had no wish to be on her bad side as some of the other mothers had been from time to time.

"Kate, Edith, this is Theresa Vitali," Cat introduced the women. "Marina and Marcus were good enough to release them from the Battaglia for a month to make my wedding dress," Cat said as they walked into the main living area where her dress was on display on a headless mannequin. "It's not complete yet, but this will give you a good idea and maybe make you more aware of why I have been making the decisions I have."

"It's not white," Theresa said, and Cat couldn't tell if that was a rebuke or not.

"Given my history and past, I don't think white was ever going to be my colour," Cat laughed self-consciously.

"It's beautiful," Theresa said, moving forward to inspect the intricate beadwork on the bodice. "It's far more traditional than I thought you would choose."

"Matteo is the one who wanted the traditional wedding, and I want him to have that too," Cat said softly. "All the choices I have been making are the fantasy wedding dreams of girls who want to be princesses for a day, or, in Matteo's case, Prince Charming," she giggled. "This is his fantasy wedding, and he is going to have a Cinderella bride walking down that aisle if it kills me," she laughed. "The weight of that dress is amazing."

"Ladies, I can see why Cat asked for you specifically; this beadwork is so intricate and delicate. Marina has been keeping you a secret for far too long," Theresa gave the ladies the praise they deserved. "I don't suppose you'd consider trying it on for me."

"If you promise not to breathe a word to anyone about it," Cat agreed.

"I'm going to have to say something to Trista, she has the men's outfits all wrong," Theresa turned a worried look on Cat as if the thought had just occurred to her.

"No you don't, she is doing exactly what Matteo has asked her to," Cat said gently. "This is his fantasy wedding, trust me, he has told her what he wants. He asked if there was any colour scheme he needed to know about before talking with her. That's when I made my decision about the bridesmaid's dresses. Champagne gold," she said, pointing to the gold and ivory dress on the mannequin.

Theresa sat and thought about all the decisions Cat had made about the wedding and could see the Prince Charming theme emerge with the gold and ivory and hints of navy blue and burgundy here and there rather than the black and white traditional theme she had been working to. Red would definitely not have worked with this theme, and Cat had been right to stick to her decisions. Now that Theresa knew, however, it changed a few of the things she had planned alone, including her own Mother of the groom outfit. She was grateful that Cat had shown her the dress, it made everything so much clearer now, and she doubted they would find much to argue over. Considering what Cat had said about those disagreements, however, she was sure she could come up with one or two minor quibbles.

*****

It was getting late, and Matteo and his friends had drunk far more than was good for them during a long multi-course dinner, and now, as he relaxed, he looked around at the men he had grown up with. Fate, destiny or sheer force of will on their fathers' behalf had made them the men they were today and the leaders of the twelve wealthiest families in the country. Individual families didn't even come close, it was the combined wealth that made them all so affluent.

"Hey, got a minute or two?" Phil said, coming to stand in front of him.

"Sure, buddy. You want to go out on the deck?" Matteo asked as Phil remained standing. He always liked the man who hid his keen indigence and uncanny foresight behind a façade of social awkwardness that made him seem one step behind everyone else when, in fact, he was often three steps ahead.

"Yeah, let's go for a walk," Phil nodded. The house was more like a resort than a home, with extensive grounds and a large pool off the back deck. Matteo stood and walked toward the back with Phil, pulling his jacket around him as the crisp night air wrapped around him.