The reception space had been transformed during the ceremony.
White tablecloths, soft candlelight, centerpieces of white roses and greenery on each round table.
String lights crisscrossed overhead, creating a canopy of warm light as the sun continued its descent.
The jazz trio was setting up near the small dance floor, their instruments gleaming.
Matteo and Felix entered to applause, both still slightly dazed, hands clasped tightly together.
"Table assignments are at the entrance," Lucia whispered as she passed them. "You're at the head table with your wedding party. Enjoy yourselves. I've got everything under control."
Their table faced the rest—Victor and Jianyu on one side, Don Luciano and Charlotte on the other, with Matteo and Felix in the center. It felt right, somehow.
The people who mattered most, closest.
"Sit, sit," Don Luciano urged as they approached. "You've been standing for hours."
