it off. Papa and I don’t want to put any pressure on you. We both want you to be happy in life. It’s why we encouraged you to follow your heart in business, to be independent. Only the best for our daughter, always, amore mia.”
“I know.” I shake my head and smooth down the gown I’m still stuffed into like a tan sausage. “But it is too late in a sense. I couldn’t put you through the scandal that would surely follow along.”
“How do you figure?”
“If I call off this wedding, the safety of our famiglia is in jeopardy. Not to mention the famiglias will talk. I’ll embarrass Maximillian, along with Joker, his crew, and Papa. I’m sure I’ll be the talk of the famiglia, and I won’t put you through any nonsense.”
“Your famiglia isn’t your responsibility, especially the safety of it. That is your father’s and Saint Michael’s burden to bear. This penance shouldn’t have been placed upon your shoulders. You don’t deserve it, nor will I allow it to occur.”
“If something were to happen to any of you, with your safety, and there was a chance… even the slimmest of possibilities that I could’ve prevented it, I’d never forgive myself. You know what Papa is saying about the murders lately. They’re getting closer to us, more frequent, and gruesome. I’ve seen the news reports on what’s happening. I won’t put the chance out there that it could be my famiglia one day. You mean too much to me.”
“I don’t want you to give up your life for the what-if’s. Living your life in fear is no way to live at all. You must be brave and have faith.” She makes the sign of the cross, whispering a prayer under her breath. My mother, and Nonna on her side, have always been fairly religious.
My dad is the type to do bad things and ask for forgiveness later. I tend to lean towards having more in common with him than my ma. Maybe that’s a small bit of the draw I find myself faced with where Maximillian is concerned. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he lives by a similar ethic, but one that doesn’t include apologies tied in afterward.
“I’m being brave. I want to do this.” For my famiglia. I’m loyal and protective. I have to be. They’re the only famiglia I’ll ever have, and keeping them alive means everything to me at the end of the day. I come by that trait honestly, as they’re the same way where I’m concerned. If they didn’t love me and care as much, then they wouldn’t be concerned about my happiness with marrying Max.
“Si, cara, then it shall happen and it will be memorable.” My mother offers me a determined glance before hunting down the other bridal employees. The poor women. My mom is about to work them ragged, all day until I get the picture-perfect dress. In the meantime, I’ll put all my trepidations of Maximillian and this marriage to the back of my mind. Right now, I need to concentrate on getting myself prepared for the big day and not making him hate me too much prior so he calls it off.
Once all this mob business blows over, if I need to divorce the asshole, then I will. My nonna may temporarily disown me for divorcing, and my church may shun me, but my parents will support me in the end. If it even comes to that, hell, I may kill him before I have the chance to file any papers.
I know one thing…he better fuck like the god Gi claims him to be.
To understand another person, you must
swim in the same waters that drowned them.
– ifunny.co
“You’re pissed off because you don’t intimidate her. Admit it, you want her to bow to your will,” Thaddaeus states, and I bristle at his words. He sees too much, and the bloke doesn’t need to acknowledge it aloud.
“Daft woman,” I mutter with a huff. “If she knew what was good for her, she’d be wary of her safety around me when she doesn’t obey.” She has no sense of self-preservation and it only draws me to her more. It also pisses me right off that she sleeps next to me without a care in the world, while I stay up most nights to listen to her breathe. Must be nice to sleep so bloody pleasant in the presence of a predator. I’ve had men shit themselves when faced with my