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“Is he going to marry you?” Carmen asked. “Because until he marries you, he’s exactly what I think.”
“Carmen, this isn’t the nineteenth century,” Adriana replied, a touch of annoyance slipping into her voice. “Marriage isn’t the solution to everything.”
“Marriage is the solution to this!“ Carmen answered. “Dad is beside himself worrying about you, and we can barely go out because the tension between the Callahans and the Orsinis is so bad right now. The Rossis decided that there’s a power vacuum and they’re also ready to do whatever it takes to take our fathers out. If you two come back, with an heir…I mean, imagine what it could do for the situation here.”
Adriana’s expression hardened. “Carmen, I don’t think you understand. We’re on the run because someone is trying to kill us.”
“I understand perfectly. You have protection here. What do you have there? A Callahan thug?”
Adriana’s face flushed at Carmen’s words, her grip on the phone tightening until her knuckles turned white. “He’s not a thug, Carmen,” she said tersely, her voice a low growl.
Through the silence, I could hear Carmen sigh on the other end, her voice weary when she spoke. “Adriana, you’re my sister. I love you and I worry about you. Coming back here…it might be safer than trying to fend for yourselves.”
“We’re doing just fine,” Adriana retorted, defiance flaring in her eyes. I found myself marveling at her strength once again. She was standing up to her own sister for me…for us. She was still angry with me, she had every right to be. I had beaten a man so badly he could be dead. And yet here she was, being kind to me.
Carmen didn’t reply for a long moment, but when she did, her voice was softer, gentler. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed then. Just…stay safe, alright? Call if you need anything.”
“Don’t tell dad yet. Or mom, she’ll tell dad.”
Carmen laughed, no humor in her voice. “If I did that, he would drag you back here and kill you himself,” she replied. “No. You’ll tell him. When you come back. Keep me in the loop.”
She hung up the phone and Adriana looked at me, her eyes wide.
“I think Carmen might be right,” I said, breaking the silence that had swallowed the room. “We should go back to Boston.”
Her eyes widened at my words. “What? Why?”
“A lot of reasons,” I replied, “but mainly for you and our child. It’s too dangerous for us out here, running around like fugitives.”
“Someone literally almost shot us last time we were home.”
“Right,” I said. “But you will have Orsini and Callahan protection. The Rossis can’t do anything if our families are allied.”
“I don’t need to remind you that you were the one who didn’t want to marry me.”
I swallowed. “That’s true,” I admitted. “I was wrong. I am ready to commit to you and protect our family.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Tristan, you don’t even like me. I’m pregnant, I have your baby, okay, fair enough. But you don’t like me. You made it very clear the first time we were together that you were doing this because your father wanted you to, and then you blocked me on your phone and wouldn’t give me the time of day until I told you I was pregnant.”
I sat quietly, absorbing her words. She was right. I had been a complete ass to her; dismissive and cold. It was less about her and more about my own broken pieces. But it didn’t matter what the reason was. I had hurt her.
“I know,” I finally said, my voice low. “And for that, I apologize. I let my own insecurities dictate my actions and that wasn’t fair to you.”
Her eyes searched mine, looking for any hint of dishonesty. When she found none, she dropped her gaze.
“That’s not enough, Tristan.” Her voice was thick with unshed tears. “You can’t just say sorry and expect everything to be alright.”
“I’ll marry you now.”
“I don’t want you to pity marry me.”
“I wouldn’t,” I assured her. “It’s not out of pity, Adriana. It’s…” I glanced away, struggling to find the words.
“Out of obligation?” She suggested, her voice bitter.
“No.” My answer was firm, my eyes returning to hers. “I want to marry you, Adriana. Not because I have to, but because…because I want to.”
She looked at me skeptically. “You really expect me to believe that?”
