Page 100 of Roman

I pulled my hand away, feeling the warmth of her mouth on it.

“Do you have the names of the people you want to invite?”

She handed me a list. “Just a few.”

I scanned it and nodded. There were less than a dozen names, and five of them now worked for me. “Invites will go out tomorrow. Hand-delivered.”

“You said it will be small?”

“I am inviting some important people in my world. Not to do so would be considered disrespectful. I would rather it only be us and those we are closest to, but for now, I need to do this. But I am keeping the numbers very small, yes. Just over fifty.”

She looked wistful. “I wish my mom could be there. I’ll have no family.”

I took her hand. “My family will be yours, Little Tiger. You will not be alone again. I will keep you safe.” I paused. “I swear I will try to be a good husband to you.”

“I know.”

“You’re not thinking of Marianne, are you?” I asked.

“No. Not at all. She is not someone I consider family anymore. You don’t do what she, ah, tried to do to family. To anyone.”

I cleared my throat. “Luca would like to walk you down the aisle if you are agreeable to that.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“Yes. If you want. We thought it might be intimidating for you to walk into a room of strangers.”

She dropped her head, shaking it slightly as a smile curled her lips.

“What?”

“You keep telling me you’re cold. That you can’t love. You insist you will ‘try’ to be a good husband, yet I feel the doubt you have. I already know you’ll be a good husband, Roman. You’re a good man.”

I laughed dryly. “I’ve killed people, Effie. I’ll kill again, I’m sure.”

“For fun?”

“To protect those I love. To ensure their safety. To keep my businesses free from them.”

She was quiet, then shrugged. “Morally gray, then. But it doesn’t make you evil. You do what you have to in order to survive. In my mind, you are still a good man.”

“Would you think that if you knew I was actively pursuing your sister to eliminate her?”

She stood. “I ceased having a sister a long time ago. I only realized it a few weeks ago. The sister I hoped to have never existed.”

And with those words, she walked away.

The night before our wedding, I lay in the large bed of my suite, wondering why I had given in to Nonna. She had arrived early that day and, among all her other decrees, announced that Effie would be staying with her tonight.

“It is tradition,” she insisted.

“Nothing about this wedding is traditional,” I replied dryly.

“I am aware, but it is how it should be.”

And three hours ago, she had taken Effie with her, closing the door between the two rooms. I had no desire for a bachelor party or any of the other silly traditions some couples liked. There was no rehearsal dinner, no practice ceremony. We had dinner in the restaurant as a family, and I worked afterward, making sure all was well with the hotel and casino. Then I came upstairs and had a drink, trying not to sulk about the fact that Effie would be down the hall and not beside me later. Why it bothered me so much, I had no idea, so I pretended all was fine and sent her away with a smile and a kiss on the cheek under Nonna’s watchful eye. I ignored the teasing from Luca and Aldo until I kicked them out and headed to the gym, before returning to the suite and showering.

Except, I couldn’t sleep. Without Effie beside me, I found it impossible to relax. I knew she was only a short distance away. There were men outside in the hall, and she was perfectly safe.