Page 54 of Vow

Whoever and wherever that woman was.

Ginevra Calabrese was a beautiful young woman. There was no doubt about that. Right then, though? She was also terrified. Andino could see it.

“Do you prefer Ginevra, or Ginny?” Andino asked.

He was quite aware that he spoke to her before he’d been allowed to—that her brothers hadn’t even introduced her to him, and that was out of line. Andino didn’t give a shit. All he saw was a scared young woman who didn’t want to be there, but was quiet and doing what she was told because she had been told to do it.

That bothered him.

All eyes turned on him, including his uncle.

“Well?” he asked quietly.

Ginevra looked up, and her brown eyes landed on him. “Either is fine.”

“But which do you prefer?” he asked.

“Ginny.”

Andino smiled. “Okay.”

Ginevra glanced down at her hands—her shaking had stopped, at least. “I’m very happy to meet you, Andino.”

No, she wasn’t.

Scared out of her wits, likely.

Not happy.

“I’m sure,” he murmured. “Let’s eat.”

And maybe in that time, he could figure out a way to also get this poor girl out of the hell she had found herself caught up in. There was no doubt in his mind that should something happen with this arrangement, Ginevra would be moved to another man to satisfy her brothers’ needs, or whatever the case may be.

A shame, really.

Fuck him for having a heart.

God seemed to like having a good laugh at his expense lately. Why not add one more laugh to the bunch?

• • •

Andino was not missing the way his mother kept passing looks at his father like she expected Giovanni to do or say something to his son. That was the thing about Kim—she wasn’t very good at being subtle.

This whole silent attempt at conversation by his mother had been going on ever since he walked into their house an hour ago for supper. And he still hadn’t even had supper.

Andino was over it.

“What?” he finally asked.

His mother glanced at him, but quickly went back to cutting the fresh bread on the island. “Nothing, Andi.”

Gio chuckled under his breath, but kept quiet.

“Right,” Andino said. “So, we’re going to pretend like you haven’t been shooting Dad looks all night or something?”

Kim sighed, and smiled a little. “I was just thinking … well, it’s been a few days, hasn’t it?”

“A few days for what?”