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As if I died, and Michael took my wife.
Which I decided I needed to forbid him to do the moment I left this den of snakes.
If I die, do not try and marry my woman, I texted from the car a little while later. But do take care of her.
I think Francesca can take care of herself.
Michael.
All right, all right, I promise not to try and get into her pants. If you die. If you live a long time, though, I might have to make a play. She’s hot.
You are a sick fuck, I texted back. But I was smiling. Meet me in my office. We have business to discuss.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Francesca
“Are you ready, Mama?”
“I am!” I called out, eager to see my baby girl in her new dress. I had been there when she picked it out, all by herself.
After all, it wasn’t every day a little girl got to be a flower girl. She was just the right age for it, too young to be a maid of honor but old enough not to get spooked and start crying when she saw the crowd.
Although I’d seen quite a few tearful flower girls over the years, and it was always adorable. I’d been a flower girl myself, though I’d never cried. My daughter was softer than I had been, though, and I was grateful for that.
“You look beautiful, darling.”
Her eyes were wide as she took me in.
“Not like you,” she said.
“Oh, yes, much more beautiful than me,” I said, and I meant it.
“No one has ever been as beautiful as you are right now, Mama.”
I hushed her and admonished her not to make me cry while I squeezed her, careful not to muss our dresses. I kissed both of her cheeks, rubbing off the faint stain of lipstick I left behind. I sent her off to have a snack and wait with Maria and Auntie until it was time to go down. I stared at myself, in awe of the teardrop sapphires my husband-to-be had given me the night before. Right before his cousin and brother dragged him away ‘for luck’.
Apparently, it was bad luck to spend the night under the same roof. I was glad we weren’t taking any chances. We needed, and deserved, as much luck as we could possibly get.
Vincent had already given up so much for me. For my daughter, too. For his daughter, if she said yes when he asked her to let him adopt her.
I closed my eyes, remembering the remarkable conversation we’d had after he went to see Marco just a few weeks ago. After that day, everything had changed. We had changed.
For the first time in our lives, we were truly safe.
“I can’t believe you did this for me,” I had said, afraid he would regret his decision. Afraid he would resent me for it someday. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am sure,” he said, pulling me close. “I did it for us.”
I’d bitten my lip and asked him. There was no use in hiding my fears. That only made them grow. We had promised each other not to keep secrets or make assumptions after the shopping incident and what had followed.
“Are you sure you won’t regret it? It’s a huge amount of money.”
“It’s a huge pain in the ass. Gamblers are notorious for needing extra incentive for paying up. I’ve wanted out for a while. We are going mainstream, remember?”
“Yes. We are.”
“Is Luciano ready?”
“To take over for me while we run off to Italy to make wine? Not even a little. But he’ll manage.” I had smiled at him as he started undressing me. I was smiling now just thinking about it. “Is Michael ready?”
“He was born for this. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
“You really don’t mind giving up the crown?”
“Am I really giving anything up?” he’d asked, raising an eyebrow and looking me over like I was the most important thing in the world to him. More important than money. Or power. Or air. “I have everything I have ever wanted, and more. I have an embarrassment of riches.”
“A family. A real family.”
“Yes. I have you. And I plan on adopting your daughter, if you will let me.”
“I will,” I’d said with a smile. “If she will let you.”
“I will ask her permission when you think it’s the right moment.”
“All right. Soon, I think.”
I had stared at him, wondering how on earth we got so lucky. We had found each other early in life. We were so young. But neither of us had realized we were destined for each other. Life in the intervening years had been hard. Too hard. But now, each and every day was so sweet, it was worth all the pain we had endured, separately and together. I felt the urge to pinch myself at least twice a day. But if this was a dream, I didn’t want to wake up.
