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I can hear my father clear his throat, but I keep kissing Theo until we are both breathless. Only then do I willingly let go of him.
“In my office, Theo.”
Katrina and Gia walk in as Theo is trailing behind my father. The girls look from them to me. An awkward silence follows them inside the room. Katrina has been picking fights with us girls constantly and I hate it. I miss the sister bond we once shared.
I watch her for any indication of what she’s thinking.
“Is that who I think it is?” she asks.
Gia comes to me, wrapping her arms around me. “I hope it works out. You deserve your happily ever after,” she whispers to me before letting me go and heading up to her room.
“For what it’s worth. I think you and Theo are meant to be,” Katrina adds, keeping her distance.
There’s no malice in her tone. She sounds sadder to me than anything. “Thank you, Katrina. Honestly, it means a lot coming from you.”
I cross the room to hug her. She stays stiff in my embrace, giving me short pats on the back in return.
“Don’t make me take it back,” she attempts to tease, but it falls flat. As I let her go, she smiles at me.
“I love you, sister. I hope we can get back to where we once were someday.”
She tilts her head, looking sincere. “We will. I need time. I’ve fucked up my life, and it’s hard to stay in the right lane, you know?” Her hand reaches out for me. This is the most honest I’ve seen her in a year.
I hope she’s strong enough to do as she says. In this lifestyle, we lose too many good people. I would hate for it to be her one day.
CHAPTER 36
I’ve never beento Nicoli Rossi’s office before. It’s all dark wood and has a sinister feel to it. He pushes me down into the chair by his desk but makes no attempt to sit himself. “So you think you can marry my daughter with no discussion with me first?” His tone is cold, laced with insult. Disrespect is a killable offense in the mafia. Once again, being with Aria clouds my judgment. Instead of guilt sucking me in, I can feel my lips tilt up. Hastily, I mask it, knowing Nicoli will take my reaction the wrong way.
He pins me with an evil glare that has me gulping. I hadn’t thought past walking through their door, to be honest.
“I meant no disrespect, I promise you.” He hasn’t shot me yet, so I keep on talking, trying to get myself out of here. “I love your daughter. I promise to treat her with respect and love.”
“Theo, you’ve always thought of yourself first. You haven’t changed.” He scoffs, shaking his head. His lips curve downward, and at this rate, I won’t be on his payroll longer than today. I didn’t come this far for him to kill me now.
“That’s not true. I would suffer each day by watching Aria and protecting her without any knowledge of my existence, if that meant she would be happy and get on with her life. These last few months, I saw a shell of the women I knew. She was walking through life but not enjoying it. When I proposed, I was thinking of her happiness. I will take Aria in any form you allow.”
Nicoli hovers over me, making me more nervous. My hands are sweating, and I have to dry them off on my pants. He doesn’t look convinced. Desperate, I try to explain, to make him understand my love for Aria will never go away. “Please let me prove my loyalty through the way I love your daughter. I will never let either of you down. That’s a promise, sir.” I’m breaking my own rule of never making a promise. Deep in my soul, it feels right. I’m certain I will never break it.
“Show me your palm.”
I raise my hand. He pulls out a knife and cuts across it before shaking my hand with blood dripping out. It stings like a bitch, but I refuse to display any emotion while he’s doing it.
“You have my blessing. You have no more free lives, Theo. Next time you fuck up, I’m going to make my little girl a widow.”
“You won’t regret this, sir.” I’m sitting shocked that he has allowed me to be with Aria. I never let myself expect more than what he offered me. I can’t mask my goofy-looking grin that refuses to go away.
“Well, get up and tell my daughter the good news,” he says to me with a snicker.
I stand up, still half-expecting him to put a gun in my face. Walking down the stairs, I see Aria is still on the couch with her mother beside her.
She stands immediately, coming to me. “You get to pick out a wedding dress,” I announce, picking her up off the floor. I turn us in a circle before crushing her lips to mine.
Her body melds to mine, holding me tight. I can hear small sniffles coming from her. Using two fingers, I tilt her head up. Her gorgeous face has tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Why the sad face?” My hands rub her back in circles, trying to soothe whatever pain she is feeling.
“I’m so happy and relieved we finally get to be together.” Looking over her shoulder, I see her father is putting back his gun that was aimed at my head.
