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“Of course,” Valerio replied.
I nodded.
“You can look at me, Luce. I am dressed.” I exhaled and turned towards him. He was in a shirt and sweatpants, but a smile so sexy bloomed on his face that it had the same effect as if he was naked. “It is not something you haven’t already seen anyway. Or, you know, had inside your vagina.”
And he successfully ruined my mood with his annoying words. He didn’t look sexy anymore at all. Not even a little bit. Non.
“Want something to drink?” he asked casually, leaning down to the mini fridge, and I forced myself not to look at his ass.
I sat on the bed and looked away. “I prefer to stay sober for our conversation.”
“Your loss,” he said with a small smile and settled on the bed next to me with a mini vodka bottle in hand. “Personally, I think I will break some shit while talking about your shithead father if I do this sober.”
I couldn’t even get annoyed at that. “Fair. Give me one too.”
He flashed a smile that was different from his usual ones and reached for the fridge. Seconds later, I had a mini gin bottle in my hands that I immediately uncapped and took a big gulp from. Then I asked, still feeling a bit nervous, “I guess you disregard the ‘don’t marry me’ idea.”
Valerio looked at me with a hard expression. “You truly think I was going to abandon you after what you told me about your father?”
“Yes?”
“Of course not! I am not going to leave you in the hands of someone who wants to hurt you, Luce. Your words only made me more determined to marry you.”
I hated that I needed him to save me. I hated I was not strong enough to defeat my father on my own, but I was also grateful. I just hoped this favor was not going to come with payment. That’s why I didn’t thank him. I just remained silent. I wanted someone like Valerio on my side, but I couldn’t give him anything that he could use against me. I always had to be careful. I learned that long ago.
Men weren’t always as they seemed.
Valerio
I managed to keep my monster hidden through the wedding, but talking about Gino was really not helping me continue doing so. More than what Gino did, I hated that Luce still couldn’t trust me. She was scared of me.
Maybe she would trust me a bit more after I told her what exactly happened last night. I had to be open. It was not the easiest thing for me. I never let myself bare for anyone other than my twin and Bianca. I didn’t know if I could ever do that for Luce, but I knew I had to do at least something. I had to be open as much as I could with her.
Thankfully this was a topic I didn’t need to hide anything. I didn’t want to show her emotions that I couldn’t even admit to myself, but looking like I didn’t care about her was not going to work. I cared more than I should have.
“I was so fucking angry at your father, and I didn’t want to blow up when you were near,” I explained my state last night when she didn’t say anything. “I know you find me annoying, but believe me, you will not like my angry side more.” No one would.
“So, what did you do after dropping me at home?” I could see the deep wonder in her eyes.
I realized she was not just scared of me because I got angry last night. She was scared of the unknown. I married her, but she still had a million things to worry about. She didn’t know if I was going to start a war or not. She didn’t know if I valued her words.
I hoped knowing would take some of the fear from her eyes.
“I talked to Sal and Antonio.”
Her eyes widened. “They know? What did they say?”
“They were angry,” I said, even though it was obvious. “They left the decision to go through with the wedding to me. You were my fiancée, after all. They didn’t have the right to make decisions concerning you even though it could hurt the Outfit. We decided on the plan together, but I chose to marry you.”
She didn’t seem relaxed. Actually, she seemed ready to choke up. It was so unusual for Luciana. I hoped never to see her like this again.
“What about…?” she asked, her words catching up in her throat. “My wish.”
“It was supposed to be a mutual decision, right? I am sorry I was not in the headspace to call you and ask you. I also didn’t want to risk anything. You basically told me you were okay with the wedding as long as there was no war, so I acted as your answer. I apologize if that was not what you meant, but I guess it is too late now.”
Luce shook her head. “I wanted to marry you as long as I can see Elsie.”
“You will,” I said, and she exhaled in relief. That was really all she wanted.
