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I was serious enough that I already had my proposal planned, I was just waiting for the right time. The princess cut diamond solitaire with a matching wrap that made it look like a flower blossom had been commissioned and was almost ready. While I cared more about claiming and bonding her, we would still be expected to get married as well, and I figured marriage might seem a little safer to her since it wasn’t sopermanent. If I had to start out as her husband before I could become her mate, I’d live with it.
Her eyes searched my face before she finally sighed and gave a short nod. Her arms relaxed from the protective embrace around her middle, though one hand lingered on her stomach. I knew she’d be nervous throughout the meal, but I’d make sure she relaxed once we were back at my place later, if she didn’t run off on me first. It was Friday night, and she usually stayed later since she could sleep in tomorrow morning, but she might try to leave anyway.
Stepping out of the car, I came around and opened her door, holding out a hand to help her stand. It had taken a little work to convince her to let me do things like this with her protests that chivalry was outdated and she was capable of doing it herself. I’d finally won her over when I explained it wasn’t about her ability to do it for herself, it was about my enjoyment of doing these things for her and showing her the respect she deserved. She was precious, and I wanted her to feel that way.
The shopping trip I’d taken her on had been harder to convince her to accept, though she’d enjoyed it once she got past her nervousness, but she still refused to toss her old things and take her new clothes home. She would wear her usual jeans and blouse when she left her house, then go to my penthouse or office and change into one of the outfits I’d bought her before coming into the club to find me. She’d nearly balked when I gave her a key to my elevator shortly after that trip, but she’d realized it was necessary if she wanted to leave her things there.
I didn’t care what she wore. I loved the sweet, girl-next-door look she had in her causal clothes, but she was less self-conscious when she wore something similar to the other women at the club.
She was still hiding the fact that she’d quit the diner from her brother, so I didn’t push her to take the outfits home. I loved having her things hanging in my closet, the scent of her lingering even after she left, but if everything went the way I planned, she’d have to tell her family about us soon.
Tucking her hand into the crook of my arm, I led her to the front door, pausing on the porch to give her a moment to collect herself. She grimaced at the skirt she’d changed into and tried to tug the hem lower on her slim thighs, but there wasn’t enough fabric to stretch.
The little glare she shot me had me grinning. I could have made sure there was something more demure for her in my office since I’d known we were coming here after my plans at the club, but I thought she looked perfect the way she was, and I hadn’t wanted her to fuss about what to wear. She could blame the outfit on me, which would ease her conscience, but I knew my family wouldn’t care what she was wearing.
We didn’t stand on ceremony with family, so once she gave me a nod that she was ready, I opened the door and walked in instead of knocking and waiting for someone to answer.
My parents and little sister were supposed to be the only ones home since I’d planned this as a family dinner and I’d told my father I didn’t want to overwhelm Cadence the first time she came over, but I heard another male voice as soon as I opened the door. I couldn’t untangle a scent from the others that lingered in the foyer, and I almost turned and left as anger built in my chest over him disregarding my wishes, but the sound of my little sister’s voice coming from the room ahead as well assured me it couldn’t be a potentially dangerous situation. My father was just as protective of Eleni as I was of Cadence, and leaving now would make Cadence more anxious. It would be twice as hard to get her to meet my family if I didn’t go through with it now.
Gritting my teeth, I closed the door behind us before striding across the foyer with Cadence’s arm linked through mine. It was only a few steps before we turned into the sitting room where the voices were coming from.
Not only were my parents and sister seated inside, but so was my father’s partner Dimitri, and a young blonde who could only be his daughter.
The woman my father wanted me to marry.
Chapter Twenty-four
Cadence
The home Leo led me into was magnificent, and completely overwhelming for someone who’d grown up in a humble house, scraping by on the bare minimum. I had known his family was rich, but I’d never really thought about the extent of their fortune and what it meant.
The house was inside the same walled off plot of land as the building where I’d first met Leo’s father to negotiate my brother’s debt, but I hadn’t noticed it then since it sat back a little farther, behind a stand of trees. I didn’t know enough about styles to be able to call it anything other than a mansion, but it was tastefully done, not a gaudy showroom like the ones I’d seen on TV.
I was almost disappointed there were no gold chandeliers or ropes of pearls hanging in each room.
Leo led me into a sitting room that was surprisingly cozy. A pair of matching couches faced each other across a mahogany coffee table sporting a small arrangement of flowers that gently perfumed the air. There was a fireplace directly across from us, the mantle matching the table, but sporting nothing more noteworthy than photos of the family.
I itched to go inspect the ones of Leo, but my attention was pulled elsewhere.
The people seated on the two couches were just as breathtaking as the house. I’d seen Leo’s father before, and he still wore a pinstripe suit with a cigar hanging from his lips, the picture of a mafia don, but the two women beside him were too stunning for Leo to be callingnormal.
Both had thick, dark hair, and I noticed the same green eyes Leo had when they turned to us, though the younger woman’s were slightly lighter in color. She looked like a miniature copy of the regal woman seated beside her whose locks were twisted up in some fancy arrangement I had no idea how she managed without the help of professionals. For all I knew, she had hairdressers on call who came to do her hair each day.
I assumed they had to be Leo’s mother and sister, though it was hard to be certain since the older woman looked too young to have born a child Leo’s age. There wasn’t a single strand of grey in her dark hair, nor any sign of wrinkles on her face. It was her posture and the maturity in her features that marked her as older than the girl beside her, who still had the fresh, baby face of youth.
And the scent I caught in the air told me they were both omegas.
The pair seated across from them were almost the polar opposite of the Galleons. The alpha’s hair was a plain brown, cropped almost all the way to his skull, and the lines on his pale face betrayed his advanced age. He sported a goatee that was heavily peppered with grey, and his eyes were looked almost coal black when he turned them to me, the iris so dark it couldn’t be distinguished from the pupil, and barely hiding the disdain I could feel dripping off him.
The woman at his side looked like a beta based on her height and build, though she was too far away for me to catch her scent with all the other new ones in the room. She had pale blonde locks so light it was almost white, though there was a shadow of darker hair along her scalp, and her eyes were a bright blue that almost looked unreal. Her pouty lips were painted cherry red, her makeup so flawless mine looked like a blind toddler had applied it. She was curvy and voluptuous, her off-the-shoulder red top showing off her cleavage, and I felt an instant stab of jealousy before possessiveness took over as her gaze brushed past me to crawl over Leo.
My fingers tightened on his arm, and I leaned into his side before I could control myself, turning my head to subtly brush my cheek on his sleeve. I had to tamp down the other urges riding me to claim him since I had no right to them, thanks only to myself if Leo was to be believed.
Everyone stood once we entered, Leo’s parents moving forward first to greet us. His father’s eyes narrowed as he looked me over, but I couldn’t tell if he remembered our first encounter or was simply disapproving of my outfit. It certainly wasn’t what I’d have picked if I had known we were coming here to meet them, but the older alpha took my hand in a surprisingly gentle grip as Leo made introductions.
“Cadence, this is my father, Mateo, and my mother, Aelia.”
His mother ignored my hand and wrapped me in a hug, giving me a warm smile when she released me and held me at arm’s length. Her scent of fresh baked bread was homey and inviting, and I immediately felt at ease with her, as if she was an old friend.
