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22
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CONNOR
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Between Mia’s auntstelling her they’re happy—butshouldn’t you choose someone Italian...and Catholic—and her uncle Antonio glaring at me across the dinner table, I’ve had enough of the Mancini family.
But it’s Cade who holds most of my attention.
His behavior is odd. Given I know about his coup, I expected to meet a man with a sense of personal power, ready to take over the kingdom, but instead, he seems both childish and rebellious.
A spoiled child with a machine gun.
A dangerous fucker.
I can’t get a read on Joe’s feelings on his son. He keeps them very close to his chest. Which I respect. He’s probably hoping that he’ll mature and grow.
I keep going over our conversation. Maybe I should’ve lied and told him I loved Mia, but he wouldn’t have believed me. He’s astute, and I probably gained an ounce of respect by not bothering.
Reality has kicked in, and I know if I want to make progress, joining the family sooner rather than later is my best move.
I’ve demanded his respect. Now it needs to be earned.
“So, when’s the wedding?” Cade asks, shoveling the last of his meal into his mouth, dropping his cutlery onto the plate.
“We haven’t set a date,” Mia says.
“We should. Late July. A summer wedding,” I say, laying my arm along the back of her chair possessively.
“This July?” her aunt Rosa screeches.
Mia whips her face to me. “That’s less than eight weeks away.”
“That’s too early. July?” Silvia cries.
I think it’s perfect. It will keep everyone busy and lock this agreement in place, destroying Cade’s plans. He glares at me from the other end of the table.
I lift my fork to my mouth, meeting his stare.
When I finish my mouthful, I drop my eyes to Mia and add, “We’ll have a wedding planner, sweetheart. You just need to choose your dress. We can fly to Italy if we need to. Whatever you want, you can have.”
Cue the women around the table, clutching their pearls and swooning in Italian as they discuss what her dress should look like.
Mia glares at me momentarily, but the family is on a roll.
Family will need to fly in. The priest will need to be booked. Flowers must be some damn color.
