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My jaw went slack. “He thought it was…funny?”
“Apparently he was pissed at first, but after Lucien showed him the photo, he laughed,” Duran said. “He said as long as Lucien goes through with his marriage, he’s willing to let what we did slide.”
I chewed my lip. “I feel bad for Lucien.”
Duran’s brows creased. “Don’t.”
“Why?”
My husband set aside his phone and sank down on the edge of the bed. “Lucien is an ice cold motherfucker, he’s hard to read, but I know him. He’s been down bad for Olivia from the first day he went to her father’s house to meet her. I’m not sure he realizes how far gone he is yet.”
I swallowed. “I hope he’s nice to her. She seems really hurt.”
“She is,” Duran said quietly. “She’s fucked up, just like the rest of us.”
Warmth crept through me as I realized that despite how filthy we’d gotten last night, I’d opened my eyes without a trace of shame. I knew I wasn’t completely cured, but he’d gotten through to me when nothing else could.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He leaned in. “For what?”
“For loving me.”
His hand slid up my bare leg and squeezed it. “I should be thanking you. I never expected it to happen…especially after how royally I fucked up with you.”
“Why not?” I frowned. “You’re gorgeous.”
He laughed and then sobered. “I think I’ve always been scared of commitment because…I never wanted to be my father, but with you, it’s always been about forever. I never want to hurt you, Iris. I swear I’ll love you the way you deserve.”
My eyes filled with tears and I blinked hard to keep them from falling.
“You’re nothing like him,” I whispered.
He swallowed. “You make me happy and that’s worth everything to me. Anything you want is yours, just be my wife forever because I can’t fathom what life looks like without you.” There was a catch in his throat.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He sighed. “We should go face the music.”
“I thought Romano was going to let it slide.”
“He is, but your parents are going to want to murder me,” he said. “I kidnapped their only daughter, popped her cherry, and married her while drunk. I don’t think your father is going to like me much.”
I chewed my lip, my stomach turning. I’d been so preoccupied with trying to get Romano’s approval that I’d forgotten about my parents. Guilt rippled through me and I felt like the worst daughter in the world.
“Yeah,” I said hoarsely. “We should probably go home and figure that out.”
We finished our breakfast in silence. The atmosphere had gone from celebratory to tenuous. We packed our things and Duran drove us to the airstrip outside town where the private plane waited.
“You okay, princess?” he asked, that protective hand on my spine.
“Yeah, just a little nervous,” I admitted. “You have my back?”
He kissed the nape of my neck and warmth prickled all the way down to the bottoms of my feet.
“I’ve always got your back,” he said. “Always, without question.”
That stopped me in my tracks. I’d never had anyone in my life who was always and unequivocally on my side. My parents, despite their good traits, were often my advisories. They both preferred rules and proper behavior over who I was and what I wanted.
