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“I…You all are insane!”
I go to berate them more and my phone vibrates and dings indicating a text message.
I reach in the back pocket of my slacks and thumb through the message and see it’s from the gallery, wondering where I am. I look at the time on the screen and panic.
“Oh my God! When did it get that late. I have to go! I’m meeting with a new artist today. I’m trying to convince her to show her paintings at our gallery.”
I move to jump up off of Marco’s lap, intent on getting to work. Marco has other plans. He uses his hold on me to keep me locked to his body. He turns me slightly so I can see him more easily.
“Not so fast, Ena. We need to decide about the wedding. Do you want a huge wedding or small family event? I don’t care either way, but I’m going on record right now and I’m telling you that your father isn’t paying a damn thing. He doesn’t get to touch it. If he can’t be bothered to be good to you when he had you under his roof, he doesn’t get the privilege to give you good now. That will fall on me. I’ll make sure your dreams come true.”
My eyes sting with his words, but I refuse to cry again. I just look at him, hoping he can see how much his words mean to me. “Marco, can we discuss this tonight?”
“No. I want it figured out. I want a gold band to join that rock on your hand, baby.”
I shake my head and sigh. “Fine, and despite what others think about me. I’d prefer to go simple. I don’t want a big wedding. I want my family there and that’s it. I doubt my father will want to come unless I insist, so by family I mean your brothers, Melina and Antonio, along with his men if they want to come.”
“Then I—”
“That includes Victorio.”
Marco grunts.
“However, because I do love clothes. I want a gorgeous dress that will probably cost a lot, so you may want my father to pay for it.”
“I’m paying for it,” Marco insists stubbornly.
“Suit yourself, but I want all the trappings of a big wedding, caterers, gorgeous cake, fancy designer dress lots and lots of ribbons and flowers.”
“Then, you best be looking at venues—”
“No, I want it here, in front of the ocean below, and we can’t do it until our new home is complete.”
“Our new home?” Marco questions.
“Honey, you just threw away a beautiful ring that was smaller but still cost an outrageous amount of money all because your father had a hand in buying it. You need to quit fighting it and just destroy this house and have them build one that you will want to live in.”
“Fuckin’ A,” Elias says.
“You’ve been hanging around Antonio’s men too much,” Gio grumbles.
“Ena, if we do that. It could take a while.”
“So, it takes a while. I don’t care. I do, however, want a say when it comes to the interior decorating. It’s only fair since it’s going to be my home, too. I’ve had enough of blank rooms with no personal touches to last me a lifetime. I want a real home.”
Marco gives me a smile and I can see his approval written clearly on his face. “Do I need to consult with my future wife on how big said house is to be?”
“Honey, I’m really late. Can we talk about this later?”
“You need to talk to me. I can see in your eyes that you have something in mind, Princess.”
I let out a sigh. “You know you are really annoying.”
“I can agree to that for sure,” Sebastian joins in.
“Ena,” Marco warns.
“You will fight me on it,” I hedge.
“Ena.”
“Fine,” I huff. “I think it needs to be four separate homes in one compound that is joined by a central business headquarters. The four homes can be separate structures and they will all share one giant courtyard, forming a square. That will make family get-togethers easier and that way each house can have a private backyard that still faces the ocean. It’s the only fair way to do it so that each of you have your own home.”
“Fuck, Helena,” Sebastian says, and I look at him, then I turn my gaze to all of them. “I’ve spent my life alone. I’m looking forward to having brothers—but just so you know, I’m not living every moment of every day with you. That’s why having our own homes is important. I figure the main office can be the entrance to the courtyard and at an angle. It can be big enough to house your men and their rooms, and a garage.”
“You’ve thought about this a lot.”
“Marco, you’ve been miserable on what to do with this place. That’s why you keep stopping the progress. I want to see you happy and it’s clear you and your brothers aren’t happy here. Now, I really need to go.”
