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I raked my fingers through my hair. I had a wife. Allegra had been chosen for me, but I’d already claimed her as mine. My cock thickened as I touched the stinging cut hidden beneath my shirt. She’d claimed me as hers.
“You could be a father to Savio. Marriage to Giada in name only.”
“Kill me now.” Not only no, but fuck no.
“Fine. I wouldn’t want you to marry her either.” She approached me and rested her hand on my arm. “But Savio needs you, and you can’t be an influence on his life from the U.S. You won’t stay here if you marry Allegra, and Giada knows it.”
“You would have me break my—our father’s—word to don Jilani?”
“I’m just saying you’re needed here. You’re the don ofthisfamily. There’re those who would see you as weak if you weren’t here.”
I cracked my neck and sighed. I was torn between two responsibilities. “I can delay.” Only until I figured out a solution. “I’ll speak to Allegra and hope she understands.”
Anna arched a brow. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you wanted to marry her.”
“She was unexpected.”
Her lips twitched. “Beautiful?”
I smiled. “Sì, bellissima. She challenges my conception of marriage. I suspect she’s going to challenge me in other ways.” I gave her the abridged version of our first meeting, her defiance, and an edited version of her affinity for knives and Google. “Her brother will make a formidable don. But her father had his balls removed on his wedding day and gave them to his wife.”
Or he was an athlete of patience, resisting her annoying voice with calmness. That level of selective hearing was more than admirable. It was a skill requiring constant training.
I pressed a palm to my chest to feel the bite of pain. “In every definition of the word, Allegra is my wife.” My gut tightened. I’d given my word to her, but this family still came first. I balled my hand into a fist. “I made vows to her.”
“Marco,” she whispered.
“I know. I want the world to know she is my wife. But if I bring her here, will my enemy make her a target?” Threats and intimidation were the ways of my world. Wives and children ensured compliance. “It may already be too late to insulate her.”
“What are you going to do?”
“What I do best, Anna. And let Stefano do what he does best.”
“And Allegra?”
“This will give them time to plan for the big wedding her mother wanted. I need your help.” I was going to break the iron grip her mother had on her. “Set her up with accounts. I’ll provide her with anything she needs.”
Anna reached up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “I love you, Marco.”
My mother had died when I was fifteen. Anna had been mothering me and my brothers ever since. That she would offer me comfort now wasn’t surprising.
“When you talk to Giada, remember she’s grieving, too. I know you hate her, but if you push her, she’ll take Savio. I can’t lose him.”
“I want answers, Anna.”
“You won’t get them by torturing Giada.”
“Just having her around is torture.”
She smiled as she left. I walked to my father’s humidor and selected one of his best Cubans. I cut the cap, toasted the foot, and then lit the end. This one was for my father.
Allegra
Four days after Marco left, I started my period. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about having morning sickness when I got married, or worse, being six months pregnant when I stood at the altar of St. Joseph’s. That was if I got married at all.
I would call him and let him know, but I wasn’t sure he’d care. He’d been gone four days, but I’d only heard from him once. Once to tell me the wedding had to be postponed…indefinitely.
Tears built in my eyes again. I hadn’t told my mother. I couldn’t stand the idea of her gloating and reminding me again that I was an embarrassment to the family. He’d bury his father today. I wanted to be with him, to stand next to him.
