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“Of course,” Enzo says with a charming smile. “That was my mistake. Rest assured you’ll be seeing much more of me from now on, Mrs. De Luca.”
He’s perfectly polite, poised. I practically see my mother thawing. It makes me sick. While Enzo continues to impress her with his wiles, my brother places his arm around my shoulder and leads me farther away.
“Rosa, I know this is hard,” he starts. “And you have every right to be upset. I’m not fond of this, either. But I need you to trust me on this.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with trust,” I state.
“No, it doesn’t. Tell me,sorella, what are you so afraid of?”
I open my mouth to speak, then shut it as I ponder his question. “Everything,” I say, finally deciding on the answer.
Roman nods, his dark blue eyes shining in understanding. “I get it, and it’s perfectly okay to feel that way,” he says. “There’s something else I need to tell you. Another of Enzo’s terms is that the marriage happens before the end of the year.”
My stomach roils. That’s in less than seven months.
“I know,” Roman says, taking in the expression on his face. “It’s fucked up. But it’s also why I didn’t fight his request to have you move in so soon.”
My brother places a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him and his gaze is hard, unflinching.
“You’re my sister, Rosa. My family. I would never put you in harm’s way. You have a few months to spend some time with the guy, so get to know him. And if he hurts you, or hell, if you feel you really can’t get married to him, just let me know, okay? I’ll break the contract without a second thought. I’ll get you away from him. I swear.”
His words warm my heart. And I didn’t realize it was exactly what I needed to hear.
“You promise?”
“I promise,sorella.”
He stretches his pinkie out toward me, the gesture reminding me of the times he would do something bad when we were kids and make me promise not to tell.
He pulls me into a short hug and presses his forehead against mine.
“La famiglia al primo posto. La famiglia sempre.”
“Family first. Family always,” I whisper back in English.
He nods and we both turn around to find more than a couple of eyes on us. There’s an intense look in Enzo’s eyes when mine meet his. My heart jolts.
“I don’t know if I can love him, Rome,” I say softly.
“Love is never easily achievable,” my brother says. “All you can do is keep an open mind and try, Rosa. He might not be the monster you think he is.”
Oh, God, I really hope not.
The dayI’m scheduled to move into my future husband’s home, he doesn’t come to pick me up. Instead, I find myself face to face with a blond man with steely gray eyes. He’s good-looking, but the scar on the side of his face makes his beauty seem cruel, harsh. His arms are crossed as he leans against a sleek blue Jaguar. I stare at him curiously.
“Who are you?”
He smirks. “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Russo,” he says, tipping an imaginary hat at me. He has a faint British accent. “I’m Jason Reid. Your driver.”
“Please don’t call me that. And I don’t need a driver.”
“Oh? Then that’s good because I’m not one,” he says dryly. “I’m actually Enzo’s best mate. But don’t tell him I said that. He likes to deny the fact that he loves me so much.”
I stare at him for several seconds, trying to figure out the man in front of me. Finally, I sigh. Of course, Enzo’s best friend’s personality is just as weird as his.
“He sent you here?”
“Yeah. Asked me to deliver his bride-to-be in a perfectly wrapped parcel.” His gaze flicks to the suitcase I’m holding onto. “Is that all your stuff?”
