Twisted Games of Revenge (Sinners of Ravens Hollow #3)

Chapter 33

I run my hands over the white linen dress I picked out for today’s very informal ceremony, if you can even call it that. I look as nice as can be expected when I still feel shitty. The makeup job Sloane’s girl did for me at least gives me a slight glow. Anything so I don’t look like death warmed over for tonight’s dinner with the Morettis. From what the boys have told me, it’s pretty simple. The officiary will come, and we will both sign the paperwork, and then it all gets sent off to be made legal.

Me legally bound to Alessandro.

I still can’t believe I agreed to it, but I’m not backing out now. I agree with his reasons, and the only thing I care about is protecting my baby from its monster of a grandpapa. If giving up my independence is how I do it, so be it.

A knock comes at the door to the small farmhouse room I changed into my dress in. Geovani is waiting for me when I open it. He looks sharp in his expensive suit. I tilt my head to the side, way too many inappropriate thoughts going through my head.

“It’s time, Red.” He smirks wickedly, and I know he’s right there with me.

I sigh heavily. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I know Alex said I can annul the marriage when this is all over, but we both know this will look real to everyone else. I’m sorry I can’t marry you both.”

He takes my hand, lifting it to his lips, and he places a kiss to the back of my fingers. “You’re committing to us all today. It will just be his name on the paperwork.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, knowing the implication of what he’s saying. Then I smile. “I like that idea.”

“It’s just a marriage on paper to protect you and your assets, it won’t define any of us or what we are to each other,” he says, and I know that comment was for himself just as much as me. Before I know what’s happening, his hands are lacing through my hair and he’s shoving me up against the doorframe, kissing me desperately. My hands run up and under his shirt, and I tug him in closer, taking in his masculine scent as he ravishes me.

When he finally pulls back, I’m breathless and panting. “Come on, we need to get going. The boys are on edge having you out of the apartment.”

“Okay.” I take his hand in mine and close the door of the farmhouse, fixing my lipstick as we walk through the tree-lined forest toward where the boys await me. As we get closer, I stop and gasp. “He said there would be no fuss.”

“Did you really think they would let you just sign some piece of paper? They love you, Harley. This is special even if it’s not real.”

But I think it is real. The trees are draped with fairy lights. Under our feet there are pale pink rose petals sprinkled down the path that leads to the boys. Behind them, a soft piece of silk is draped between two trees creating an arbor. And there at the end of the altar stand my Moretti boys. All three of them.

I smile softly at Geovani. “It’s so beautiful.”

“It’s what you deserve.”

I squeeze his hand a little tighter and keep walking the final steps to the others. By Alessandro’s side is a striking middle-aged woman, with long almost black hair, impeccably dressed in a crisp white pantsuit. She smiles pleasantly at us.

I smile at the other boys. Ricky’s beaming from ear to ear, and Maddox looks like he’s teary. My big tough guy is a softy after all. Geovani releases my hand, and I go to them, kissing Ricky then Maddox quickly, before turning to Alessandro and the lady.

She smiles warmly, not at all surprised by our unconventional wedding. “I’m Rose Maclary, I’ll officiate your marriage,” she tells me.

“Okay.” I return her warmth, a flutter of excitement running through me.

“Alright then, let’s get all this sorted for you.” She pulls out some paperwork from the binder she has tucked under her arm. “Miss Harley Havardi?” she asks me.

“Yes,” I respond, a wave of uneasiness coming over me as I glance toward Alex. “Isn’t Harley dead?” I question why he’s marrying the real me and not my new identity.

“That paperwork was never filed with births, deaths, and marriages. It was more a media story we made sure was spun to look like you had died to Enzo. For this to work, I have to legally marry Harley. It’s you I need to protect from him.”

I nod, agreeing and not wanting to get into it any more in front of this lady.

She turns to Alex when she is satisfied we’re done talking. “Mr. Alessandro Moretti?” she checks with him.

“Yes,” he agrees.

“Right.” She adds a cross to a couple of places on the paper. “Sign here, please.” She taps the pen and hands it to him.

Alessandro signs first then hands the pen to me. I bite into my lip, nibbling nervously. I glance at the paperwork, knowing there is no going back from this. If I sign this, I will be legally married to him. I glance at the others nervously, knowing I have to trust them. This isn’t just about me anymore. And even if it was, what’s so bad about being married to a man who is dedicating himself to protecting me and the other men I care so deeply about. This is my life now, why am I still trying to fight it so desperately? I love him, and the truth is, I want to spend the rest of my life with them all. I already know this is it for me, so why not dive right into the deep end.

Alex’s hand comes to my arm, and he squeezes gently. “You don’t have to do this. If you can’t, we will work out something else to force him to back off.”

My stomach churns like crazy, but when I look into his caring dark eyes, I know I can trust him. He only wants to help me. To protect me. With an iron grip around the pen, I sign the paper. A weight lifts off my shoulders as soon as I do, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips as I stare back at my gorgeous man in his dark tailored suit.

Rose smiles at us happily. “You can kiss the bride if you want.”

A grin stretches across his face as he gently cups my cheeks, his lips meeting mine in a loving kiss. I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and pull him in closer, making sure he knows I feel the same way about him as he does me. When we eventually pull back from each other, panting, I can’t stop staring into his eyes. Something has shifted between us. We’re no longer warring over his need to dominate me, but I feel like we’re two equals traveling down the same path. “I love you, Harley Havardi,” he says with confidence.

“I love you, Alex Moretti.” I smile back.

Hearing a whoop, whoop from Ricky, I glance back at him. “Well finally, you two sure took your time to get your shit together.” He laughs playfully.

I get a nod from Geovani, and Maddox crosses his arms over his chest, but I can tell he’s okay with this. Strangely, they all are. My safety is more important than their egos.

Rose clears her throat. “I will need to process these papers in the morning, as our offices are closed for the day now, but the two of you are now husband and wife. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Moretti.”

I’m married!

We have a few photos taken by a photographer friend of Alessandro’s. Apparently, she will be writing up a story about the two of us, something I’m sure Enzo and Valentina will lose their shit over when they hear about being excluded from the ceremony. But that’s on them. When it’s all done, Rose says her goodbyes and so does the photographer, leaving just the five of us.

I stand looking around the beautiful ceremony space the boys created for me, still in awe.

Alex’s hand clutches mine. “We should get out of here.”

“Are you worried?” I glance over my shoulder in the direction of the other boys who have gathered at Ricky’s Jeep.

“I have enough guards on site that I’m not, but I don’t want to take any risks that aren’t necessary.”

My brow quirks up. “It was necessary to marry me out here in this beautiful space?”

“Absolutely. I wasn’t just having you sign the papers. Even if this wasn’t a real wedding, this might be the only chance I get to marry you. I was doing it right.”

I can’t help but smile back at him. “Thanks, I appreciate the effort you all went to. The space is magical.”

“It is.” He kisses me. “If I did marry you for real today, I know what I would have said.”

A smirk plays on my lips as I eye him curiously, my eyebrows slightly raised. “Oh yeah? Something like if you don’t obey me, I will lock you up and throw away the key?” I burst into laughter, not able to keep a straight face at my dig at him.

He crowds me, his face turning serious, backing me up until my ass hits the tree behind me. He stares down at me, all commanding and sexy as hell. “Careful, princess, I’m your husband now. I might just do exactly that, and there will be nothing you can do about it,” he says in warning, but I know he’s playing with me just as much.

I reach up and run my fingers through his hair. “What would you have said to me?”

His eyes soften, and he looks at me with adoration. “Harley Havardi, I knew I loved you the moment I laid eyes on you, and I know things haven’t always been easy. I don’t deserve you, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly what you mean to me and making up for every mistake I have made.” His hand brushes down the side of my face tenderly. I stare up at him, feeling every word he’s saying. “You are the most beautiful, fierce, badass girl I know, and our child will be lucky to have you for a mother. From now until eternity I will love you, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and love me in return.”

Tears well in my eyes, and I try desperately to blink them away. “I do love you, Alex.” I whisper the words, and seconds later, his mouth crashes with mine in a possessive kiss. I will never get used to this, the feeling that my heart is so full I don’t know what to do.

After the five of us arrive home I wander into my room alone, feeling a little overwhelmed, my mind already racing with what might happen tonight. I change out of my dress and find something black, a cocktail dress with long lace sleeves and a sinched-in waist. I stare at my reflection in the mirror, wondering if I look different. But I don’t. I’m the same girl, only now I have a husband.

“Are you okay, Red?” comes Geovani’s voice from my doorway. “We’re ready to go.”

Geovani moves through the room toward me, caging me in. His hands travel down my sides, stopping when he gets to my waist, then he pulls me into him and drops his lips to mine, kissing me with a possessiveness I feel all the way down to my toes like he knew it was exactly what I needed. When he pulls back from me, he looks me over with concern. “I will be right there with you all night.”

“I have a bad feeling about this dinner.”

“I would say this is just Enzo’s way of trying to act like he still holds some control over his sons. But if something does go south, we have backup.”

“Who?”

“An army of Iron Strykers waiting just outside the grounds, ready to storm the place at a moment’s notice. You’re one powerful woman, Red.”

I laugh, because no, I’m not.

His face turns serious. “Never underestimate who you are. There is something within you that makes people take notice. It’s why Enzo was so wary of you when he knew you as Harley. He could see your power, and he couldn’t stand it.”

I stand a little taller. “Thank you.” I pop up on my toes and kiss him on the lips. He doesn’t know what his words of encouragement mean to me, but if he thinks I’m strong and I can do this, I feel as though I can. “I can do anything with you boys by my side.”

“You could do it without us as well. But we won’t let you.” His lips turn up at the side and he pulls me into him.

“One day when Enzo is dealt with, I want to make a change, do something that could really make a difference. Maybe with your help I could run some self-defense classes for the women who work at your club, and Sloane’s girls.”

“We can do that now, if you want. But you will have to do more the business side of things, and I will teach the classes, until this one is born anyway.” I smile back at him, liking that idea a lot. We leave my room together, ready to take on whatever shit storm Enzo has planned for us tonight. Because we’re together, and we’re ready for him.