Chapter 10
Rian
Isabelle and I linger close to each other, and Aodhan doesn’t leave our side as he conveniently blocks anyone who might try to cut in to steal a dance with my bride. The only ones he’s allowed through have been her father and brother, the latter is currently holding her hostage on the floor.
Cillian has disappeared to god knows where, and Cormac is lurking somewhere around the dessert table. Declan declined the invitation with Aoife so heavily pregnant, and I don’t blame him.
“Rian! Who knew you would tie the knot first,” a loud, slurred voice announces before slapping me on the back. I turn and glare at my drunk cousin. Johnny is the type of family you want to know by name only.
“Considering it’s my family who has to make the most sacrifice, does it really surprise you?” My voice comes out low between gritted teeth.
He swallows, laughing nervously as he takes a step back and his beady eyes land on Isabelle. “I mean it’s no hardship on your part, right? Imagine what it will be like to pry that beauty’s legs open.”
I grab his shirt, pulling him to me. “Don’t fucking look at her again. Don’t even think about my wife. You got it? Go sober up, you’re embarrassing.”
Cormac appears the next second, leading Johnny away from me to grab a coffee.
There’s not even a moment of peace before Luca and Gio are in front of me. I grind my teeth, wanting to be left alone, except by the only person avoiding me. I greet them with feigned pleasantries.
“Enjoying the party, gentlemen?”
Luca scowls, glancing at the time on his watch. “Only a few more hours and we don’t have to be in each other’s presence for the foreseeable future.”
“Ahh. And here I thought we would become the best of friends?”
Aodhan snickers, shifting closer to me. I can feel Isabelle’s eyes on us from a few steps away, but we’re speaking low enough that I know she can’t make out any of it. A couple of my female cousins have approached her and are making idle chit chat.
“I think friends would be too strong of a word to describe what we are.” There’s a hint of humor in his tone, and I sigh.
“Sure. Was there anything else you needed? I thought we hammered out all the details at the last meeting.”
Luca’s eyes drift briefly to Isabelle before coming back to me. Emotion stirs in them. “I don’t have any sisters, but Isabelle is as close to one as I’ll get and?—”
“What happens between me and my wife is no longer your business…regardless of your feelings toward her.” I paste the same smile on my face and he glances away, irritated by the barrier I’m putting between us. “And you shouldn’t feel any type of way.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “As civil as always.”
“As ignorant as always. We’ve never been the ones to mistreat women,” Aodhan says with a mocking smirk. A reminder that doesn’t need to be said since we’ve already preached that sermon once.
Gio takes a step toward him, but Luca puts his hand on his chest and glares at us both. “We are not responsible for the sins of our father.”
“You’re right, but if we were, my father treated my mother like a queen. And so shall I with Isabelle. So take your threats and shove them up your fucking ass, if you can unwind it enough,” I say through clenched teeth.
Aodhan coughs into his fist and Cormac appears next to me, clearly sensing the tension between us all. Luca’s expression is thunderous and Gio’s hand flexes at his side, I’m sure on the holster of his gun.
Leaving them there without waiting for another reply, I walk to my bride with a self-assured smile. “Dance with me?”
Her mouth opens, a small twist to it as if she’s about to snap at me before she presses her lips together and slips her hand in mine. My fingers flex on her waist and pull her closer as we fall into step with each other. Her big brown eyes shift around my face, looking for something before she glances back out around the crowd.
“I’m sorry your father couldn’t attend.”
My breath stalls in my lungs, and I squeeze her tighter than I mean to for a second before I exhale, loosening my grip. I blink away the sudden tears and try to push away the ache in my chest. I hadn’t realized how much it hurt that he isn’t here, even if it’s through no fault of his own.
Clearing my throat, I give her a soft smile. “He tried, and I think one of the men recorded the ceremony for him.”
She nods. “I’m sure my mom will have a million photos for him.”
“Maybe a few we can hang up in our home,” I tease, testing how she’s currently feeling. We haven’t had much time to interact alone, but we seem to always end up in a fight.
Isabelle swallows, keeping her attention away from me. “Right, our home.”
“It will be yours as much as mine.”
She rolls her eyes before she can help it and straightens her shoulders to turn back to me. “I’m trying, Rian. But please stop gloating.”
I lean down to press my lips against her ears. “I’m not gloating, Isabelle. We both put ourselves in an impossible situation, and I chose what I could live with.”
Her lips twist into an insincere smile. “At the expense of what I want.”
“What we want can change. Have you given it any thought?”
Isabelle’s eyebrows furrow and she stares at me, a mix of wonder and frustration swirling in her eyes.
A cough has us pulling away and her brother stands there, glancing between us with a wary look.
“May I?” he asks me. I smirk at the clear intention to show respect.
Isabelle scoffs and lets go, grabbing Ricky’s hand.
I hide my amusement and nod at him, turning to move back to Aodhan. Luca and Gio have moved on, and I have no idea where Cormac disappeared to again. I swear the man is half-shadow.
“I have a feeling her father and brother just let her run wild. She has no regard or respect for you,” Aodhan says, his eyes on Isabelle and Ricky.
I shrug. If I wanted a docile doll for a wife, there had been a whole binder full of them. “I think she’s intelligent enough to gather when to keep her mouth shut. Plus, I rather like her attitude.”
He shakes his head. “That doesn’t surprise me. I worry about the men respecting her.”
“Like I said, give her more credit than that. She’s played the perfect wife for hours. So she rolls her eyes while in my arms. For all anyone knows, I made a dumb joke.”
Aodhan sighs, cracking his neck. “I hope you’re right, because a good majority already didn’t like the rush of this arrangement.”
“They don’t fucking like anything that upsets their daily routine, which is too damn bad considering they get to live their cushy lives because of everything we do for them.” My retort is more curt than I intend, but all of us spend more time in Jersey now thanks to the help we provide, so I’m growing increasingly annoyed. I’m not sure how my father deals with their complaints.
Aodhan rolls his shoulders back. “We spent years building up the brotherhood and the connections needed to slow down the gun imports. We’ve already gotten rid of half our wash spots. Getting into bed with the Italians was never the plan.”
I grab a flute of champagne passing by and down it in one gulp, setting the glass down on the table next to us. “A little too late to have doubts.”
He shakes his head. “Just tell me if anything feels off. We’ll pull the plug on it immediately.”
Stiffening, I glance back to my bride. Could I put a bullet between her eyes without hesitation if I found out she was betraying me? I’d like to think I could, but the pain in my chest at the thought has me leaving Aodhan without a promise as I walk back to the dance floor.