Chapter 7
Matteo
This may have been an arranged marriage, and she may not have known that she was marrying me, but I knew what was going on. I knew what I was doing, and this marriage is very real for me. So here we are on our wedding night in the honeymoon suite that I rented. It”s the presidential suite with the romance package, though I told them to skip the champagne since she can”t drink it.
We’re the only ones on this floor, so it makes security easy. I”ll take my wife”s security extremely seriously. She doesn”t know it, but until her dad locked her away, she had more than just her dad”s bodyguards protecting her everywhere she went. Now the only difference is she”ll know that she has people protecting her. As much as I would love to keep her locked away so nothing happens to her, I won”t do that to her. Even though she”ll have her freedom, she”ll also have an entourage following her around.
After removing my suit coat, I place it on the back of the desk chair and then grab a bottle of water and hand it to her.
”Why don’t you sit down? I think we have a lot to talk about,” I say.
Nodding, she walks to the couch in the seating area and takes a seat.
She”s still in her wedding dress and it piles around her on the couch, so I grab the chair that”s on the desk and pull it over to sit in front of her.
”I don”t want to be the type of husband that keeps you in the dark. Traditionally in mafia marriages, the man is the head of the family and the wife is just expected to do what she”s told. The man will decide what she needs to know, if anything.
My grandfather ran things a bit differently, and our family was stronger because of it. My dad followed more of their traditional ways and Mom loved him, but there has always a wall there and I don”t want that for us.”
I”ve never been one to share my emotions, and being so open with her makes me feel very uncomfortable. Though I know that this is what she needs. What we will require if we”re going to make it work. Even if she doesn”t realize it, she told me so the night we spent together.
That night was amazing. We talked about everything and anything, and I got to know her. She was more open and free to talk than I was. But I listened and paid attention and will use that for my benefit now.
”There are some things my dad keeps my mom in the dark on, but in general, he values and respects her opinion. They really do love each other,” she says.
Then she puts her hand on her mouth like she wants to say something else, but doesn”t. That’s fine because we need to build trust between us and it will take time. Even though we may have just merged our families, it”s going to take her time to realize that means a lot to me, and I won”t use her family against her or what I learned about her family against them.
Now it”s time to see if I can trust her.
“A few months ago, my father was murdered,” I say. Then pause to watch her reaction.
Her eyes get huge. ”I am so sorry. I can”t even imagine. Does that mean you took over the family?” she asks, putting the pieces together.
”Yes, it”s been a steep learning curve, but my father prepared me the best he could. My family is seeking revenge. One of our allies from out of state is here, and we recently discovered that it”s your ex-fiancée”s family that murdered my father.”
One of the things my father taught me was how to read people. Right away, I know that she knows something. I can see it for a brief second before she tries to cover it. Then I watch this war going on in her head. Someone like Eric would demand she”d tell him things or face a harsh punishment. If I”m going to earn her trust, I can”t go that route.
”Thank you for your trust. There were many talks between Eric and my father, but I only overheard some of them. Towards the end, Eric was very erratic and demanding my father”s protection. He said he was being accused of something, but I never knew what. Does my father know all this? If you”re going to seek retaliation, it will affect him, too.”
”Smart girl. Ah yes, I was very open and honest with your father. Well, I think that he didn’t know I knew you were pregnant might have helped those negotiations. Though he didn”t agree to go to war beside me to avenge my father”s death.
The night you walked into Club Red, people that worked with my father closely were pressuring me to get married. They said that we need to show we were more stable before I went to war. Then in walked you and I knew before we even slept together that I wanted you.
You were engaged, and I figured that meant a contract, so I had been working to find a way around that. When I found out you were pregnant, it was simple. I stepped in and your father handed you to me on a silver platter.
My plan is to take out the whole Ricci family, not just the person that killed my father. Because from what we”re finding, it looks like the orders came from pretty high up. If I don”t nip this in the bud now, I”ll be labeled as an easy target. In the future, that would be putting my family and you at risk.”
”I know how this world works because I grew up in it,” she says. “Even though I didn”t have a say in this marriage, you are my family now and my loyalty is with you. Make no mistake. I will not turn my back on my family and my parents. My father did what he always thought was best. Though we may not have always agreed, they gave me a better life than most mafia daughters would get. For that, they deserve my loyalty.”
Well, Aria sure is a spitfire and I absolutely love that about her.
”I know that it”s hard for you to trust right now, but you will. I meant what I said. Even though your family is not my family, I will protect them as if they were my own. But I expect the same out of them. That”s what this marriage means to me business wise, anyway. Yet it means something else on a personal level.”
I hold her eyes with my own, willing her to understand what I”m not able to say out loud just yet.
Instead, she shakes her head and stands up. ”This dress is getting uncomfortable. Do you mind if I change?” she asks.
I kick myself for not thinking about that sooner. Of course, the big monstrosity of a dress she”s wearing is uncomfortable. I should have offered to let her change before we sat down to talk. Note to self, I need to do better and take better care of my new bride.
”Please take as long as you need.” I stand and put the chair back, but she stands there looking hesitant and unsure.
”What do you need?” I ask softly. It”s going to take me a while to get to know her, but eventually I won”t have to ask, I will just know.
”It took two other people to get me into this dress. I don”t think I can get out of it on my own. Would you mind at least unbuttoning the back?” she asks. Then she turns her back to me and I can see a long row of buttons topped with pearls.
”Absolutely,” I say. Then I step up behind her to start the unbuttoning.
”Be gentle, please. I don”t want to ruin the dress,” she says.
I nod even though she can”t see me and gently start unbuttoning her dress. The last time I removed clothing from her, the dress fit her like a glove. But it was stretchy, so there were no buttons or zipper to undo. This is definitely a much different experience. But the more buttons I undo, the quicker her breathing gets. When I accidentally on purpose brush my finger along the skin of her back, goose bumps form. She”s not unaffected by me. I was hoping that was the case since we did sleep together. Even though her mind is on overdrive with the wedding and how all this came about, her body still remembers me so that is something for me to work with.
As I get to the last of the buttons, she tenses up. Gently placing my hands on her shoulders, I kiss the top of her head.
”I will not force you tonight, baby girl. What”s the point as you”re already carrying my baby? But let”s get one thing clear. I will not force you to be with me, but you will not be with anyone else either. Right now, I will make you that promise.”
Turning to look at me, she studied my face as if trying to decide if she could believe me or not. While I wish she would take me at my word, in this world it”s best that she doesn”t. It will keep her safe.
Finally, she nods and while awkwardly holding her dress to her, she grabs her duffel bag and goes into the bathroom. Taking the time that she”s in there, I remove my suit and change into sweatpants and a t-shirt. Then double check that my gun is loaded and put it under my pillow. Then I pull the gun that I had in my suitcase, check it and place it on the dresser by the door.
After making sure that the door is locked and secured, I look to check that my men are in their places. Then I sit down on the edge of the bed and wait for her. A few minutes later, she steps in the doorway also wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.
”Is this okay?” she asks, still standing in the doorway.
”I want you to be comfortable. You never have to ask. If you”re comfortable sleeping in a full snowsuit, then do it. If you”d rather sleep naked, I”m not going to stop you. The only time that I might say something about what you wear is if you”re wearing something too revealing while we”re in public. Otherwise, when we”re around our house or it”s just you and me, I want you comfortable, especially as you get further along in the pregnancy.”
She offers me a shy smile, walking over to the other side of the bed. Before climbing in, she looks at it and then looks at me and around the room. I want to ask her what she needs, but before I can say anything, she walks over to the couch and grabs the pillows. Finally, satisfied, she carries them to the bed, makes a pillow wall between us and then climbs in.
It”s a king-size bed, so there”s plenty of room, but I just smile and don’t make an issue out of it. After she’s settled, I lie down too, turning off the light.
”You could have asked me to just stay on my side of the bed. But if a wall of pillows makes you feel safe, then so be it. You”re going to have to get used to me in your bed eventually because there will be no separate bedrooms when we get home.”
Even though I know she heard me, she didn”t say a word. There”s going to be a lot of changes for her in the coming weeks and I wish to make it as easy as possible.
Though I”d give just about anything to hold her in my arms tonight. I”ll give her the space that she wants... for now.