CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
francesca
I kicked the door shut with my foot, arms loaded with shopping bags, and dumped them onto the kitchen counter with a satisfied sigh. Conall’s apartment—no, our apartment—was about to receive a much-needed facelift, whether he liked it or not.
“You know, you look far too smug for someone who just spent an outrageous amount of money on throw pillows and houseplants,”
Theo said, setting her own bags down with considerably less enthusiasm. “Conall is going to kill you.”
“He wouldn’t dare,”
I replied, grinning as I lifted a monstera plant from one of the bags. “Besides, it’s not like I’m painting the walls pink. Just a few accents to make the place feel less — cave-like.”
Theo snorted, pulling a candle from a bag and examining its label. “You mean less like a dentist’s office?”
“Exactly.”
I pulled out a ceramic pot shaped like a skull and held it up for inspection. “Do you think this balances the whole ‘softening the place up’ thing?”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “A skull planter? I think it perfectly captures the essence of your marriage.”
I smiled. “Good. Then it stays.”
“This place is wild. When I walked in, I thought they might strip-search me before letting me in.”
She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “There were some charming Irish lads down there I wouldn’t mind getting to know better.”
Theo hadn’t visited Conall’s place before, which was pretty crazy considering how close the four friends were. However, it felt more like a small colony of super soldiers than a venue you would take your sister to, so I suppose it made sense. Still, I knew Theo was more talk than action. She always talked a big game, but she didn’t really date.
I gave her a wink. “There were some attractive men down there. Take pictures of the ones you like when you leave, and then maybe Finn can get a few numbers for you.”
I was teasing, of course, but we were both just talking. Finn immediately pressed his lips into a mutinous line. He had been shadowing us all day with the patience of a saint, and he finally spoke up from his post near the door. “Are you two done yet?”
I offered him a saccharine smile. “Oh, Finn, darling, have you been bored trailing us all day?”
“Not bored,”
he replied dryly. “Exhausted. You two don’t shop. You wage war. The boss will be pissed if you start looking around at his men.”
Theo laughed. “He brings up a valid point. Three plant stores, two home décor boutiques, and one rather awkward encounter with an elderly woman who wanted the same couch pillow as you.”
“She lost fair and square,”
I said with a shrug. “Survival of the fittest.”
I chose not to acknowledge his comment about other men. I wasn’t blind, but why would I look at other men when I had the best one? Theo could look, though.
Finn rubbed his temples. “You nearly sparked a riot over that pillow.”
“It was velvet,”
I clarified. “And it had embroidery.”
Theo smirked. “Now it has a spot of blood on the corner from when you snatched it away.”
“Minor details,”
I dismissed. “Anyway, back to work. Finn, make yourself useful and move the coffee table so I can rearrange these books.”
Finn gave me a long-suffering glance. “I’m your bodyguard, not your furniture mover.”
I beamed. “You’re both.”
He muttered something under his breath but complied, shifting the table while Theo helped me arrange a set of candles. The apartment already looked better, less cold and impersonal. Maybe Conall wouldn’t even notice the changes right away. Or perhaps he’d walk in, take one look at the potted plants, and spontaneously combust.
I’d asked Conall last night if there were any medical issues I should know about. He’d said there weren’t. I suspected my husband had a smidgeon of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Finn finally had enough and sighed as he walked to the door. “I’ll be outside if you need me. Just try not to start another war in here.”
Theo waved him off. “You’ll be the first to know if we decide to. Toodles!”
Once the door clicked shut behind him, Theo flopped onto the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. “Alright, now that we’re alone, I want the nitty-gritty details.”
I raised an eyebrow as I sank into an armchair. “Details about what?”
She gave me an exasperated look, her two space buns wobbling on top of her head. “Oh, come on, Francesca. You’re married to Conall O’Kelly. There’s no way you’re not sitting on a goldmine of juicy details.”
Theo came over this morning after Conall left and promptly gave me a tongue-lashing for getting married without her. She was angrier with Conall than with me since she knew I wouldn’t have chosen to exclude her. If I was honest with myself, she was too good to me and let me off the hook after just a few minutes. She deserved to be mad. I could have put my foot down and insisted that we invite at least Theo, Remo, and Angelo over. I had just wanted it over with, and any delay would have just made me lose my nerve. In the end, I deserved her anger. After she announced she forgave me, she settled for clamoring for me to share bedroom details.
Despite her flirting and chatter, I was fairly certain that Theo’s only experience could be summarized by one unfortunate encounter with a barista from Jersey. The entire ordeal turned her off, and she swore off the business, especially after my “incident”
with Fausto. She insisted that all men were pigs.
Today, she wore a fluorescent tutu she had crafted over black mesh tights, paired with a crop top. With her space buns bouncing and blue eyeshadow, she resembled a punk rocker off their meds. I loved her.
I smirked. “You need to be more specific.”
Theo leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Fine. Tell me everything—the drama, the tension, the details that will make Conall’s ears burn if he ever finds out we talked about them.”
I laughed as I reached for one of the candles we had just arranged. “Alright, but you’d better be prepared. This might take a while.”
There’s no way I would be stingy with my bestie. She deserved to hear everything. “First of all, he’s …”
The opening of the door interrupted my words just as I was about to tell her how dominant he was in the bedroom.
“Your brother, Mrs. O’Kelly. I’ll be right outside,”
he said, giving me a respectful nod before closing the door again.
Angelo appeared to have had a rough day. His hair was disheveled, and his tie was askew. “I’m sorry.”
He rubbed his hand over his mouth. “I know you didn’t want this.”
I frowned. Technically, that was true, but he made it seem like Conall was at fault. The blood oath signed by our fathers had been the culprit here, not Conall. I glanced down at my lap. Although, he hadn’t given me much of a choice.
I straightened in my seat, my fingers tightening around the candle in my lap as I met Angelo’s gaze. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Angelo exhaled, rolling his shoulders as if he were trying to shake off something heavy. “I mean, I know this wasn’t your choice. Not entirely.”
Theo made a noise from the couch, shifting to sit cross-legged. “Oh, here we go. Let’s hear all about Angelo’s opinion on this farce. Big, bad mafia men and their arranged marriages. How romantic!”
she drawled.
Angelo’s eyes shifted to her, and her eyes narrowed in anger, but I didn’t miss the flush rising to her cheeks.
I sighed and set the candle on the table. I wasn’t sure I was in the mood to field banter between the two of them.
“It’s not that simple, Angelo. I’d prefer if you didn’t make it sound like Conall is some villain in all this.”
Angelo hesitated before taking the chair opposite me, rubbing his hand across his face. “I’m not saying he is. I know my friend. I know he wouldn’t do something he thought you couldn’t truly handle. But I also understand what this life requires of us.”
I crossed my arms. “And you think I don’t?”
Angelo had no idea what I could handle, and the thought made a laugh bubble up inside me.
His jaw ticked, but he nodded. To my surprise, he said, “I think you do. I believe you always have. However, I also think you deserve to hear from someone who isn’t Conall that if you ever feel this isn’t right for you, there are people who will support you. Remo and I would be there for you.”
I wasn’t sure what Angelo believed he or Remo could do to free me from my marriage to Conall, but I appreciated the sentiment and clasped my hand over his.
Theo let out a low whistle. “Well, well. Didn’t expect the knight-in-shining-Armani routine from you, Angelo.”
Her words were tinged with sarcasm, which he clearly caught as his gaze snapped to her and lingered. Theo didn’t look away, but I didn’t expect her to. She’d bait my brother until he gave up. Lately, it seemed to be her favorite game.
I blinked, glancing between them before shaking my head. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t need an escape plan. Conall and I may not have started this in the most traditional way, but I can take care of myself.
Angelo studied me for a moment before nodding. “Conall mentioned that contract you insisted on to me. I’m proud of you. That was a good idea.”
He leaned back, his expression turning into something unreadable.
Theo made a show of stretching, her tutu billowing around her. “Wow, Angelo, so mysterious. Are you always this charming, or is this just for us?
Angelo’s lips quirked — the first true hint of amusement I had seen from him since he walked in. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Theo’s grin widened, and I suddenly sensed I was witnessing something I had overlooked. Maybe now that they knew they were paired off, they felt free to flirt. But before I could press, Angelo stood, smoothing his tie as if realizing for the first time that it was askew.
“Not interested, Don Santelli,”
she sniffed.
Angelo flushed angrily but kept his eyes on me, not responding to her barb. Theo had been hell-bent on antagonizing Angelo since we were preteens. Every chance she got, she poked at him. I was surprised that he tolerated it. When she wrecked that Ferrari the night of my eighteenth birthday party, I was sure that he’d murder her right then and there. Somehow, she was still breathing, and she was still pushing.
Clearing my throat, I attempted to steer the conversation away from the tension between the two of them. “You inspired me to do the contract.”
His eyes swung to me.
“Really, sorella?”
“That’s right.”
My lips tipped up in a smile. “I made sure that I got my own contract that was in my interests, ensuring I have options. I might be locked in due to the blood oath, but I’m not stupid. You taught me better than that.”
I offered him a gentle smile. Angelo deserved all the credit for that.
“That was clever. I’m glad you got him to agree to your terms, sorella. I just wanted to check in with you. Conall told me about the attack at the hospital, and I wanted to see how you were holding up.”
His eyes lingered on the scarf at my throat for a moment. “Conall mentioned that you think it was just a random patient?”
“That’s right. Just someone random. I’m sure it was nothing, Angelo. People get cranky when they’re hurt. You know how it is.”
Playing dumb was tough, especially since I knew my brother wasn’t buying it. He squinted at me but nodded before glancing at Theo.
“Alright. If that’s what you believe, Conall is looking into it, but I’m sure it’s nothing serious. I’ll see you soon, Francesca. Call if you need anything. Remo or I can be here at any time.”
“Sure, big brother, send my love to Remo,”
I murmured, allowing him to kiss both my cheeks.
“See you never, Don Santelli,”
Theo infused her departing remark with as much scorn as she could muster as Angelo left.
“Oh, you’ll be seeing me, piccola.”
Theo turned to me with wide eyes when the door clicked shut. “Okay, your brother is a pain in the ass. You know that, right? I guess that isn’t surprising.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You know what surprised me, Theo? The way you made moon eyes at each other.”
Theo scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. “Please. He’s not my type.”
I smirked. “Uh-huh.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. The real question is, do you think he could get you out of the whole arranged marriage situation?”
I exhaled deeply and leaned back in my chair. “No.”
Theo regarded me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. I think that’s all just smoke and mirrors. In this world, the whole blood oath is a signed deal. But if you ever want to talk about it?—”
“I know.”
I smiled, feeling grateful. “Now, let’s get back to what matters—making sure Conall combusts when he sees the new decor.”
Theo grinned. “Now that’s a battle I want to see from the front row.”
I plastered on a smile. My goal wasn’t to drive Conall completely batty, but I did want to poke him a little bit — and make this place more livable for me. I realized that Conall needed things to be orderly. I tried to ask him about it last night, but he shut me down, saying he had things ‘under control.’ I wasn’t sure that was completely true. Still, I’d add some touches to the living room and leave the rest of the rooms alone. I didn’t want to disturb him too much.