Chapter 10
LUNA
I’m in awe walking on the grounds of the Kingston family home. The house is huge, and just walking around in the gardens tells me that I don’t fit in.
The more we walk and Cole talks about his family, the more nervous I get.
I’m a wreck as we walk to the back porch where Robert Kingston is waiting for us. He looks me in the eye. “You must be Luna.”
I nod. “Hello, Mr. Kingston. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Please, call me Robert.” He waves away Cole. “Give us a few minutes.”
Cole instantly shakes his head. “No, Dad. I’m not leaving her.”
His father rears back in surprise, but he doesn’t back down. “I would like to get to know my future daughter-in-law. Is that a problem?”
Robert looks between Cole and me, and when his gaze settles on me, I muster all the confidence I can. I give Cole a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
Cole shakes his head. “Luna, no. Anything he wants to say he can say to both of us.”
I stroke his arm. “Please, Cole. I’m okay. I wanna get to know your dad. It’s fine.”
Cole puts his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “I’ll be inside.”
He stares daggers at his father, gives me another apologetic look, and then walks away. As soon as he’s gone, Robert points to the chairs. “Have a seat.”
I walk over and sit down on the edge of the chair. Robert sits across from me. “I heard you met my wife.”
Surprised, I nod. “I did. We had dinner together.”
He looks at the door Cole walked in and then back at me. “How was she? Did she seem okay?”
I tilt my head to the side. I’ve heard about Robert Kingston.
I’ve heard he’s tough and ruthless and doesn’t back down on anything.
And of course I’ve heard other stories. The ones where maybe I shouldn’t feel so safe sitting here with him.
But the man sitting across me surprises me because there’s a vulnerability I never expected. “Eleanor was good. She seemed happy.”
He sits up a little taller. “She said she liked you… that you made our son happy.”
I hate to bring it up, but I think it’s important for him to know. “Mr. Kingston—”
He stops me, and I correct myself. “Robert, I think you should know that Cole and I only met a few days ago.”
He looks at me as if he’s searching for answers. “But you agreed to marry him.”
I clear my throat. “I did.”
He juts his chin at me. “Why?”
Heat rushes to my face. How can I explain the last seventy-two hours without telling him how immensely close Cole and I have become? It’s crazy because I shouldn’t feel this way, but I do. I try to summarize it. “I like the way your son makes me feel.”
He nods, imploring me to go on. “How is that?”
I shrug. “Seen. Special. Worthy.” I lift my shoulders. “Like I can do anything.”
He nods, watching me.
I hold my hands together in my lap. “Robert, if you have a prenuptial agreement, I’ll be happy to sign it while I’m here.”
I figure that’s what this is about, so I might as well get it over with.
Robert tilts his head. “What would you want in the prenuptial agreement?”
Since I hadn’t thought about it before this, I bite my lip and think about it. “I wouldn’t want anything for myself. When we have kids…” I trail off and shake my head. “Forget it. If we have kids and separate, Cole would make sure his kids are taken care of, so nothing. I wouldn’t want anything.”
He leans forward, resting his arms on his legs. “You seem to know my son pretty well for just meeting him a few days ago.”
I let out a breath. “I like to think I do since I’ve agreed to marry him.”
He stands up and walks over to the bar. “Do you want anything?”
I stand up and walk to where he’s at. “I would love a water.”
He grabs one from the outdoor refrigerator and hands it to me. He then grabs a bottle for himself. “You know, I looked into you. I know about your years in foster care, moving around from one home to another.”
I lift my chin. “Yeah.”
He looks me in the eye. “I know you don’t have a family. People have let you down since you were a little girl.”
I blink up at him, wondering where he’s going with this. “Yes.”
He surprises me with his next question. “What do you know about our family, Luna?”
I don’t dare look away. I figure it’s best to be upfront and honest. “I know you have a lot of businesses. Cole says you have a lot of family in New York. I know you think there’s a thin line between right and wrong on some things, but I also know that you don’t hurt people…
unless it’s warranted.” I shrug and then ramble.
“I know you’re a part of the mafia, if that’s what you mean. ”
He nods. “All of that is true.”
I blow out a breath.
He leans against the counter. “So knowing all that, you still want in this family?”
I look toward the house and see Cole staring at me with a worried look. I give him a reassuring smile. “Yes… I know that I want to marry Cole.”
When I look at Robert, I know instantly that he was watching Cole and me looking at each other, and he nods as if he’s made some kind of decision.
“We will be your family now. You need anything you can come to me, Eleanor, Bennett, or Knox. Any of us. We don’t have a big family—yet—but we will have your back.
You will be protected as if you’re my daughter, Luna.
You will be a princess and want for nothing, but I do have one request.”
I bite my lip to hold back my emotions. He doesn’t realize that his words are exactly what I need. But a request puts me on the defensive. “Okay. What is your request?”
He lifts his chin. “The Kingston line must continue. I need to know you understand what that means.”
I relax at his request. “I know what I’m getting into.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “And there will be no prenup.”
I open my mouth, but he shakes his head. “I’m sure Cole told you. The Kingstons do not separate. You and Cole… once you get married, it’s till death do you part.”
He says it like a warning, but I nod my head. “Okay.”
He comes toward me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Luna.”
He raises his other hand and waves for Cole to come out.
Cole comes straight to me, worried. “You okay?”
Robert curses under his breath. “What the fuck is wrong with you, boy? Of course she’s okay. You said she was going to be your wife. Hell, you told me it didn’t matter what I said, it was happening. I just wanted to make sure she was ready to be a Kingston.”
I nod my head and let all the tension roll from my shoulders. “I’m ready.” I look at Cole. “I want to be your wife.”
Cole hugs me to him, and I’m not sure he’s going to let me go until Robert asks, “Luna, can you give me a few minutes with my son?”
I smile up at Cole, and he kisses me briefly on the lips. I turn to Robert. “Sure.”
Cole points inside. “Go ahead. And if you need the ladies’ room, it’s down the hall.”
I walk inside, leaving the two men to talk.
As soon as I’m inside the house, I take in the marble floors, tall ceilings, and big grand furniture, and I swear it smells of polish and money.
I walk down the hallway and stop at a huge picture in a frame.
It’s a man with a crown on his head. I shake my head, wondering if this could all be real and what I am getting myself into.
I walk to the bathroom and freshen up, and by the time I get back to the living area, Robert and Cole are sitting on the couches. Cole stands up. “Ready to go?”
Something happened, that much is obvious.
I nod. “It was nice to meet you, Robert.”
After a quick goodbye, Cole and are I back in his car with Stone driving us away from the Kingston mansion.
I turn in my seat. “He didn’t like me.”
Cole grabs my hand and holds it. “He liked you. He said you’re too good for me.”
I roll my eyes as if he’s joking, but he shakes his head. “I’m serious. He said you have a good heart and a rough past. He thinks that being a part of this family will hurt you in the long run.”
My chest hurts. This shouldn’t bother me as much as it does. “And what did you say?”
He blows out a breath. “I didn’t say anything. I know he’s right. You are too good for me.”
My mouth drops. “Cole, that’s not true. You know that, right?”
He cups my face in his hand. “You are too good for me. I’ve done things. Things that if you knew about them, would make you look at me differently than you do right now.”
I lift my chin. “You’re a good man, Cole. I don’t know how I know it, but I do, and if you’ve done bad things, you’ve had a reason.”
He huffs. “I promise, that I’m going to protect you from all that. I’m—”
I shake my head. “I don’t need you to protect me or hide things from me. My life hasn’t been easy, and you’d be surprised by the things I’ve witnessed or things that I’ve been through.”
“Tell me,” he demands.
I search his face and I know if I tell him, he’ll seek out the people that hurt me and kill them, without any questions asked.
I lift my shoulders in a shrug. “It’s in the past, and it doesn’t matter anymore. But I need you to know that I want this, Cole. I want to be your wife.”
He sighs in relief and then nods. “Good, because I can’t let you go, Luna. You’re mine now.”
I lean my head against his chest because if I keep looking at him, he’s going to see how I feel about him, and love hasn’t been mentioned once. I know he wants me. I know he cares about me, but I don’t dare get my hopes up for love.