Chapter 23
I jolted out of my sleep to loud knocking. My eyes were still heavy, and my body was sticky. Gross. I peeled myself off Quincy who had already pulled a knife and held it in his hand.
"Where the hell did that come from?" I asked.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," he answered.
Honestly? He was probably right. Sliding out of the bed, he made sure I was covered up before he walked over to the door. When he opened it a peek, he sighed and scratched his head.
"We fell asleep," he said.
"Yeah, after the copious fucking. The walls aren't that thick. あなたにはうんざりだ豚。” You're disgusting. Pig .
Harlow. What the hell was he doing? I fumbled around, looking for my phone. Finally, I found it on the floor beside the nightstand. I definitely hadn't given a fuck about it last night. When I picked it up to look at the time, the numbers three-thirteen a.m. hit me.
Last night? We only fell asleep, like, two hours ago!
I groaned. "Quincy, what the fuck is going on? I'm exhausted."
"You didn't tell him?" Harlow asked.
"Tell me what?" I rolled out of bed, grabbed the sheet, and tucked it around my body before I widened the door and Quincy moved to hide behind it. "What didn't he tell me, Harlow?"
Harlow groaned. "The priest is here. For your wedding."
I stared at him. There was no way he said wedding, right? My grin grew before I burst out laughing. Okay, I was definitely still sleeping and this was some kind of insane ass dream. There was no other explanation for it. I held up my arm as much as I could without dropping the sheet, pinched it, and stared at the reddened skin and the flash of pain that had shot through me.
Nope, so definitely not dreaming.
I looked at Harlow again. "Wedding?"
"Yeah. What happened tonight kind of entailed a deal. Benito will help my idiot brother out with one favor in the future, and Quincy has to take the Vitale name in order to get out of the yakuza for good. Once he's a Vitale, he's protected. No one wants another war after the last one."
I slowly turned to stare at Quincy. He toyed with his fingers, looking anywhere but at me. My eyelid twitched. Reaching up, I held it down as I continued to glare at him.
"Quincy, you want to tell me something?"
"I didn't know if you'd want to do it, so I've been putting off asking you..."
"I'm going to kill you!" I snapped, and he jumped a little, which was satisfying, but not satisfying enough. "What the hell? Why me?"
"Has to be someone really close, a higher up," Harlow interjected. "No cousins, no great, great anything. A direct marriage. You're the only candidate. Unless you have another brother."
"Knowing my father, that's entirely possible," Benito and I said at the same time as he appeared in the doorway.
"Jinx!" I shouted at the same time.
Harlow flicked me in the forehead. "Pay attention!"
"Ow," I groaned.
Quincy popped his head around the door. "Please don't hit my boyfriend or I'll have to take your fingers."
"Try me," Harlow said, but he didn't hit me again. "We had to get a priest that would come this late. Come on. Benito and I brought you two clothes. Here." He shoved them out toward us. "They'll semi-fit. Giancarlo and Ash brought backups just in case. I think you're more Ash's size, but you've got a little bulk on you," Harlow muttered, thinking to himself.
"Don't check out my boyfriend," Quincy called.
"I'm not your boyfriend yet," I snapped.
Quincy pouted. My heart squeezed, and right then and there, I realized I had a soft spot for absolute dumbasses. He was the king of them.
"You're not off the hook," I said as I took the clothes from Harlow. "This is insane!"
Quincy took the clothes from me. "You don't have to do this. Trust me, if you didn't, I wouldn't blame you." He shrugged. "I've been in the yakuza all my life. Lost this and everything," he said, showing me his hand and the partially missing digit along with it. "So staying wouldn't be any different than the life I’ve had up until this point."
"Quincy," Harlow called. "It's not safe for you anymore. They?—"
"Hate me," he finished. "Yeah, I know." He moved forward, and I made sure the door was pushed up more so no one could see him but me. Quincy cradled my face in one hand. "But if it really bothers you, then we don't have to do it. I know this is nuts, getting married before we even go on a date." He laughed.
"Not true," I muttered. "I consider the docks with the Russians one of our dates."
Quincy lit up so hard, I nearly laughed despite the weight in the air. How could someone as big of an asshole as him have such a sweet face? It was like he was innocent sometimes. And I knew that wasn't true, not after all the blood and death. But the other side of him was. Like he hadn't seen the ugliest parts of the world, when I knew he had. He was so depressed when we first met, and now? It was like he was finding his way back.
And getting out of the yakuza would help him even more.
"Fine," I groaned. I opened the door back up. "We'll be ready shortly. Got any weed?"
Harlow nodded. "I always keep a stash. Two joints?"
"We'll split one." I sighed.
Harlow grinned. "You two are disgusting. Was Benito and I like this?"
"Worse!" Giancarlo called. "Y'all were breaking tables and each other's dicks, like, all the time."
"No one broke anyone's dick," Benito said before the sound of a sharp smack filled the air. "I told you, none of you had to come. This is a formality!"
I quickly shut the door on the chaos and turned to Quincy. After a speedy shower, we got dressed. At least the clothes weren't too bad, jeans and black button ups. I glanced at Quincy as he worked on his shirt, before I turned to do it for him.
"Did it hurt? Losing part of a finger?"
He wiggled it. "Like hell, but I kept a straight face. Probably the only time Harlow's old man looked at me with pride." Quincy smiled at me, before he reached out to push his fingers through my hair. "You really don't have to do this."
"Shut up. If I hate it that much, I'll just divorce you."
Quincy's eyes darkened. "Yeah? If you try that shit, you'll find out how crazy I really am, baby girl." He yanked me forward. "You're mine now. I mean, at this point, you've practically signed your name inside of me. No one else gets that fucking privilege again."
My heart skipped a beat at the stupidest shit. I was aware of that, but I couldn't stop it from happening anyway. We kissed and finished off the joint that had been sparked once we were out of the shower. I reached out, took Quincy's hand, and squeezed it.
"Why am I so nervous?" I muttered. "It's not like this is real."
"Real enough," he said. "I meant it when I said you ain't going nowhere after this."
I laughed. "My mom's not even here." That made my chest ache a little. "Even if it's a formality, I feel bad."
Quincy pulled me into his arms. "When your mom comes, we'll throw the biggest fucking wedding in the world. Your whole family will be there."
Now, that made me feel good. Until I realized I'd just agreed to marry Quincy. For real. Again. In the future. I was still all twisted up about my feelings for him, and I was already looking at the future? Yeah, something was definitely wrong with my head.
"We don't have all night, you two!" Paolo called as he banged on the door. "Come on. Some of us have kids to wake up for school in a couple hours!"
Quincy placed one last kiss on my lips, this one full of smoke. We both exhaled a huge cloud, coughed, and he put out the joint in an ashtray. He gripped my hand in his, squeezing hard as we left the room and stepped into the living room full of Vitale's.
"About time," Gin called as he hopped to his feet. "Damn, y’all could fit those? I brought one of my tiger shirts."
Quincy groaned. "So glad these fit well enough."
I snickered. "I don't know. You'd probably look pretty badass in one of those."
"You know how I said we couldn't divorce, peaches? I lied."
I elbowed him in his ribs and he grunted. The satisfied smile on my face quickly evaporated when I realized that everyone was staring at us. My skin suddenly felt hot.
"What?" I asked.
"No one told us you two actually cared about each other," Enzo said as a large man grinned from behind him. "We thought this was all a sham."
"It is," I said.
"It's not," Benito answered through his teeth. "The priest needs to believe it's real, so when he comes out of the bathroom, shut up and stop looking so shocked."
"I'm Ash, do you remember me?" he asked as he smiled at me.
"A little. I think I've seen you around Benito's office."
He nodded. "You have! That's Tex, he belongs to Enzo."
"Do you have to say ‘belongs to’ like I'm a German Shepherd or something?" Tex asked.
"We all know you're a golden retriever," Harlow teased.
Tex groaned. "You all suck."
"Of course you know Harlow, and that's York," Ash continued as he pointed out a tall, black man with calm features. "He has two daughters, twins. They're great. Are you sure they can't come? They really like Quincy!"
"That's because they're cool," Quincy added.
York shook his head. "They have school soon. I thought it was best to let them sleep." He turned to me. "Nice to meet you. Blake, right? Everyone's been talking about you."
They had? My stomach fluttered and quickly went into a knot. Was it crazy that I was both happy and felt like I was going to throw up at the same time? I wrapped an arm around myself. Quincy tugged me closer against his side as if shielding me. I looked up at him and he winked before he gave me a smile. Just like that, I calmed down.
"Oh, am I marrying these two?"
We all turned to the man that stepped out of the bathroom. He was older, with graying hair on his temples, and a thick Italian accent. As he walked over to Benito, my brother nodded.
"Yes, this is them. We should get started. I know it's late."
"Hey, things happen," the man said before he pulled out his bible. "Let's get started."
If I had any more butterflies in my stomach they were going to shoot out of me. Quincy pulsed my hand in his, and I loved that he stayed there, guiding me through this. Most of the man's words were garbled, a mix of syllables that my brain refused to digest. It wasn't until he asked us for rings that I blinked back to reality and realized we had none.
"Here," York said. "Paolo said we should pick these up."
I took them and thanked him. How the hell had they even known? I opened the boxes. There were two golden rings inside, each had a line of diamonds that went in opposite directions from each other. It was simple, but as I held them, it felt like they were insanely heavy.
Or it’s the fact that I’m doing something batshit insane.
"Repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed..."
Oh God, I'm really going to die. Is this happening? It can't be happening!
It still felt like something out of a movie. But every time I looked at Quincy, he was so happy. That stupid grin on his face hadn't gone away yet.
I think this is about more than getting out of the yakuza for him.
The stupid fluttering started up all over again. As I slipped the ring onto his finger and repeated the words, I shifted from foot to foot. He did the same, sliding the ring onto my finger as he gazed into my eyes. It sure felt real, but I didn’t want to run.
"I now pronounce you both, Mr. Vitale. You may kiss your husband."
Quincy wasted no time planting the biggest, tongue deep kiss on me. I shoved him away eventually, the laughter that filled up the penthouse making my face red. I glared at him.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"Again. Divorce. Death and divorce," I muttered.
"Oh"—he leaned down until he could whisper in my ear—"you would definitely have to kill me to get rid of me now."
A shiver ran down my spine at the growl that encapsulated the words. I probably should have been running for the hills already. But instead, I was warm all over.
We thanked the priest, and I cleared my throat when he was gone. "Hey, so, I'm not actually a Vitale. Is that going to work?" I asked.
Benito walked over to the table, pulled out a folder, and passed it to me. "Yes, you are."
I stared at him before I carefully opened it and looked inside. There was a birth certificate, social security card, a license, and even a shiny new bank account and credit card. There, in black and white, was my new name. Blake Vitale.
I was a Vitale.
"My mother's going to kill me." I laughed, but it felt like I was on the verge of tears.
"No, she's not," Benito said. "I called her today and asked if it would be all right." He gave my shoulder a squeeze. "She was glad, said she was relieved that you would have someone to protect you." When I glanced up at him, he gave me a small smile. "And that's what we do best. Protect each other."
I swallowed hard. "Thank you. I don't even know what to say."
"You've already said enough, don't make it gay!" Gin called. "Now, someone pour me a drink and please tell me there's something to snack on. I'm starving!"
"Sorry, he has no manners," Ash said, a glare on his face as he stared at his fiancé.
"Yeah, he was asking questions about Quincy's dick," I said, wiping the lone tear that had escaped. "Oh, and York? Paolo was supposed to sell some coke and I never got my cut."
Both of my brothers stared at me like I'd lost my mind. Quincy burst out laughing so hard, he doubled over, a wheezing sound escaping him when he couldn't take in air. Even Enzo snickered. I patted Quincy on the back as Benito walked closer and held out his hand.
"Yeah, you're definitely a Vitale," he said. "Welcome to the family."
It was two days before we were allowed to go back to Quincy's place. Harlow wanted to make sure that the agreement was solidified before he let us out of his sight. I was grateful to him. And the jealousy, not that I would admit to Quincy I ever was jealous, had faded a lot. It didn’t seem to matter, especially now that I wore the same ring as Quincy.
"Home sweet home," Quincy said.
I glanced around at the growing mess. "Yeah."
He followed my gaze. "Just give me a little time, okay? I'm really trying."
"I know you are." I smiled up at him. "It's okay."
Quincy groaned. "Stop being so nice to me or I'm gonna be bending over and spreading my legs every hour, on the hour."
"Yeah, as if you'd complain."
"I would not," he called as he headed toward the kitchen.
I followed behind him. For a second, I stared at my ring. It looked so odd against my finger. I'd told Paolo and York I would pay them back, but York insisted Paolo could pay it back with his disgusting drug money. Both of the twins being in trouble had been the highlight of our night. Even Enzo couldn't stop cracking a smile.
"Hey, Blake."
I blinked and looked at him. "Yeah?"
"Are you ever going to tell me what you're running from?"
I stared at him. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb," he countered. "You came to New York because of whatever was happening back home. And don't try to lie, because you said it when we were fighting." He frowned. "So, what are you running from?"
I blew out a breath. The hesitation only sat in my chest for a second, but then I saw the ring on Quincy's finger too. Maybe it was just a formality , but I had someone I could talk to now. Someone that wouldn't judge me. And it had always been him.
“I was pretty sure you would have figured it out for yourself now,” I said. “I know you could.”
He nodded. “I could.”
“So, why didn’t you?”
Quincy shrugged. “I wanted you to tell me from your own lips.”
“Why?”
“I honestly don’t know,” he said as he tilted his head at me. “I guess in my head, I figured when you really trusted me, you would.”
I stared at him for a while. How could someone as idiotic as him be so wise sometimes? It was freaky.
I rushed forward. "I robbed a bank in California."
Quincy stared at me. "I'm sorry. Say that again?"
I groaned. "I robbed a bank."
He stared at me for a while longer before he blinked rapidly. "Holy shit! You're not joking, are you?"
"Nope. Why do you think I came here with no cellphone, no money, and no choice but to go to my brothers?"
"Wait, what happened to the money?"
"You can't just use it right away," I said. "They trace that shit!"
"Ah." He continued to stare. "So you're crazier and smarter than I thought."
I balled up a takeout menu and threw it at him. "Shut. Up."
"Sorry, sorry." He scratched his head. "What's the state of the investigation?"
"I don't know!" I said. "I check the internet every once in a while, but the case is still open. My mom and I can't see each other until it's taken care of, but I don't know how to do that. Cesare knows, but I’m pretty sure he’s waiting until he can tell I’m worth it. And Benito? Well, I still didn’t tell him. But all of you have a way of just finding crap out,” I muttered.
Quincy seemed to think it over. "I'll handle it."
"What?" I rounded the little island. "No, what are you talking about?"
"I said, I'll handle it," he said as he opened the fridge. "Think anything is good in here or do we have to go grocery shopping?"
"Why do you sound so happy about grocery shopping?" I asked.
He straightened up, a goofy grin on his lips. "Because I get to do it with you."
Resist. Do not fall for this. Pay attention to what that psycho just said.
"Don't distract me. What are you going to do?"
Quincy grabbed me, yanked me forward, and kissed me so hard, my toes curled. When he pulled back, he gently rubbed his thumb against my chin. "I said I'd handle it, baby girl. Trust me."
I stared at him. "Yeah, I don't know if I'm there yet."
"You already are,” he said. “Besides, you don't have a choice." He turned back around and closed the fridge. "Yep, shopping it is. Let's go!"
"We just got home."
Quincy bristled. "Home. I'm never gonna get tired of hearing you say that."
I chewed my lip, trying to keep from smiling. "You're a pain in my ass."
"Other way around, peaches." He chuckled. "And when we come back, I fully expect to feel every throb from your cock being shoved up mine."
Quincy took my hand before I could protest and dragged me out of the apartment. He talked the whole time, asking me if I was going to cook again. And telling me how much he missed my cooking. The stupid smile wouldn't leave my face.
I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with a complete and total idiot.