Chapter 36
SIERRA
Twenty-four hours.
That’s all that stands between me and becoming Mrs. Matteo Rossi. The thought makes my heart skip, then stutter.
Because in most cases, marrying the man you love would be a dream come true. In my case, it’s complicated as hell.
I push my scrambled eggs around my plate, appetite fading as my brain runs the same exhausting loop it’s been running for days.
He cares about you. He’s protective. He wants you in his bed.
But wanting someone and loving them are two very different things, and I’m terrified I’m the only one who’s crossed that line.
The two days since our conversation about his avoidance have been.
.. better. He’s not shutting me out anymore, not retreating into that cold, distant version of himself that made me question everything.
But he’s also been gone more than he’s been here.
Long days of handling things that stretch until dinner, when he shows up just in time to eat with me before I leave for my shift.
I should be grateful for the honesty. He tells me what he’s doing now. His priority is Viktor. Finding him, cornering him, ending him. The obsession is written in the hard set of his jaw when he leaves each morning and the tension in his shoulders when he returns.
What he doesn’t tell me is why he keeps coming home in different clothes than he left in.
I’m not stupid. I know what that probably means. A few months ago, the idea of him hiding blood stains would have sent me running.
Now I just worry he’s going to get hurt.
A small, ugly voice whispers in the back of my mind that his single-minded focus on Viktor might be about more than revenge. If he finds Viktor before tomorrow, there’s no reason to go through with the wedding. The whole plan becomes unnecessary.
And then what? An awkward conversation about how this was only ever a business arrangement? A handshake and a thanks for playing?
I stab my eggs harder than necessary.
This was a crazy plan from the beginning. When I agreed to it, some part of me never believed it would actually go this far. I definitely didn’t predict falling for the dangerous, overprotective, infuriatingly closed-off man who proposed it.
“I have a surprise for you.”
I look up. Matteo is still sitting across from me, which is unusual. Normally, he inhales his food and disappears before I’m halfway through my plate.
“What kind of surprise?” I ask, trying to keep my voice light despite the flutter of nerves in my stomach.
“I arranged a spa day. You, the women in your family, a few from mine. Ma and Nina. Your friend Nell from the bar too.”
The flutter turns into a full-on butterfly invasion. “A spa day? Like, with massages and facials and stuff?”
“Your mom picked the treatments. I’m not sure what all of it involves.” His mouth twitches. “But I know there’s a full-body massage.”
I give him a deadpan look. “Let me guess. You made sure the masseuse is a woman.”
The twitch becomes an actual smirk. “You’re getting to know me pretty well.”
Warmth spills through me, and I’m out of my chair before I can overthink it, wrapping my arms around him so tight that the air rushes out of his lungs in a surprised whoosh. He goes still for half a second before his arms come around me, solid and sure.
“When do we leave?” I mumble against his shoulder.
“Limo’s coming in fifteen minutes.”
I pull back, eyes wide. “A limo?”
“My fiancée rides in style.”
The word hits me like a small electric shock. Fiancée. Tomorrow, it’ll be wife.
I change out of my pajamas in record time, throwing on jeans and a comfortable T-shirt. The limo arrives exactly on schedule, all the women already inside, and Matteo walks me to the door like this is prom night and he’s sending me off in the most extra way possible.
On the porch, he pulls me in for a kiss that lingers, his hand warm on my lower back. When he finally releases me, there’s something in his eyes I can’t quite read.
“Have fun.” His voice is soft. “You deserve it.”
He stands in the doorway with a mug of coffee, watching as the limo pulls away. I turn in my seat to look back at him, and I feel the pull of him even as he gets smaller in the distance.
A black SUV falls into line behind us. I notice Nina clocking it too, her expression knowing.
“Security detail,” Nina says, quiet enough to not be overheard. “Alessio insisted, but I’m guessing Matteo had the same idea.”
Right. Because tomorrow isn’t just my wedding day. It’s also the day we’re hoping to lure Viktor out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in. The day Matteo might finally get what he really wants from this arrangement.
I push the thought away and force a smile for my mom, who’s already asking about the seating chart.
The spa is one of those places that makes you feel like a peasant just walking through the door. White marble floors. A rock fountain trickling peacefully in the waiting area. Soft flute music that immediately makes me want to take a nap.
A woman in a white smock greets us with cucumber water and the kind of serene smile that suggests she’s never had to worry about anything as messy as a fake marriage to a mafia enforcer.
“Welcome to Serenity Springs. We’re so pleased to have you all here today.”
We’re a loud group. Too loud for this zen atmosphere. Sarah is bouncing on her toes, excited about the pregnancy massage she’s booked. Audrey is already criticizing the playlist. My mom is asking detailed questions about every treatment option while Harper stands slightly apart, checking her phone.
I watch Harper for a moment. She’s been quieter lately. Distracted. Julian’s awake but still in the hospital, and I know it’s wearing on her.
“Hey.” I touch her arm. “You okay?”
She looks up, and her smile comes a beat too late.
“Fine,” she says. “Just tired. You know how it is.”
I do know. The not sleeping. The constant worry. The feeling like your life is spinning out of control and all you can do is hold on.
“Julian’s going to be okay,” I tell her. “The doctors said he’s improving every day.”
“I know.” She tucks her phone away and smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Come on. Let’s go get pampered.”
We’re too large a group to stay together, so we split up for our first treatments. I end up in a mud bath with Nina, Sarah, and Nell. The room is warm and dim, with soft lighting that makes everything feel dreamlike.
I’m the first one in, and I have to admit, the sensation is nothing like I expected. The mud is heavy and warm, pressing against my skin like a full-body embrace. I sink deeper, feeling weightless despite the thickness surrounding me.
“This is incredible,” I breathe, closing my eyes.
Nina settles in across from me, and I hear her soft hum of agreement. Sarah and Nell are still getting changed, so for now it’s just the two of us.
“So.” Nina’s voice is gentle, curious. “Are you excited about tomorrow?”
I take a long sip of my cucumber water, buying time. Nina knows the truth about this arrangement. She’s one of the few people I can actually talk to.
“Honestly? I have no idea.”
“Cold feet?”
“I have moments of excitement,” I admit. “And then I have moments of... uncertainty.”
“That makes sense.” She shifts in the mud, creating small ripples. “The mafia world has a long history of arranged marriages, you know. Sometimes they work out really well.”
“Do you have examples?”
She hesitates, and I watch her scramble. “Well, not specifically. I haven’t been part of the Andretti family that long. But I’m sure there are plenty of people who ended up genuinely happy with their arrangements.”
The silence stretches. Nina takes a sip of her water, looking like she wishes she could sink deeper into the mud and disappear.
“I’ve really put my foot in my mouth.” She laughs awkwardly. “Forget the arranged marriage thing. That’s not even what this is. This marriage solves your problem with your ex. That’s what matters.”
“Maybe.” I stare at the surface of the mud, thick and dark and oddly comforting. “But that’s assuming Viktor actually shows up. That he takes the bait. The man is unhinged, but there’s no guarantee he’ll try to stop the wedding.”
Nina’s expression softens. “Alessio doesn’t think that’s going to happen. They’ll have men stationed around the church. Everyone’s expecting Viktor to make a move.”
“And maybe he’s right. Maybe Viktor will show up and Matteo will finally get what he wants and this whole thing will be over.”
Nina’s brow furrows.
“Sierra...”
“I don’t know if this wedding is a good idea.” My voice is quiet now, barely above a whisper. “But it’s too late to back out.”
What I don’t tell her is the real reason for my uncertainty.
That I’ve fallen in love with a man who proposed a business arrangement, not a relationship.
That I’m about to marry him in front of our families, knowing he might never feel about me the way I feel about him.
That every time he calls me his fiancée, my stupid heart leaps even though my brain knows better.
I want him to love me back so badly it physically hurts.
“How’s the mud feel?” Nell’s voice cuts through my spiral as she walks into the room wrapped in a fluffy robe, Sarah right behind her. “Please tell me it’s as amazing as it looks.”
I paste on a smile. The conversation is over, anyway. Some things are too raw to share with an audience.
“It’s like being hugged by the earth,” I tell her. “Get in here.”
She laughs and drops her robe, climbing into the tub with an exaggerated sigh of pleasure. “Oh, that’s the stuff. I needed this.”
The conversation shifts to lighter things: treatments we’re excited about, whether anyone’s had a hot stone massage, Sarah’s pregnancy cravings. I laugh in all the right places and make jokes about becoming a mud creature, but my brain is somewhere far away.
It doesn’t matter. I’m not backing out. I’m going to marry Matteo Rossi tomorrow, and whatever comes after that, I’ll handle it.
I just hope I’m not the only one who wants this to be real.