8. Niccolò
8
NICCOLò
I sabella goes to speak, surely to defend my reason for asking her to keep quiet about us, but I place my hand on her thigh and give it a light squeeze to stop her. I’m the one who got us into this situation, so I’ll be the one to explain it to her mom.
She casts her gaze to mine, and I give her a small nod, letting her know I got this, then she sits back in her seat.
Cece’s sitting across the table from me as poised and elegant as ever with her back straight and her hands in her lap.
Isabella has always talked about her relationship with her mom. They’re extremely close, talking to each other every day, and that’s not just because of the mandatory texts her dad demands. Her mom checks in with her every single day to see how her classes went and what she did. Not because she’s overbearing, but because she has a genuine interest in what her daughter has been doing.
I’ve been there for multiple conversations between the two. They speak to each other like they’re best friends, not just mother and daughter.
“Before I begin, I just want to tell you that I was the one who asked Isabella to keep us a secret from you.”
Isabella tenses next to me, but I give her another light squeeze, reminding her I’m here and everything will be okay.
“I realize secrecy might not seem like the best way to go about a relationship, but I promise I had a good reason.”
Cece continues to study me as if she’s looking for any tell I’m being dishonest, but she won’t find one. The secrecy was required for Isabella’s and my relationship. It will still be required. The question is, can I convince Cece of the same?
“So, what is this reason, Niccolò?” Cece asks, and her tone isn’t cold, like she’s already made up her mind about me based on this discrepancy. It’s sincere, as if she wants to understand what could cause me to make such a decision.
“My dad… He’s not exactly the kind of man that feels a woman has much of a role in a man’s life other than to produce an heir.”
Isabella’s soft, warm hand wraps around mine under the table, giving me the strength to continue.
“As you know, in our world, marriages are contracts. My dad doesn’t believe in wasting time with a woman unless it’s to benefit the family, and even then, he believes their purpose is to stay quiet in the background.”
I wait for a reaction from Cece, but she gives me nothing, continuing to watch me from across the table. Sighing, I continue, realizing my excuse might be valid, but it probably makes little sense to her.
“I didn’t—” I clear my throat. “I don’t want my dad to know about Isabella because?—”
“He wouldn’t approve,” Cece finishes for me.
I let out a sigh. “Yes. I was doing it to?—”
“Protect my daughter,” she murmurs, her gaze teetering between the two of us.
“Yes,” I say. “I couldn’t put her life in danger. My dad—he’s not exactly the best man in the world.” I lean forward, hovering over the edge of the table, and lower my voice. “He would’ve seen her as a distraction—a weakness—and he would’ve taken her away from me.”
Cece’s right eyebrow twitches. The movement is so subtle anyone would’ve missed it, but not me. I’ve been trained to read people, to catch even the smallest movements. Most of us in our world have to be, and even though Isabella’s mom tries to remain calm and passive, she’s starting to understand why we kept it a secret for this long.
“So if your father is as terrible as you say he is, you’ve been putting my daughter in danger for this relationship?” she says, causing my stomach to hollow out. I’ve always known this is what I’ve been doing, but when Cece says it out loud, it makes me feel like a selfish fucking prick.
I regretfully give her a nod.
I knew what I was doing when I fell for Isabella, but I was in way too deep to end things with her. That was never an option.
“Let me ask you both something,” she says.
Isabella and I are silent as we wait for Cece to speak. She slides her gaze between the two of us and says, “Do you love each other?”
Our answers are immediate. “Absolutely,” Isabella says at the same time as I say, “With everything I have.”
A small smile breaks out on Cece’s face, which has me letting out a relieved sigh. “I can see it in the way you look at each other,” she says. “How my daughter ran into your arms when she saw you, and how neither of you wanted to let the other go.”
“He’s my everything, Mom,” Isabella says, and then turns to look at me. “Now that I have him, I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“Finding love before marriage isn’t very common in our world,” Cece says. “You know your father and I weren’t in love when we got married.” A smile forms on her face as if she’s thinking of a happy memory. “But we fell in love. I know that doesn’t always happen, and I thank God every day that I was one of the lucky ones.”
Isabella glances at me over her shoulder and smiles.
“I won’t stand in the way of my daughter finding true happiness,” Cece says. “But if your father isn’t as accepting of you choosing your own bride as you say he is, how do you expect to ever be together?”
I glance at Isabella before settling my gaze back on Cece. Taking a deep breath, I say, “I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to figure it out because a life without Isabella is out of the question. I just need a little more time.” I lower my voice because the next thing I’m about to say is more than I should be allowed to ask, but when it comes to Isabella, there isn’t anything I won’t do. “But until I have a plan, I can’t have anyone else knowing about Isabella and I.” I pause, looking deep into her eyes to make sure she understands what I’m saying. “Anyone.”
Cece holds my gaze across the table for a few moments before finally giving me a small nod, and just like that, there’s the hope I’ve been searching for through all this. Because with Cece on board with our relationship, Isabella and I just might make it in the end.