29. Fallon
Fallon
I feel like I’ve walked into a Hollywood party for only the most A-list, glamorous celebrities. Only, no one is a celebrity here. At least not in Hollywood. It seems that a lot of people know each other, though, and they’re all dressed to the nines. I’ve never seen so many sequins in one room.
I gaze up at Luciano as he leads me through the room, keeping his arm tucked around me the entire time, while he nods and says hello to several passing men who look just as dangerous as he does.
“How many people here are in the mafia?” I ask.
He shrugs. “A lot. Some are mafia, some are kind of unofficial mafia. Others are people we have ties to, for one reason or another.”
I force a smile. “I’m not sure whether that’s comforting or not.”
Luciano laughs and kisses the top of my head. “You’re safe with me, princess.”
“I know,” I answer without thinking.
Since the first time I met Luciano, that’s the one thing I felt. Safe.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman wearing lots of glitter and jewelry comes rushing toward us and throws her arms around Luciano. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
She steps back and looks at me, then grabs me and hugs me. “I’m so glad to meet you, Fallon.”
My stomach loosens, and every fear I had of Lacey not liking me instantly disappears. I’m not sure if it’s a Ricci thing or what, but I already know I like Lacey.
“You’re gorgeous,” Lacey says with a sincere smile. “I’ve been dying to meet you. Let’s get a drink together.”
She pulls me toward an empty table, and Luciano follows, though when I glance back at him, he’s watching us with a smile on his handsome face.
The next few hours pass faster than I expect. Lacey never leaves my side, and eventually we get up to dance. We chat with each other like we’ve been friends for years. When two other women join us on the dance floor, Lacey grins and motions toward me.
“This is Fallon. Fallon, these are my sisters-in-law, Jordyn and Quinn.”
I greet them both, in awe of their beauty. Quinn is pregnant and glowing, and Jordyn looks like she just walked off a runway in a cherry-red cocktail dress. Both women smile brightly and lean in to give me a brief hug.
Luciano stays nearby, his hand keeping constant contact throughout the night.
Eventually, he leads us to a table where he waves over the waiters and has food and drinks brought over to us, ensuring my water glass is filled the entire time.
At one point, he holds two pills in front of me because it’s been six hours since my last pain medication dose.
Lacey watches us, her grin genuine, as though she’s happy for him. For us. And it means more than I realized to feel that approval.
By the end of the night, I’m exhausted, and my toes feel as though they might pop right off after wearing these heels all night. They are so gorgeous, though. Everything about tonight was perfect, and now I get to go to our hotel room with the love of my life, who I met a little over two weeks ago.
Life is funny sometimes.
One minute I was destroying his Range Rover, and the next I’m going to move in with a mafia boss.
And if he pisses me off, he has several other cars I can take a baseball bat to.
I have a good feeling about him, though.