Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Iwake up feeling like I’m in a furnace. I’m draped over something hot. No, not something. Someone. And then it hits me. CJ. I married CJ yesterday. Holy shit. I got married.
I peek an eye open and carefully look up at him. My attempts of trying not to wake him are futile, because he’s awake, staring right back at me.
“Morning,” he says.
I sit up and pull the sheet over my naked body. “Morning.” My hand lands on his chest. His skin is hot to the touch. “Why are you so hot?” I ask him.
“Because I have a hot-as-fuck wife sleeping naked on top of me,” he says.
“You could have pushed me off.” I frown. “You don’t look good, CJ.”
“What every man wants to hear from his wife’s mouth,” he mutters sarcastically. “I’m fine. I just need a shower and maybe some Tylenol.”
“You are not fine.” I shove him back down when he tries to sit up. “Stay there. I’ll get you some Tylenol,” I tell him. Standing, I pick up his discarded shirt from yesterday and pull my arms through the sleeves before working my way down the buttons. “Where do you keep it?”
“Bathroom.”
“Don’t move,” I say more firmly when he looks like he’s going to sit up. Then I grab my phone, walk out of his bedroom, and find the kitchen pretty easily. I didn’t exactly get the tour when we came in last night.
Opening the fridge, I swipe out a bottle of water and call my mum. She’s going to need to hear this from me before anyone else. Also, I’m pretty sure CJ needs a doctor.
“Daniella, you better have a good reason as to why you’re not in the bed I was expecting to find you in. And why your sister and brother are trying to cover for the fact you are missing,” my mum says.
I smile. My siblings really are the best. “Uh, I’m at CJ’s place,” I tell her quietly.
“Oh. Okay then. I assume he’s there with you?”
“Yeah… I need you not to freak out, but we kind of did something…”
“Daniella, I do not need the details of my daughter’s sex life. But also, good for you.” She laughs.
“Ew, no, Mum, I’m not telling you about the sex. We got married.”
There’s silence on the other end of the phone. I pull the device away from my ear to check if we’re still connected.
“You what?” she finally says.
“Got married, but that’s not why I’m calling. I just wanted you to hear that from me, because I know CJ, and he’s going to be shouting this news from every rooftop he can.”
“You just went and got married? How did this even happen, Daniella? Did you even wear a dress?”
“Uh, no. But CJ needs a doctor,” I explain.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s burning up. I don’t know. He keeps saying he’s fine, but he’s not fine. Can you get Mr. Bianchi to send their doctor over?”
“I’m on my way to find Carlo now.”
“Thanks, Mum. I gotta go.” Cutting the call, I walk back into the bedroom and hand CJ the bottle of water. “Drink this,” I tell him before heading into the bathroom to find the Tylenol.
“Who were you talking to?” he calls after me.
“My mum. I told her you needed a doctor—oh, and that we got married.” I walk back into the bedroom with two pills in my hand.
“How’d she take that news?” CJ asks.
“Better than expected, to be honest. Take these.” I pass him the Tylenol.
“You really are bossy, you know.” He smirks but takes the pills and swallows them.
“If you die because you were too stubborn to admit you aren’t well, I’m going to have to find someone else to marry,” I grumble. I won’t, but I know CJ, and that threat will be enough to knock some sense into him.
“I’m not dying, Dani. Just a little under the weather. I’m sure it’s nothing,” he says.
“We’ll see when the doctor gets here.”
“You need to get dressed.” CJ looks me up and down.
“Excuse me?”
“You need to put some clothes on if people are going to be coming in here, Dani.”
“You’re naked under those sheets. I at least have a shirt on.” I point to my chest.
“Can you grab me some sweats from the closet?” CJ asks. “Unless you’re going to let me get up and get them myself.”
“I’ll get them. Don’t move.” I turn and walk into his closet. Every single thing inside is perfectly aligned, ordered by color and style. Just as you would expect for a damn psychopath. “Your closet is such a mess. I doubt I’m going to be able to find any sweats in here!” I call out.
I find the neatly folded pile of sweatpants and take two off the top. I’m not putting my clothes from yesterday back on. Also, marital property and all. What’s his is technically mine. Just as I turn, I stop.
“What the bloody hell are you doing out of bed?” I frown at CJ, who is standing on the threshold of the closet.
“I needed to get something,” he says, walking past me.
“You could have asked.” I watch as he pushes his suit jackets to the side, revealing a small metal door. A safe. What the hell does he need out of a safe?
When he enters the code, zero-eight-zero-eight, I freeze. The eighth of August. That’s the date I left Vegas, the date I left him. I don’t mention it, because right now, I don’t want to bring up the past.
CJ takes out a small box and shuts the safe door. Then, grabbing my hand, he tugs me back into the bedroom. He pulls the sweats from my grip and throws them on the bed before he kneels in front of me while holding open that box and revealing the hugest, shiniest rock I’ve ever seen.
“I should have done this right. But, Daniella De Bellis—no, that’s not right. Daniella Bianchi, the day you chose to marry me will forever be the best day of my life.” He takes the ring out and slides it onto my finger.
“CJ, you’re naked. You’re giving me an engagement ring, naked.” It’s literally the only thing I can think to say right now. It’s all I can do not to laugh at the scene.
“We’re doing things our way, Dani, and we do things best when we’re naked.” He winks and then winces as he stands.
“Okay, as romantic and swoony as this is, you really need to be in bed. Put these on.” I reach for one of the pairs of sweats. “Also, I bloody love this ring. Thank you.”
“Thank you,” he says, pulling the sweatpants up his legs.
“Why are you thanking me?” I ask him.
“For finally choosing us.”
“I’ve always chosen you, CJ. The only reason I left was because I didn’t want to be the person to hold you back in life. I didn’t want to be the person who made you miss out on something I know you want. And here I am, being that person.”
“No, you are what I want, Dani. I don’t give a fuck about anything else.
You are all I’ve ever needed.” He cups my face in his hands.
“Remember that, whenever doubt starts to spread its evil little wings in your mind. You are what I want. Just you.” His lips press against mine.
They’re hot. And not in the oh my god, I want more of this man kind of way.
No, his touch is hot as in he’s running a damn fever.
“I love you,” I tell him. “Now get back into bed.” I rush into the bathroom and wet a washcloth, quickly returning and placing it over his forehead. “Where the hell is this doctor? I should call your mum.” I pick up my phone. “No, maybe your dad. He hates me less.”
“My mum doesn’t hate you, Dani.” CJ sighs.
I give him a look that says, “Really?”
“Okay, she dislikes that you broke my heart, but she doesn’t hate you.”
“I deserve it.” I shrug as if it doesn’t affect me. It does. I hate that I broke his heart too, but I also broke my own heart in the process. And now, I’m questioning what all that pain was for… Because look where we’ve ended up. “Do you really think we can move past the past?” I ask CJ.
“Yes,” he says without a second thought.
“How can you forgive me so easily? I was cruel, a bitch.”
“You were doing what you thought was the best thing, Dani. That doesn’t make you cruel.”
I find his dad’s contact in my phone and hit the dial button. “Daniella, I’m on my way to CJ’s. Everything okay?” Mr. Bianchi asks.
“Mr. Bianchi, how far away is the doctor? He’s running a fever,” I reply.
“I think we can drop the Mr. Bianchi thing now, Daniella. I hear you’re my new daughter,” CJ’s dad says. My eyes widen. Shit. I can’t tell if he’s happy about this news or not. When I don’t respond, he adds, “The doctor is about ten minutes away.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Daniella, welcome to the family,” Mr. Bianchi says before cutting the call.
I look to CJ. “Everyone knows we’re married.”
“I sent my dad a message last night, before the ink was even dry,” CJ tells me.
“You did?”
“I was excited, had to tell someone.” He shrugs.
“I’m excited too.” I stare down at the new rock decorating my finger. “But we have a lot to figure out still, like where we’re going to live… What I’m going to do with my job… How I’m going to keep my dad and uncles from wanting to kill you…”
“Your father was going to marry you off to the highest bidder, Dani.”
“No, he wasn’t. He only told you that to get you to do something about it. He knew I wanted you and he also knew I wasn’t going to be the one to fix us. He wanted to give you a reason to marry me.” I sigh.
“I figured.” CJ shrugs again.
“That doesn’t mean he won’t want to kill you for us eloping.” I laugh. “And my uncles… Well, they’re going to be a different bullet to dodge.”