Chapter Twenty-Two Leo
For the first time in my life, I didn’t think about my brother’s safety or put him first in my mind. Instead, the moment I saw the gleam of steel in Edoardo’s hand, I could only think of Drea. The panic rising within me sent me rushing past Rafe.
Grabbing her by the upper arm, I jerked Drea behind me, shielding her from her Father’s wrath.
At her alarmed squeak, I threw a glance over my shoulder. “Are you okay?” I whispered.
Although she bobbed her head, fear radiated in her dark eyes. With her hand still in mine, I squeezed it tight.
“You’re no man of honor if you came carrying to a wedding,” Rafe spat.
It was an unwritten rule that weapons of any kind were forbidden at weddings and funerals. Not even bodyguards were to carry anything. It was a means to show mutual trust between families.
With a glare, Edoardo countered, “Deep down I knew you were going to try to weasel your way out of this.”
“Are you going to force me at gunpoint to marry your daughter?”
Edoardo gave Rafe a maniacal grin. “You catch on fast.”
“Father, no,” Drea pleaded.
“I won’t marry her. Not when I love someone else.” I followed his gaze to where it landed on the bench with Kavanaughs. More directly to Callum, who was shielding Caterina. “There’s no one else in the world for me but Maeve.”
“Dammit, Rafe, not this bullshit again,” Callum growled.
“I mean it with all my heart and soul. She is the sun in my dark world. I can’t imagine a life where she isn’t by my side.”
Looking at Drea, I murmured, “Amen.”
“Oh Leo,” Drea whispered.
Rafe interrupted my thoughts by asking, “Will you give me consent to ask for her hand?”
Callum threw up his hands. “She left you. She disappeared from all of us because of you.”
With a shake of his head, Rafe replied, “She left because we couldn’t be together. You’d made that abundantly clear to her.” He then glowered at Edoardo. “And because you bombed my club and killed her dog.”
He shrugged apathetically. “I had to get your attention.”
With a disgusted growl, Rafe turned his attention back to Callum. “I’ll find her. I’ll search the ends of the world until I find her.”
“This is insanity,” Callum grunted, but his expression had begun to soften.
“It’s true love,” Caterina replied beside him.
“ENOUGH!” Edoardo blared. He then cocked the gun at Rafe’s head. “You will marry Andrea as promised. We will join our families together as promised. I will not be made a weak fool.”
Drea trembled at my side as Edoardo jerked his hand to train the gun on the priest. “Get on with it.”
“For the last time, I’m not marrying her,” Rafe pronounced.
When he turned to leave the altar, a pop went off. Shouts and cries of horror went up among the remaining crowd. As Drea swayed on her feet, I threw out my arm to wrap around her waist.
“Easy,” I murmured.
“In a stupor, Rafe brought his hand to his shoulder. “You fucking shot me?”
A triumphant gleam shone in Edoardo’s eyes. “It barely grazed you.”
Thrusting his blood-stained hand in front of him, Rafe demanded, “Does this look like a graze?”
Edoardo had the nerve to shrug. “I had to do what was necessary for you to take me seriously.”
“Quinn, go check him out,” Callum instructed.
Edoardo warily eyed Callum’s brother as he came out of his pew and up to the altar. “Let’s take off your suit jacket,” Quinn instructed.
Leaning forward, I watched as Quinn helped Rafe. Quinn surveyed the bloody spot between Rafe’s bicep and shoulder. “There’s no exit wound, so it must’ve just grazed you.” He leaned in closer. “Doesn’t look like you’ll need any stitches.”
“Like I said. I wanted to get it through your thick skull that I was serious about not letting you out of here alive if you refuse this marriage,” Edoardo said.
“Then I guess you’re going to kill me because I’m not marrying her!” Rafe shouted while wincing from what had to be agonizing pain in his shoulder.
“So be it,” Edoardo growled as he brought the gun up from his side.
“No!” Drea screamed.
Since I knew with Rafe’s stubbornness he wouldn’t back down. He would leave this church in a body bag if I didn’t do something. There was no way in hell I was letting my brother die at Edoardo’s hands.
Suddenly, a moment of complete clarity entered my brain, and an idea flashed before my eyes.
“Stop, wait!” I shouted.
After throwing my hands up in surrender, I stepped towards Edoardo. “Is it Rafe you want, or will anyone with a Neretti name be good enough?”
“What the fuck are you saying?” Rafe demanded.
Ignoring him, I nodded at Edoardo. “There’s a way out of this where the two of you can both get what you want.”
Edoardo narrowed his eyes. “You’re suggesting someone take Rafe’s place.”
“I am.”
A mirthless laugh escaped Edoardo’s lips. “Marrying my daughter to anyone but the capo is an insult.”
“What if it’s the capo’s second in command?” I countered.
Rafe sucked in a harsh breath. “Leo, what the fuck are you doing?”
I flicked my gaze from Edoardo to him. “I’m trying to find a way for you to be happy.”
“While that’s commendable, what about your happiness?”
“This is about my happiness as much as it is about saving your life.
Although I wanted to say that, I knew I couldn’t. With the situation so tenuous, honesty sure as hell wasn’t the way to go. Instead, I’d have to give a version of the truth.
With a shrug, I replied, “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t, right? I mean, I was always going to have an arranged marriage. At least I know Drea. It goes without saying I’d be getting a stunner of a bride who can knock a man on his ass.”
I threw a glance over my shoulder at Drea and winked. After ducking her head, she glanced up to give me a surprisingly shy smile. I knew then she was on board with pretending there was nothing between us.
Edoardo slowly lowered his gun. “You’re offering to marry Andrea?”
“I am.”
Gasps and murmurs rang out through the crowd. I’m pretty sure nothing like this had ever happened at a wedding before.
“Unfuckingbelievable,” Gianni remarked across from me, to which I winked at him.
“And you would allow this?” Edoardo asked Rafe.
Would he? The question truly didn’t have an easy answer.
Sure, he got to marry the woman he loved, but at what cost?
He had to be contemplating what the other families would think of his leadership if he allowed me to take his place.
I’m sure most would view him as weak to refuse a proper alliance to be controlled by his feelings for a woman.
At the same time, I didn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought. I’d been through too much hell. With happiness in reach for both Rafe and me, I wasn’t going down without a fight. Even if it had to be with my own brother.
Staring intently at me, Rafe said, “As long as he’s okay with it.”
Without a moment of indecision, I replied, “I am.”
Turning back to Drea, Rafe asked, “What about you? It isn’t fair not to give you a say.”
Biting down on her bottom lip like she was lost in indecision, she tore her gaze from Rafe to stare at me. “Will you have me?” I asked her.
At that moment, there was so much more I wanted to say than just those words. I wanted everyone to know what a prize I was getting. How my heart was fucking overflowing with happiness.
“Yes, I will,” she replied.
I grinned at her before turning back to Edoardo. “So are we good?”
With a scowl, he replied, “I don’t know.”
“You’re getting a Neretti.”
“Andrea has always been intended for a capo. You are the second son.”
I glared at him. “I’m still the fucking consigliere!” I countered with a snarl.
It was more than apparent there would remain to be no love lost between me and my soon-to-be father-in-law.
With a more diplomatic approach than mine, Rafe said, “Edoardo, despite the fact you just shot me and threatened to kill me, you’ll still have the full support of the Neretti empire with Drea’s marriage to Leandro.
With my brothers-in-law, the Kavanaughs, and with us, you’ll be adding territory from Boston through New York.
Truthfully, you’re getting the same thing with Leandro as you would with me–maybe even stronger with my marriage to Maeve. ”
Rafe turned his attention to Callum. “I do have your support, right?”
As Callum clenched his jaw, Caterina stared expectantly at her husband. Callum’s brother, Dare, leaned over Caterina to smack Callum’s shoulder. “Come on, Callum. Stop being such a stubborn arse. You know he’s what Maeve needs and wants. We haven’t seen her so happy in years.”
“All right,” he finally relented.
“Thank you. I truly mean that.” Rafe nodded at Caruso. “Do we have a deal?”
He pursed his lips. “Fine. But I also want five million dollars.”
While we should’ve fought Edoardo's outrageous demand, a relieved breath whooshed from my chest, and I fought to keep my knees from buckling. “Done,” Rafe said.
With a grin, I added, “In fact, I’ll pay you myself. I’m sure Drea is worth it.”
“I’m sure she is,” Gianni said with a knowing expression, to which I winked.
After shooting me one last look of disgust, Edoardo slid his gun back in his jacket pocket. Nodding his head at the priest, he instructed, “All right. Marry them.”
As he exchanged places with me, Rafe clapped my shoulder before squeezing it tight. “I’ll never forget this, brother.”
With a wink, I replied, “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t let you even if you tried.” Jerking my chin at him, I ordered, “Go get your shoulder taken care of.”
“Are you sure?”
“While I appreciate your willingness to stand up as my Best Man, you’re ruining the vibes bleeding all over the place,” I replied with a grin.
As Gianni snickered, Rafe rolled his eyes. “Fine. But I’ll be in the back. I wouldn’t miss you of all men voluntarily getting married for anything in the world.
While Rafe exited the altar with Quinn, some of the people who had left with the gunfire came back in. Once everyone settled down, I finally gave my attention to Drea. “You are stunning.”
A genuine smile lit up her beautiful face. “Thank you.”
With furrowed brows, the priest asked, “Right. Where was I?”
“The part where I promise to love and honor Drea all the days of my life.”
“Right.” Frowning, he said, “Perhaps we should start from the beginning.”
I shook my head. “Let’s just do it.”
“Leandro,” Drea laughed.
“Call me Leo.”
“I can do that.”
Nodding at the priest, I said, “Alright padre, time’s ticking.”
“Uh, yes, repeat after me. I, Leandro…” Flustered, he said, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared.”
“No problem. It’s Gabriele.”
“I, Leandro Gabriele Neretti, take you, Andrea Cecilia Caruso, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.”
“I do.”
“You’re supposed to repeat it,” Drea whispered with a smile.
“Oh, my bad.” I quickly recited the words the priest had given me.
He nodded before turning to Drea. Staring into my eyes, she repeated her vows.
When it was time for the giving and receiving of the rings, I frowned. “These will have to do for today, but I want us to have new ones.”
“I agree,” Drea said with a smile.
As soon as we’d done the rings and the final blessing was given, the priest smiled. “For those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder. You may now kiss the bride.”
Momentary fear flashed in Drea’s eyes. I knew she was worried how we would pull off the illusion of never kissing before. With a reassuring smile, I cupped her cheeks. Dipping my head to meet hers, I brushed my lips against hers in the most reverently chaste kiss I’d ever given.
The moment our lips met, applause rang out around us. Despite wanting to give the crowd a real showstopper, I cut the kiss off.
With the blare of the organ, Drea’s eyelids fluttered open to stare appreciatively at me. I held my arm out, and she slipped hers through mine. Facing the thinned crowd, we started down the aisle.
Turning to Drea, I stared into her wide eyes. “Did that really just happen?”
Drea laughed. “I think so.”
Reaching for her hand, I brought it up to stare at the platinum band. “Yep. I think we’re married.”
When she started giggling uncontrollably, I asked, “What?”
“It’s so corny, but I feel like I just woke up from a long nightmare into the most wonderful dream.”
“I feel the same fucking way.”
But the longer we walked the more the adrenaline that had been pumping within me began to fade. I started to feel like I was coming apart at the seams. I knew there was only one person who could help to put me back together.
Once we got to the end, I kept going past the atrium and to the door. “Leo, what are you doing?”
“I need to be with you alone.”
She tugged at my arm. “But the photographer wants to take pictures.”
“You want this fuckery of a wedding day to be immortalized in photographs?”
Her lips turned down in a pout. “I didn’t when it was me and Rafe. But now it's us…it’s our wedding day.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Not really. It’s all still tainted. I mean, you’re wearing the dress you bought for him.”
She snorted. “It was never about him, trust me.”
“But it’s not you. Is it?”
Her eyes flared with surprise. “No. Not really.”
“I want a wedding that’s everything you want. That’s about us.”
“You do?”
Nodding, I said, “Just the two of us without all the baggage.”
“I’d love that, too.”
“Good. So can we get out of here?”
Grinning, she bobbed her head and let me drag her out the doors. “Drea, where are you going?” Bianca called after us.
We stopped to let her catch up. With a wicked grin, Drea replied, “That’s none of your business. See you at the reception.”
“What about the photographer?”
“They can go on to the Ritz Carlton.”
Bianca threw a glance between us. “I’ll be waiting outside to fix your makeup should it need it.”
With a wink, I said, “You know, I knew I liked you.”
While a bodyguard waited at the decorated JUST MARRIED Rolls Royce, I steered Drea over to an SUV. At her questioning look, I said, “We’re going to need tinted windows.”
“You’re not serious,” she countered.
“Totally. I mean, I just got to have you, and now I’m about to go to a reception where for hours I can barely look at you, least of all touch you, so we can keep up the lie that we barely know each other.”
She swept her hands to the waist of her satin dress. “If you think I’m going to have our first time as man and wife in the back of an SUV, you’ve lost your mind.”
“While I didn’t mean our first time fucking, I’m not taking giving you your first orgasm from me off the table.”
Drea teasingly rolled her eyes. “Our first time fucking? You’re so romantic, Leo.”
“I’ve got a lot to learn. Will you teach me?”
“I can try.”
“I’m your fresh canvas. Do with me what you will,” I mused.
“You have no idea what you’re in for.”
“Let’s go.”
The waiting bodyguard helped her and her massive dress inside. “We’re going to the Ritz Carlton, but take the long way.” At the realization of having Drea all alone, I added, “In fact, just keep driving around until I tell you to stop.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once he closed the door, we collapsed back against the seat. When I turned to gaze at her beside me, my heart overflowed.