25. Romeo
25
ROMEO
W ith the help of Nina and Eva, Tess easily adapted and fell into her role as my woman. They were critical in answering her many questions about who was who and what happened with the Domino Family, the Giovannis, and even the bikers.
The Constella organization had ample enemies. For many generations, we’d fought plenty of others who wanted the power we’d amassed and funneled into more wealth and dominance. They would never beat us, but I understood how Tessa might feel lost with all the names tossed around and the rumors that could be shared about what happened when and where, and how it could cause ripples of consequences. A crash course wouldn’t be enough, but I was glad that Nina and Eva were available to help Tessa fit in.
One such night, when we came to the mansion so I could meet with my father and Franco, I caught snippets of what the women chattered about in the kitchen. Over coffee and cake, they gossiped and joked around to the point that I had to refrain from laughing.
“I’m just saying,” Nina teased. “When Dante and I are married, I’ll be Romeo’s stepmom.”
I rolled my eyes. Technically, I supposed she would be. But it wouldn’t mean anything or change anything.
Eva laughed harder. “And then when you marry?—”
“If,” Tessa argued.
“If and when you marry Romeo,” she went on, “you would become Nina’s stepdaughter-in-law.”
I smiled from my seat in the other room, where they must have assumed I couldn’t hear them. The idea of marrying Tessa filled me with pride and joy. She already felt like my wife. We lived together. I provided for her. We slept together and shared as much intimacy as we could. I was damned proud of her for overcoming her fear of anything anal, and the fact that she could showed how much she trusted me.
Marrying Tessa would be in the plans. I wasn’t sure when or how to make it happen, but I would. There was no doubt in my mind that we would be together forever, and looking forward to it gave me the ultimate sense of purpose.
“I’m not sure that’ll ever happen,” Tess said, slightly dejected.
I furrowed my brow. What the fuck?
“I have no clue what we’re doing or who I am to him. A girlfriend? A kept woman?”
I sighed heavily, happy that she didn’t say she was a goddamn burden. I’d fucked that idea out of her.
“The men in the family don’t really bother with titles and labels,” Eva said. “You’re married or not, so you’re a wife or a girlfriend. Even though one is a legal binding, they’re basically the same and you’ll be treated the same.”
Nina made a noise of disagreement. “I’m not sure about that. Didn’t you say that the Domino Family was notorious for swapping mistresses to spy on their own members?”
“Well, yes. There’s the whole thing with mistresses, too, but no one really deals with that in the Constella Family,” Eva replied.
“No,” Tess said, “it’s not the label. It’s more like I don’t know what he thinks. And I don’t want to be petty and ask, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t have a job. I don’t have my own place.”
“And your parents took all your money,” Nina added, annoyed and aggravated.
“That’s bullshit,” Eva said. “Dante or Romeo can fix that.”
“What!” It sounded like Tess spat out her wine.
“They can get your money back. Romeo will do you right, regardless of not putting a label on you,” Eva said. “Or putting a ring on it.”
“Yet,” Nina added, teasing.
I damn well would put a rock on her finger. While I was upset to hear Tessa still be so worried, assuming that I wouldn’t take care of her, I understood it. She was independent, and if the roles were reversed and I was the one who’d suddenly gotten swooped up in all this, I would feel the same. Instead of being insulted and viewing this in the light of her not trusting me, I was glad that she was so practical and still had a self-sufficient mindset. She wasn’t the typical Mafia wife, clingy and lazy, dependent on a man for everything.
“It’s all tip money and such,” Tess said. “For years. There is no way anyone could easily quantify it all and, what, sue them for it?” She huffed.
I smirked. You want to bet, my good girl? If she ever wanted me to recoup all the money that she gave her parents, I would make it happen. I’d demand that they pay her back—with interest—but I suspected she’d want as little contact with them as possible.
After the way that her mother yelled at her in the hospital, I doubted Tessa wanted to ever be in her presence again. I would always make that my mission, to protect her from them, from anyone.
I need to speak with them and tell them to fuck off for good. Tessa was my girlfriend. My lover. My future bride. Maybe one day, the mother of my children. She was my future, and I would never be so careless as to let her past interfere with her moving forward with me.
Killing them seemed extreme, but I would do her right. Justice was justice.
Nina switched the topic to her baby shower, and while Tessa was all about the conversation, Eva excused herself. Her heels clicked and clacked over the marble floor as she went from the large kitchen toward the great room I sat in.
I looked up from idly scrolling on my phone and caught her noticing me. True to her cool nature, she didn’t jump or flinch. We both knew I was listening, and she wouldn’t apologize or make excuses for it. Eva was consistent like that, unruffled, always “on” and maintaining the air of never letting anything bother her. Deep down, I knew she was more feeling and receptive. She had to be, but not much could penetrate the icy shell she hid behind.
“I’m grateful that you and Nina can help Tessa adjust to our lifestyle.”
She sat, arching one brow. “Nina and me?” She twisted her lips in a wry smirk. “I wouldn’t say Nina’s an expert herself. She’s still learning.”
I chuckled. Fair enough. “You know what I mean. I’m glad that Tessa can ask you questions and count on you as resources.”
She nodded. “I admit that she’s surprised me. Coming from a shitty background, and then the incident of the night you found her… She’s a tough one. You’ve done well to stick with her.”
I raised my brows. “Implying that I don’t have staying power otherwise?”
“Sort of. You’ve never had a relationship longer than a week, and here you are, looking like you’re the most besotted man on earth.” She huffed a light laugh. “Other than your dad, I suppose.”
“It’s not complicated.”
She furrowed her brow. “Oh, sure.”
“It’s not. When you meet the other half of your soul, everything falls into place.” I was generalizing a lot. Nothing had simply fallen into place for me and Tess. I had to work on getting over my guilt. She had to cope with the trauma of being raped. We both had to manage the pent-up tension and self-denial we’d suffered those weeks of not communicating clearly. It had taken effort on our part to come together, but now that we had, I knew nothing could stop us from sharing our love.
“Are you listening to yourself? Where’d my super-serious and gloomy cousin go?” She smiled as she teased, so I wasn’t bothered. “You’ve saved your Cinderella girl and are over the moon to treat her so well. It’s quite the one-eighty you’ve done there.”
I shrugged, not in any mood to deny it. “Who knows, maybe you’ll be next.”
She deadpanned at me. “Yeah, right.”
“Why not? Maybe love is just in the air.”
“Love?” She smiled, a sweet and slow one. “You love her?”
I shot her a look that implied that she was being stupid. “Of course.”
“But if she knew that, she wouldn’t be in there”—she jerked her thumb toward the kitchen—“wondering how much she matters.”
“We haven’t shared those words yet, but yes, I love her.” So fucking much I could burst. I pointed at her. “Nice try, changing the subject. You very well could be next to settle down.”
She shook her head, letting her long, brown hair fall over her shoulder. “No man would ever want me.”
It wasn’t low self-confidence that she was arguing with, but realistic high confidence. “No man would ever want the challenge of putting up with me.”
I sighed. My cousin knew her worth. She never flaunted it, but she was aware that she was gorgeous, a bombshell of a woman men lusted after. More than that, she was intelligent and sharp.
“I’m too rare, Romeo. A Mafia princess, remember?”
Her wording would make her seem full of herself, but I knew her better than that. She simply didn’t suffer fools.
“For one thing, I’m not afraid to be assertive. And no man will enjoy that for long.”
She always had to be assertive, and my father raised her the same as he had me—instilling a deep sense of confidence and will, making sure we were both smart and capable to survive in this world prone to danger and drama, full of lies and deceit.
Seeing my father finally enter the room, I stood to start this meeting. Franco would be around sooner or later, and then, I could spend the rest of the night showing my girl how I loved her. Tessa would hear the words from me soon, but I wanted it to be the perfect moment.
“Don’t worry, Eva,” I said as I stood.
“Does it look like I’m worried?”
She didn’t look bothered at all, but beneath that cool mask, I bet she was feeling the effects of slight envy as my father and I settled with our women.
“Someone is bound to show up in your life and make you change your mind about being single.”
I gave my father a chance to stop in the kitchen to kiss Nina before our meeting. As I headed to the patio, I ran into Franco as he arrived. We were always busy, going from one thing to another, but he slowed to walk with me to the table outside.
“I found some more info about your lawyer,” he said after we greeted each other.
“My lawyer?” The family had an extensive web of legal support, but none of us had a specific representative.
“Hines. The slimy bastard who is supposed to marry your girl?” He looked at me, almost amused that I couldn’t read his mind and immediately know what he was talking about.
“Good or bad info?”
He shrugged as we continued outside. “Just intel. He’s got his hands in so many pies it’s getting messy. Both Reaper and Stefan lean on him, and I think going after him would turn over a lot of stones we haven’t considered.”
“I don’t want to prolong a crusade against him,” I said. “But I do intend to meet with him. I don’t want anything—anyone—to stand in my way with Tess.”
“Don’t blame you.” He took a seat and frowned. “You’re not thinking he’s got some kind of signed document with her parents that she’d marry him, do you?”
I thought back to the whiny, judgmental woman in the hospital, the woman who called herself Tess’s mother. “No. I doubt they’ve put anything formal into play. If they have, I’ll eliminate it.”
He nodded. “Just let me know how I can help.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t have to offer, and I wouldn’t have to ask. That was how we worked, together as a family, looking out for each other. I grew excited about Tessa learning that she had a family in us all, a support network unlike anything she’d ever dreamed of having before.
Franco huffed a single sarcastic laugh. “You’re not going to ask her old man for permission to marry or anything like that, are you?”
I gave him a droll look.
He cracked up. “Yeah. I didn’t think so.”
I didn’t intend to ask Mr. West for anything. Tess wasn’t his to give away. She could make up her own mind and decide if she wanted to marry me. But Franco gave me the idea to at least reach out to Mr. and Mrs. West.
Not to announce my interest in marrying her.
But to tell them that she was mine.
They would never upset her or try to manipulate her again.
No one would. If anyone dared to harm a single hair on her head or incite the slightest worry in her mind, they would pay dearly. I would stop at nothing to prevent her from suffering, and I refused to let any obstacle get in the way of what would be our bright future.