Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
He’d planned so perfectly.
Like father, like son.
Shit.
“I bought a yacht.” I suddenly blurted.
Bella slowly craned her neck toward me. “You get seasick.”
“That was one time.”
“It was enough to make you stop eating shrimp for a solid year.”
I made a face. “I just wasn’t into shrimp.”
“Because you were busy barfing it over the yacht, that’s straight up cannibalism right there, feeding the poor shrimp family remnants of their loved ones mixed with stomach acid.”
I scowled. “Stop exaggerating and I can own a yacht, we can park it.”
“You park cars, you drop an anchor for a yacht.”
“I know that.”
“Didn’t you just learn how to swim two years ago?” She pointed out.
Great conversation. “I can swim just fine.”
“Maybe the shrimp ghosts will get you, one can only hope.” She smiled sweetly and gripped me by the thigh.
I stared down at her hand; my breathing was too heavy to be normal. I liked her touch; I needed to really not like it. I needed to not like her; I was trying, in that moment, to figure out how I went from constantly wanting to fight with her to needing her.
Was it when everyone abandoned me and saw me as the villain?
No. I didn’t care what they thought.
Something flickered in my soul.
“I trust you.” She’d sworn.
She was the only person other than Junior to ever say that out loud.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Good liars are too smooth, but honest people stumble over their words because they’re afraid you’re trying to trap them. Always watch out for pretty sentences formed around compliments—they may be pointing a gun at your head while telling you how much they respect you.” —King Campisi
Bella
We walked up to my dad’s house. It was massive, built around our own private lake and had its own golf course that was, of course, closed to the public unless you were invited.
Though, I wouldn’t be super thrilled about being invited to my dad’s house unless you were prepared to either kiss ass or die.
I glanced over at Ivan as we walked up the pathway to the back of the house by the pool where mom always set up brunch.
Tons of suits watched us curiously.
Tank walked behind us but other than that, no other protection was needed now that the treaty between all of the Families was renewed, I’m sure it still didn’t make Ivan feel any less stressed.
He deserved it though.
That’s what I reminded myself as I held his hand and kept my head high. He deserved what was coming to him because he was the one in the end that made that choice.
It was idyllic, really.
Brunch was set around the table, small little cucumber sandwiches, four large carafes of mimosas, more wine as per usual, eggs, bacon, sausage, hummus, bread, and cheese boards.
They went all out the day after selling me to the devil.
My heart clenched in my chest, no matter what did or didn’t happen, I still wanted my dad to look at me like he was proud, but he was expressionless. I wanted to run into his arms and cry. I wanted my mom to tell me it was going to be okay, instead she tucked her dark hair behind her ears and whispered something to my dad then gave him a shove.
He pushed his metal chair back and stood; he was wearing baby blue jeans and a white button-down shirt, clearly unbuttoned two buttons to show off the Abandonato Family crest and the three jagged knife scars across the ink.
Ivan, to his credit, didn’t back away; he simply stared Dad down and then held out his hand.
His hand lingered= in the space between them. Awkward did not even begin to cover it.
Dad stared it down, then looked up at Ivan. “Did you touch her?”
“You told me not to.” Ivan tilted his head. “Have the rules changed?”
Dad’s eyes narrowed. “You’re married to her in name only, that was the deal.”
Ivan jerked me against his side. “Trust me, the last thing she wants is me actually touching her. I’m tainted, my entire family line is, right? Why would I expect you to change your mind, even if that means your precious daughter is happy?”
I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me.
“Yeah.” Dad eyed me up and down. “She looks thrilled.”
“Whose fault is that?” Ivan snapped.
“Yours. Hers. Hormones. Old laws I’ll sure as hell be fighting to fix as soon as humanly possible.” Dad gritted his teeth. “Take your pick, and take a seat, we’re still waiting on Ash and King. The others ate.”
Oh, no. So, my overprotective cousin who was quick to anger, and the cousin who’s the new Capo and likes to feed his rage.
That doesn’t sound like a brunch disaster.
Maybe they’d bring their wives.
Mom eyed me from the end of the table, her brown eyes narrowed between us, and then a small smirk formed on her lips. “If you’ll excuse me.”