Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Until she is my wife, the fewer people who know about my interest in her the better.
It’s been a hot topic, me getting married. Now that Andy is wed, everyone expects me to follow soon after.
“We were wondering if you were the next in line to get married now that you’ve lost your wingman, but I guess you don’t need his help.” One of my father’s men jokes.
“No, just my million-dollar party,” Andy grumbles under his breath. I was the only one who got laid on his wedding night, he and Bianca fought until the early hours of the morning and then he went to sleep in one of the guest rooms.
“We’ll see,” I tell them. Four years is a long time. Father might arrange another marriage for one of my cousins. My sisters are still too young, and he isn't eager to marry them off even if that's what they want. At least, what two of them want.
Lunch ends and everyone returns to their duties. There are some visits Andy and I will make today. Nothing urgent, but we have to be sure we are keeping in the good graces of the politicians and officials that allow us to operate under the radar of the police. My father stops me before we leave the grounds of the estate.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep eye on the situation. We’ll get her home to you. I’m ready to pass on my title, but before that can happen, I need to make sure you have the support system you need. You need a wife. Emma is the one you want to fill the role, I’ll be damned if I let a brief delay, like a gap year, keep me from retirement.”
Andy looks at my dad with fake aghast. “I’m not a good enough support system?”
My dad laughs and slaps him on the back. “Not until you’re able to get your own wife to like you. Being the second in command is no simple task either.”
Andy scowls at the mention of Bianca. Their egos are still in the way of their marriage, but I’ve seen them making progress. I don’t dare bring it up, because if either of them realizes they are growing closer to each other, they’ll probably retreat like a couple of scared mice.
As if we have summoned her, Bianca appears at the top of the staircase. I send a polite smile her way while my father beams at her. “Bianca! Dear! How are you?”
Bianca gets this look on her face. I’ve seen it quite a few times since the wedding, just about every time I’ve seen her, to be honest. It’s like she doesn’t understand what she’s seeing. My father’s warmth when he isn’t being the Don. How all the women in my family balk at the mention of mistresses. And just the simple interactions that happen within the family. Her uncle is the Don of the De Luca family, and I know they don’t hold the same values we do. He’s had several mistresses through the years, going as far as to bring them to parties and public events when his wife is sick with pregnancies. It’s disgusting.
“I’m doing well. And yourself?”
“So formal, dear,” Andy says. Sarcasm drips from his voice and Bianca shoots a glare his way. Although they didn’t sleep together on their wedding night, they’ve since consummated their marriage. I think sarcasm is their form of foreplay. It puts the rest of us in an awkward situation. One night they got into a fight during family dinner and the rest of us found ways to be out of the house so we didn’t have to be subjected to the sounds of their reconciliation.
I think my uncle is looking at buying them an apartment in the city. A late wedding gift. And a way for the rest of us to keep our sanity.
Except where Bianca would normally have some witty comeback, she shifts uncomfortably and looks at Andy. “Can we talk?”
Chapter Eight- Emma
I’ve never been a fan of flying into the Denver airport. It’s busy and chaotic, you have to take trains to get places. There’s the horse. The horse weirds me out.
My aunt lives in a smaller town about half an hour outside the Denver metro area. I’m thankful for the fact she doesn’t live in Denver. I find it to be suffocating. In some ways, I prefer New York City. At least New York City has adequate amounts of public transport to combat the excessive amounts of people. Denver is a city that has grown too fast for its own good.
My aunt meets me outside the airport. She has her arms open the second we make eye contact and I all but launch myself into her. I take less than a minute to break down. For the first time in weeks, I feel safe. Even when I called her the other night, I didn't dare cry.