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)
Every ounce of weight gained and every stretch mark that appeared had come with a purpose: to grow and protect my son. I refuse to be ashamed of that. If Enzo were to run because of the effects growing his child had on my body, then it wouldn’t be a loss.
“Enzo, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” the blonde practically purrs, not acknowledging the fact I’m on his arm. I hold in my snicker when Enzo looks at her with casual disinterest.
“Nina,” Enzo says, his own voice flat and uninterested. He doesn’t bother to grace her with a smile. If this bothers her at all, she doesn’t let on. “If you’ll excuse me, my fiancée and I have some other people we need to meet.”
As Enzo pulls us away from the pair, a delicate hand shoots out to grab onto his wrist. “Leaving so soon? I hoped we could catch up. Maybe somewhere private.”
I hold back my scoff. The audacity she must have to shamelessly throw herself at someone’s fiancee right in front of them. My hand tightens on Enzo. For a minute, that bitter insecurity I thought I’d laid to rest rises within me. Obviously, this is the type of woman Enzo is expected to be with.
Enzo glares at the hand like it’s a parasite attempting to nest on him. He pinches one of the perfectly manicured fingers between his thumb and pointer finger and uses it to rip the entire hand off him. After flicking her away, Enzo looks over at her father.
“If you want an invitation to this Lombardi wedding, you should probably remember your place,” he growls at the two of them. Oleg narrows his eyes at him, a slimy smile weaseling its way onto his face.
“I’ll be reaching out about another meeting here soon to go over what will be necessary for us to keep our alliance,” Oleg tells him. Enzo nods his head.
“You know how to reach my father,” he says before pulling us back into the crowd.
We make our way through the crowd. Enzo introduces me to various associates, and we accept their congratulations on our engagement.
When we finally find a break to be by ourselves, I can’t stop myself from asking. “So, how do you know Nina?”
Enzo watches me closely. I try not to give away the ugly feeling budding inside of me at her name. I’m not sure I succeed, but he doesn’t push. “Her father is an associate we are brokering a deal with. He was under the impression the deal would include a marriage between his daughter and I.”
“And what gave him that idea?”
Enzo raises a single eyebrow up at me. “Your father.”
I curse under my breath. My father thinks he can control the world. And I understand in his way, he saw it as protecting Matteo and I. If Enzo were married to someone else, someone who looks like Nina, then he wouldn’t notice when I came back into town.
“I need to go check on Matteo,” I tell Enzo.
Matteo was in one of the bedrooms attached to the club. I had spent a long time debating whether it would be best to bring him with us or leave him at home. Ultimately, it made the most sense to bring him, even if I’m not ready to introduce him to people as Enzo’s son. This way, no one has to stay behind with him. Instead, family members cycle in and out of the party and up to the room where Matteo is staying, making sure he is never left alone, but no one is ever away from the party long enough to raise suspicions.
It was a stark change in conversation, but if Enzo suspects the bubbling jealousy, he says nothing. He just placed his hand on my lower back and leads me towards the exit.
“Ah, the lovers are escaping for the night!”
Andy catches us on the way out, a drink in his hand and a drunk haze in his eyes. He watches as his wife buzzes around the room, acting as the perfect hostess. Both she and Alice had made sure the night ran smoothly. At one point, I saw Bianca insert herself between two men who had gotten into a heated argument. By the time she left them, they were laughing with each other like they were best friends.
Is that what’s going to be expected of me?
I’ve never been that kind of person. I’ve always been someone who shies away from the spotlight. Yet, I’m marrying the future head of the Lombardi family. It isn't a position made for my introverted nature.
I bet Nina would thrive in that kind of role.
I gulp down the rest of my wine on the way upstairs and don’t look back at Enzo following me.
Chapter Thirty-Two- Enzo
Since the night I put the engagement ring on Emma’s finger, she hasn’t fought me about sleeping in our bed. Even when we traveled to Kansas, she slept right alongside me. So where is she?