Mia’s face when she’d seen the number of guests was priceless. She’d need to let go of her modest roots and throw herself into this properly. It wasn’t enough anymore to sit on the sideline and compromise on a life that was the midpoint between what we both knew. The balance was never going to tip in her favor. It was laughable to imagine me walking away from the job and living some white picket fence dream where I clocked out early to pick up the kids from soccer practice. Mia would need to allow herself to be corrupted by money and power.
It wouldn’t be easy for her. Mia’s conscience was still intact. She still worried about what others thought and how they perceived her. It didn’t take much to silence it these days; the gentle reminder of our unborn son was enough. She had experienced the worst this life had to offer, the murder of a loved one, and she’d do anything to ensure she didn’t have to go through it again.
“Feeling inspired?” Marcello asked, jerking his head toward the festivities. “I take it you’ll not want to hang about in getting Mia up the aisle.”
“We haven’t discussed it much,” I admitted.
“No, I suppose not with a little one on the way.” He clucked his tongue. “Try to keep it to just one out of wedlock.” There was a faint burn in my cheeks from the comment. That was a pretty big step away from the traditional values I was raised with, but if I’d had it my way, Mia and I would have been married months ago.
“It’s actually your beautiful bride-to-be that I wanted to discuss with you.” Marcello took two glasses from the bar and handed one to me. He kept moving and I followed behind until he stopped by the speakers, music pulsing at a socially unacceptable volume.
“This is a conversation you couldn’t have had with her present?” I asked, raising my voice so he could hear me above the bassline.
“I’m not in the business of upsetting pregnant women. They are a different breed.”
That much was true. Mia’s moods swung like a heavyweight champion and landed every time. She could be completely fine one minute and pissed off at you the next with no reasoning as to why. Dom had looked traumatized as he recounted the way Mia had cried when she wasn’t able to tie her shoes because of her bump.
“I wanted to ask how everything is between the both of you.”
“Fine,” I replied shortly. Marcello wasn’t after a casual chat and I was wary.
“Are you sure?”
“What is this about, Marcello? I don’t want to spend the evening trying to guess what you want.”
He took in a deep breath through his nose. “Are you certain on this girl, Luc?” I had to read his lips to understand since Marcello continued to speak at a normal volume, drowned out by the noise around us. “No more games? Is she it?”
“Yes,” I told him nodding my head. “Yes. Mia is it.” There was no one else that could drive me insane the way she did. No one that made me feel alive. No one I would forgive at the drop of a hat because without them I felt incomplete. “Why?”
“You didn’t hear this from me, but Xavier’s not best impressed by your choice in life partner. He’s concerned about her commitment to you and the rest of us.”
“He doesn’t need to worry,” I told him. It was interesting that Xavier had decided to convey his dislike of Mia to his circle, probably in hopes of support. If he could get enough people dancing to his tune, they could attempt to talk me out of the marriage. “If that’s all.” I turned away but Marcello reached out and caught my arm in a surprisingly strong grip, forcing me to look at him again.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, Lucas.”
“I’m not up to anything,” I cut in quickly, heartbeat picking up.
“I wasn’t born yesterday. You’ve suddenly become quite the social butterfly, and if you’re not careful those wings are going to be ripped off.”
My face was inches away from Marcello’s. I wasn’t known for my social etiquette. I preferred time on my own, preferred to deal with people at work, but I’d started to push against those self-imposed boundaries with Mia taking the lead. She was polite, had memorized the names of wives and children she hadn’t met, and fielded every back handed compliment with grace that only crumpled when we were alone together. I was pushing her limits and paid for it behind closed doors when the guilt and the hurt bubbled over and she couldn’t hold herself together. It was only in those moments when I wondered if it was all worth it.
“Need I remind you that she doesn’t have any other family?” I hissed at Marcello, putting forward a solid excuse. “She’s intent on making amends and showing that she is committed to all of us.”
“There’s something more,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You best be sure she’s worth starting a war over. If I’m suspicious, you can bet I’m not the only one.”
I pulled my arm from his grasp and straightened up. “You’re seeing things that aren’t there.”
“Watch yourself, Lucas. You have a lot more to lose now.” That was his parting shot as I stalked back across the room, feeling a little less composed than when he’d pulled me away from Mia.
Walking back to the table, I saw Mia was watching Jonah and Katia walk away. “What did they want?” I asked, coming up behind her.
She turned around, the flicker of something in her eyes that disappeared as she answered, “To apologize.” My eyebrows raised in surprise. “I think Jonah is missing doing business with you.”
I hummed in response. “What do you think? Should we forgive them?”
Mia cocked her head to the side. She had probably already granted forgiveness and closed a door on the comments. I was more willing to hold a grudge for the rumors than Mia was, but the next words from her mouth, caught me off guard.
“Let them stew.”
