“Has Angelo said anything to you?”
“About what?” Nerves fire at me from all angles.
“He’s in talks about a marriage contract.”
All the blood drains from my face. “Please tell me it’s not with that perv Conti from Philly.”
Papa brought the man over for dinner six months ago. He is keen to secure an alliance with the Contis, as they have some distribution routes he needs. Their don is dying, and Paulo is his successor. He was contracted to marry someone else, but it fell through, and I know Papa brought him over to see if he was agreeable to a match. He spent the entire meal leering at me, and he made my skin crawl.
I heard nothing else about it and Ben hadn’t either, so I thought it was off the table, and I was hugely relieved. Paulo is pushing forty, and he has the bad combover and beer belly to prove it. All I could think at that dinner was how I would puke if he put his sweaty, stubby hands anywhere near me.
Ben shakes his head, and my breath oozes out in shuddering relief. “It’s someone closer to home.”
“Who?” I chew on the inside of my mouth.
“Gino Accardi.”
I gasp. “No!”
“You know his wife just died in a car crash and he has twin sons. They are only three. He needs to find a new wife, and I heard last night that he approached Angelo about you.”
That’s why Ben came home. I knew there was a reason.
“He’s ancient!” I croak.
Ben’s lips curve up at the corner. “He’s only thirty-eight or thirty-nine, Nat. He’s hardly geriatric.”
“He might as well be,” I murmur, troubled over this news. It’s not like I haven’t known I would be married to an older man. It’s usually the norm. But Gino seems older than his years, and he has always scared me a little.
“He’s a decent man. Far better than any of the others Angelo was considering. And he’s a don. The youngest don in our history.” Admiration glistens in Ben’s eyes, and I know he desires to achieve that accolade someday.
Footsteps thud up the stairs, and Ben stands. “Anyway, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Say nothing to Angelo when he informs you Don Accardi is coming for dinner.”
“Ah, hell. Tonight?” I grumble, resting my head against the windowpane. “I had plans to meet my friends for dinner in the city.”
“You had better unmake them,” Ben says as Papa raps on my door.
28
Natalia
“You look beautiful tonight, Natalia,” Gino says, lifting my hand and bringing it to his mouth. He plants a firm kiss across my knuckles. “As always.”
“Thank you.” I smile politely at him while inside I’m freaking out.
“She is beautiful, just like her mama.” Papa stands in front of the family portrait on the wall, quietly studying the last picture taken with all of us together.
“Indeed,” Gino agrees, coming to stand alongside Papa. “Rosa was stunning, and your daughter takes after her.”
I barely resist the urge to gag as my eyes meet Benny’s across the table.
We sit down to eat, and conversation flows easily around the table, but I’m on edge and hardly able to stomach any food. Gino is pleasant and attentive, and he smiles more than normal, which I know is his way of making me feel at ease.
After dinner, the men retire to Papa’s study while I change my shoes and head outside to take a walk. I can’t stay inside while I know they are discussing me, and I need to clear my head and try to work out how I feel about this.
A car is pulling up to the side of the house as I emerge, and my heart thumps wildly in my chest as Leo steps out of the vehicle. I haven’t seen him since my birthday party either. I was surprised he attended, as he has avoided my birthday for years. I think he did it for his mother and Giuliana, because I know they give him a hard time for abandoning me after Mateo died.
Of course, Paulina and Giuliana know nothing of what happened between us, so it must seem unusual. Any time they broach the subject with me, I dismiss it casually, claiming we are both leading busy lives that have gone in different directions. Giuliana buys it. I’m not so sure Leo’s mama does though.
