“Well don’t just stand there,” Mr. Wesley said gruffly, gesturing to an empty chair. “Sit down. Food’s getting cold.”
I moved toward the indicated seat, hyperaware of every eye on me. The chair was next to Nick, at least, which was something. I sat down carefully, my ribs protesting the movement, and tried to look like I belonged there.
Heather took the seat directly across from me, her green eyes—so much like Nick’s but colder and harder—fixed on my face with undisguised hostility.
“So,” she said, her voice saccharine sweet. “How’s married life treating you, Dante?”
“It serves its purpose,” I replied, trying to play it aloof. Judging by the change in her expression, that was thewrongthing to say. So I quickly added, “But the arrangement seems to be benefiting us both.”
Heather’s eyes flashed with something dangerous, and I watched her jaw clench. “Benefits you both,” she repeated slowly, like she was tasting the words and finding them rotten. “How exactly does it benefit my brother to be your property?”
“Heather,” Mrs. Wesley warned from her position at the stove, but her daughter ignored her.
“No, I want to know.” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table in a way that would’ve earned me a smack from my own mother back in Jersey. “What benefits does Nick get out of this arrangement? Besides keeping the ranch that should’ve been his, anyway?”
I felt Nick tense beside me, and I knew I needed to tread carefully here. One wrong word and this whole dinner would explode before we’d even taken a bite.
“He gets a partner,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Someone who’s invested in making this ranch successful. Someone who?—”
“Someone who bought him like cattle,” Heather interrupted, her voice rising. “Let’s not pretend this is some kind of equal partnership, Dante. You showed up here with your mob money and your threats, and you took what you wanted. Just like your family always does.”
“That’s enough,” Mr. Wesley said sharply, but Heather was on a roll now.
“Is it though? Because I’m the only one willing to say what everyone’s thinking.” She gestured around the table. “Mom won’t say it because she’s too polite. Dad won’t say it because he feels guilty. But I don’t have to pretend to like you just because you forced a marriage to my brother.”
“Heather, please—” Nick started, but she cut him off too.
“What? You want me to act like everything’s fine? Like we’re one big happy family now?” She laughed, bitter and sharp. “He’s a criminal, Nick. His family ruins lives. And now you’re tied to him forever because Dad made a stupid deal with the devil.”
The words hung in the air like smoke, acrid and choking. I saw Mrs. Wesley’s hands still on the serving spoon, saw Mr. Wesley’s face go pale, saw Angelo look down at his plate like he wished he could disappear through the floor.
And I saw Nick’s expression crack, hurt and anger warring across his features.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quietly, but there was steel in his voice I’d rarely heard. “You don’t know him.”
“And you do?” Heather shot back. “What, a few weeks of playing house and suddenly he’s not the monster who forced you into this marriage? Like he wouldn’t put a bullet in your head if you got in the way?”
I should’ve stayed quiet. Should’ve let Nick handle his sister, should’ve been the bigger person. But something in me snapped at hearing her call me a monster when I’d spent the last few weeks trying so damn hard to be anything but.
“You’re right,” I said, my voice colder than I’d intended. “I’m not a good person. I come from a family that does terrible things, and I’ve done my share of terrible things too. But I never forced Nick into anything he didn’t agree to.”
“You gave him no choice?—”
“There’s always a choice,” I interrupted, meeting her furious gaze head-on. “Your father could’ve let the Valentis take the ranch. You could’ve married me instead. Nick could’ve walked away and let everything burn. But he didn’t. He made a choice, the same way I made a choice to honor the contract and try to make this work.”
“How noble of you,” she sneered. “Honoring a contract that never should’ve existed in the first place. If you would’ve threatened him with a gun, it might’ve been more romantic.”
“You’re right about that too. The contract shouldn’t have existed. But it does, and we’re all living with the consequences.” Itook a breath, trying to rein in my temper. “I can’t change where I come from, Heather. I can’t undo the fact that my family does business in ways you find morally reprehensible. But I can try to be better. I can try to make this situation work for everyone, including your brother.”
“By sleeping with him?” The words came out like an accusation, and the entire room went deathly silent.
My blood ran cold. How did she…?
“What?” Mrs. Wesley’s voice was barely a whisper, the serving spoon clattering against the dish.
Nick had gone rigid beside me, his face drained of all color. Mr. Wesley was staring at his daughter with an expression I couldn’t quite read, and Angelo looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and die.
“Oh please,” Heather said, though I could see her hands shaking slightly. “You think I’m blind? The way you two look at each other, the hickey on Nick’s neck that he tried to cover up yesterday, the fact that you’re both always ‘busy’ when someone comes looking for you...” She laughed, but it sounded brittle. “I’m not stupid. And apparently neither is anyone else on this ranch, based on the gossip I’ve been hearing.”
