“You don’t have to worry about any of this. They aren’t getting you back and they aren’t harming anyone. Do you trust me to make sure of that?”
Although I couldn’t explain it, I was sure I could trust him to keep me and my family safe. I nodded. “Yes.”
“So on the brighter side of things, your uncle will be joining us while we go shopping today.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Now, let’s go, beautiful. I have to take you shopping and get you tied to me in every single way.”
Twenty minutes later, we were in the back of a luxurious SUV, and I was sitting beside two men whom I respected. In the front, Marco was driving and Gio was in the passenger seat. The air was a little stuffy with all of them when I truly wanted to be alone with Uncle Joey and Elio. There was a lot to say.
“Uncle Joey, thanks for coming with us today.”
“It’s my pleasure to see you married, sweetheart.” A scoff came from one of them in front, and I didn’t miss the sudden tension in Elio’s body beside me. Other than one of them being rude, which seemed to be Marco’s sense of humor, I didn’t see why he would be upset.
“Don’t piss Elio off. Remember what happened to Frankie when he insulted Miss Rose’s beauty,” Gio said.
“What happened to this Frankie person?” I asked.
“I stabbed him in the gut, and he deserved it. He survived, but he won’t be allowed around you because he can’t be trusted.” He gave them what I could only describe as a warning look. I wasn’t touching that conversation with a ten-foot pole.
“Frankly, you should have twisted the knife. It was barely a scratch. The doc was able to patch him up and give him some painkillers yesterday.”
“Damn it,” Uncle Joey grumbled.
“So where are we going?” I asked, wanting to change the heavy subject. Elio was a mobster, and I already knew that. Marco warned me the moment we met that Elio wouldn’t tolerate disrespect toward me, and he apparently meant it.
“You’ll see.” Elio held my hand the entire time, making tiny circles around my wrist. I was starting to get the feeling that my soon-to-be husband might actually be obsessed with me, and instead of terrifying me, I wanted more.
A calmness fell over me, and I rested my head on his shoulder, needing that strong, unspoken comfort he brought to me. We drove on in mostly quiet areas that reminded me of home. The light traffic kept us moving, and yet I didn’t want to get out of the vehicle.
“So what time is everything?” I asked.
“We’ll see how everything plays out.”
I lifted myself off his large frame with pouty lips and a glare. “Are you intentionally being evasive with me, Mr. DeSalvo? Is that your way of getting me to trust you?”
He just smirked at me with an air of confidence that I should have seen coming a million miles away. “Maybe.”
“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes.
“Maybe I just want everything to be a surprise.” He kissed my temple and then my hand, dragging me up against his side again. “By the way, you look adorable when you’re annoyed with me.”
“Just remember that later.”
He leaned in and cupped my chin, tilting it to bring our lips close. “I will, and I know just how to get you nice and unannoyed.” He then gently nipped on them. I let out a soft whimper, and he quickly pulled back with an annoyed grunt.
“What’s wrong?”
“It seems I’m going to need to remind you of some other things later.” He winked and sat back.
“So do you have any plans to return to school now that you’re here?” my uncle asked.
That diffused one tension and created another. Before we could discuss it, we arrived. We pulled into a parking spot along a small town where several boutiques lined the street. “Let’s start here,” Elio said as we stopped in front of an elegant woman’s clothing store.
Chapter Nine
Elio
