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I closed my eyes.

A few minutes later, footsteps came back and I opened them, lifting my head, ready to spring to my feet if necessary.

A pillow and blanket hit me in the face.

“At least try to be comfortable. You don’t want to be too tired for your wedding day.”

I looked at Gio. “Thanks.”

He nodded again, and then turned, his nods changing to shaking his head as he walked away.

Putting the pillow down, I spread out the blanket over me as I prepared to sleep at my bride’s door since I could not be in her bed. Tomorrow night, she’d be in mine.

Chapter Eighteen

Ivy

“Tomas! Get up off the floor this instant. My goodness. Go get yourself ready for your wedding day.” Mrs. DiNardo’s voice woke me from a very sound sleep, even through the closed door of the bedroom I was in.

Which was also how I found out that Tomas had apparently spent the night guarding my door.

I didn’t know how to feel about that, but a small, traitorous part of my heart leapt at the revelation. The real question was why he had done so – to ensure I could not escape or to protect me.

The real answer was probably a bit of both.

I let out a long sigh and moved to sit up, which was when I remembered I was tied to the bed. Tomas had not undone the rope before leaving me last night. Not that it had been needed, considering how exhausted I’d been by the time he finally left the room.

Remembering brought back the phantom feeling of his fingers in my pussy and bottom, and I flushed a deep pink as both clenched. The door opened just then, revealing not only Mrs. DiNardo, but Hailey and Clara as well.

I pulled myself up as best I could, twisting slightly to accommodate for my wrists being tied to the bed.

The three of them entered the room and then stopped and stared at the green rope around my wrists.

Mrs. DiNardo sighed and shook her head. “That boy. Always the cautious one.”

Calling him a boy seemed a bit of a stretch, considering he was nearly twice her size, but I didn’t point that out.

“Cautious. Sure,” Clara muttered, coming over to undo my hands. I watched closely as she picked at the ropes, but I couldn’t make sense of where she was tugging, and then suddenly my hands were free.

“Can you teach me to do that?” I asked in wonderment, twisting my wrists back and forth. They were a little pink, but otherwise no harm done.

“Mmm, eventually,” Clara responded, reminding me that I was not yet trusted by the family.

I wondered how long it would take after today’s wedding to become so. If I ever would be. I nodded my head in acceptance and acknowledgment that I was not currently one of them.

Blinking, I realized all of them were dressed in much fancier dresses than they had been yesterday. Not gowns, but certainly a step above a normal day dress. Mrs. DiNardo was wearing a peach frock with cream lace over it, Hailey had on a dark-red shift with beading around the neckline, and Clara’s blue dress had both black lace and beads adorning it.

“Let’s get you up, dear. You need to be fitted for your wedding dress and then you can eat something while the seamstress makes the alterations.”

“I…” I was floundering.

I’d realized that Tomas and I were to be married today, but I hadn’t thought I’d have an actual wedding dress. At best, I’d assumed I’d be wearing the same dress I had yesterday.

I should have remembered the mob has connections everywhere.

Including dressmakers.

Everything happened in a whirl from there. Mrs. DiNardo had undergarments for me. She tutted over the ones Tomas had torn, but didn’t seem that upset either. Then the seamstress arrived with the dress and two apprentices. It took them only a few minutes to pin the needed alterations and then they whisked the dress away to go work on it.