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His shoulders have eased.

His jaw is unclenched.

He’s growing comfortable here.

“Wife? Now, that’s what I like to hear!” Belinda’s expression is similar to Betty’s. “A beautiful wife.”

I stand and hug Belinda, feeling that same warmth from her as I used to get from Marta.

“Did you have a wedding?” Betty asks, coming up behind her parents with our waters.

“No,” I say with a hint of a frown. “It was a quick thing.”

“Are you pregnant?” Betty asks, setting down the waters.

“Betty!” Belinda smacks her arm.

“No,” I say around a laugh. “We’re not pregnant.”

“Not yet,” Julian corrects. “We’re going to have a wedding.”

“And we’ll be sure to send you an invite,” I add.

Mick rubs his hands together. “Congrats to the newlyweds! I’ll send out my favorite pizza.”

“You two enjoy your meal,” Belinda says with a smile. “You let us know if you need anything, and don’t you leave before saying goodbye!”

“We won’t,” I say, returning the smile.

“I love them,” I say as soon as they’re out of earshot.

“They’re good people.” Julian rubs his face. “Sometimes, I wish my father had taken their offer. Our lives would’ve been different.”

“I could totally see you tossing pizzas in the air, looking all hot.” I smirk, settling one elbow on the table.

He forces a smile.

“You could always do that, you know? Leave that world behind and start a new one. There’s plenty of places we could go.”

He leans back in the booth, an unsettling expression on his face. “The only way I leave the Lombardi family is when I die. My parents signed me up for life, no exceptions.”

“But wouldn’t Damien …” My words trail off.

“Damien isn’t the boss. Even he’s stuck in this life. He’s just lucky enough to be at the top of the totem pole.” He stops, grabs his water, and scoffs. “Though I wouldn’t consider him lucky.”

I drag my hand along the hem of my tank.

I’m having a love-hate relationship with our conversation.

I love that I’m getting to know Julian better, meeting his family and learning the secrets of his life. But I hate that some of those secrets are so dark.

I want to fix that for him.

Shine some light.

Show him there is good out here.

The proof is right in front of him—me, the family who was so excited to see him tonight, our future.