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"Me as well, Nonna. You seem to be a joy," Britain responded with a reflecting smile. The three of them graced the marble floors of the home, and Britain was in awe as she gazed at all the beautiful furniture, portraits and sculptures that decorated the rooms they briefly walked through.

Nonna led Britain and Priest to the den. The furniture was still very expensive and very white, but the den had more of a leisurely vibe to it, differing from how formal the rest of the home was. "Matteo, Priest is here, and he's engaged!" Nonna called for someone else's attention.

Britain caught sight of a slender man taking a few puffs from a thick cigar. His jet-black hair was slicked back in a short haircut as he jolted to his feet, showcasing his eye-catching height. He seemed to be just a tad bit older than Nonna. His face was blemished lightly with a few wrinkles and bags underneath his eyes, but they didn't take away from his good looks. He was fitted in a multicolored Versace button down that he matched with an ironed pair of black chino slacks.

Removing the cigar from his lips, he held it between his fingers as he opened his arms for Priest. After slapping handswith each other, the two men embraced one another with widespread smiles.

"Piacere di riaverti figlio!"Matteo's hearty voice settled into Britain's ears as he spoke with Priest. With her lack of comprehension of Italian, Britain was completely oblivious to the men's exchange.Matteo had just told Priest that he was glad to have him back in Italy.

"È bello essere tornati," Priest responded with so much ease, letting Matteo know that he was happy to be back. It was fascinating to Britain how he was able to grasp the language so quickly. It was almost natural for him.

Britain shifted her eyes between the men, hoping someone would stop speaking Italian and converse in English. Priest noticed the confusion in Britain's face, causing him to chuckle lightly. "I'm mad disrespectful. Teo, this is my fiancée, Britain. She doesn't speak Italian, so out of respect for her, can we just speak English?" Priest requested, not wanting Britain to feel left out in any way.

"No, it's fine. I can't ask for such a big request," Britain attempted to recant Priest's request. She didn't want to come off as overbearing in Matteo and Suzette's home.

"Nonsense, Britain!" Matteo shouted as he opened his arms for her. "We want you to be comfortable. Give us a few months, and you will speak more Italian than this guy ever will." With his hearty laugh, Matteo pointed at Priest. Suzette and Matteo were very animated, which was amusing. They seemed to be filled with laughter and joy. Britain could see why Priest ultimately gravitated to them. He was always the best judge of character.

"Thank you," Britain expressed her gratitude as she shared a hug with him.

Suzette offered both Britain and Priest a seat along one of the plush couches.They grabbed a seat, sitting directly acrossSuzette and Matteo. "So how long has it been, a little over a year?" Matteo asked Priest with his thick Italian accent.

Priest shrugged lightly. "Yeah, a little over a year. I was supposed to come back, but I got a little tied up." Priest glanced down to Britain's engagement ring as he cupped her hand in his.

Suzette couldn't help but smile. It seemed as though Priest had finally begun opening up to the world. During the first few months of knowing him, it was hard for him to even have a conversation simply because he always thought someone was trying to get over on him. Suzette and Matteo both had connections out in the streets of New York, so they had heard some things about Priest and his crew. They liked his work and how he moved, so of course they pulled him under their wing during his stay in Italy.

Although his six-month stay in Italy was for the sole purpose of decompressing and disconnecting himself from New York for a while, Priest was filled with knowledge from Matteo and Suzette. Britain eyed Suzette as she reached over to the center table that decorated the den, pouring red wine for the four of them. "Well, you we're definitely tied up, but something tells me that this engagement wasn't the only thing keeping you in New York for so long." Suzette side-eyed Priest as she returned the cork back into the spout of the fine aged wine.

A light chuckle aired out of Priest as his broad shoulders shrugged dismissively. "I mean, I'm sure you two have been keeping up," he said, finding no need to spill a long-winded explanation about why he hadn’t returned to Italy at the time he told them he would have.

"We definitely have, Priest, and I have to say I'm not impressed. Matteo, however, thinks you are some big mastermind that he's brought up." Suzette vibrated in laughter at the thought of how boastful her husband Matteo could be when it came to Priest. Although she was far more hands-onwith the business, Matteo still found it fitting to call Priest his protégé.

Priest felt some sort of guilt wash over him as he glanced over at Britain. He could tell she was making sense of a few things and wasn't pleased to figure out that she had ended up accompanying him to the house of the two people he conducted business with. In Priest's defense, Matteo and Suzette weren't really the type to get into business in front of anyone other than Priest himself; however, because Priest was on the verge of marrying Britain, they trusted his judgement about her.

"I played my hand the best I could," Priest vaguely advised, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

Suzette noticed how dismissive Priest was becoming, which meant the topic wasn't what he wanted to discuss. However, she couldn't just give him a slap on the wrist for the chaos he brewed in New York.

Suzette trusted Priest with a large portion of her business out in New York, and although he made a great name for himself, Priest still had standards to meet and questions to answer. "Why don't you two speak business while I give the futureMrs. Justicethe tour of the house," Matteo suggested to Priest and Suzette, easing them out of the challenging stare down the two were giving each other.

At the mention of the wordbusiness, Britain immediately caught the notion of who she was sitting before and the power they had. Her hand parted from Priest’s as she saved face with a light smile. "I would love that, Matteo," she agreed.

With a charming smile on his face, Matteo politely offered Britain his hand, assisting her off the plush couch. Once she rose to her feet, she smoothed down her dress before following behind Matteo. "We'll just be a second," Suzette assured.

Matteo nodded his head. "Take your time, sweetheart," he told her as he and Britain ventured off further into the home.Britain was making good use of the tour, hoping she could gain some inspiration for her and Priest's house that was slowly becoming a home.

"I always tell people this is Suzette's house, and I just live in it," Matteo chuckled. "Every little detail this house has is her."

"It's wonderful. She did an amazing job," Britain complimented as her orbs continued to gaze around.

"So how did you and Priest meet? He's tough to get through to," Matteo asked.

She chuckled, agreeing with him. Priest was definitely a hard person to crack, but to Britain, he came so easily. She normalized the feeling of vulnerability for him, and that alone was all he needed to fall in love with her. "We met at a wedding, actually. He's best friends with the groom, and I happened to be best friends with the bride," she explained, a smile growing on her face at the thought of the beginning of her relationship with Priest.

"Wow! How ironic is that? Now you two are planning your own wedding. As long as I've known him, he's been a man of his word. He even keeps the promises that seem unrealistic and unattainable. In marriage, trust is a big aspect. Luckily, you can trust Priest with everything."

Matteo spoke very highly of Priest. Priest’s trustworthiness was Matteo’s very reason for scouting him out. Many people were upset that Suzette and Matteo decided to leave their empire in the hands of Priest, who was considered a street thug, but they saw past that stigma and his rap sheet. He had a work ethic like no other, and he was a mastermind who could brew up a scheme in seconds. Priest was it, and the fact that he was so humble about it made him even better.

Britain couldn't help but feel a warmness rise in her cheeks. Her smile widened a bit as she nodded in agreement. Priest was as honest as they came. Years before they got together, Britainactually prayed for a man as honest as Priest. Who knew she would have been gifted with him just a few years later? "That he is," she nodded.