Page 37 of A Treasure To Keep
Andrea lets go of my hand, standing as he reaches into his pocket, kneeling before me.
“Mon trésor, will you marry me?”
Chapter 39
Andrea
Iuse every piece of my strength I have to prevent my hands from shaking when I kneel before her. Logically, I’m confident that she will say yes. On the other hand, there’s a small part of my brain that thinks, ‘What if she says no?’ Before I can hesitate or choke on my words, I spit out the question I’ve wanted to ask her for months. “Mon trésor, will you marry me?”
She sits there, mouth agape, uncharacteristically speechless. The seconds might as well be hours until she answers.
“Holy shit.” That’s not the answer I wanted, even though it’s the answer I should have expected. My face must show what I’m thinking before she continues to speak. “Of course, I’ll marry you. Is that even a question?”
Dieu merci. I pull out the ring, an oval-cut diamond on a gold band that mimics vines, and slide it on her finger. A ring as unique as El.
I pull El out of the chair, holding her cheek in my hand as I kiss her deeply. The band of her ring rubs against my hand when she places hers in mine. We pull away from each other,and I notice the largest smile she could give when she wipes her lipstick off my lips. She gasps as she grabs her clutch, pulling me toward the door. Thank goodness I paid in advance.
“Oh my god! We have to tell Luci. She will lose it!” I was hoping to go directly home or into the restaurant's bathroom to make love, but tonight is about El. If that’s what she wants, I can wait.
El speeds down the street, honking repetitively until Domenico opens the gate before she can smash into it. El bolts out of the car without turning it off and runs into the house. When I walk in, she’s screaming for Luci as she waddles downstairs, confused about why we’re here this late.
“What’s wrong? Why are you two here?” El tosses her hand out, showing off her ring.
“Andrea proposed!” Marco and Alessandro race into the room when Luci and El squeal. Alessandro’s eyes flash with worry as Marco’s confusion highlights his caveman expression.
“Why are you two screaming? I could hear it from my bedroom.” El does the same thing she did to Luci seconds ago, except Marco has a different reaction. He bursts toward the front door, throwing it open as he walks out.
Alessandro raises an eyebrow but doesn’t ask what’s wrong with Marco’s response. El and Luci are too distracted by their excitement to notice that Marco is gone.
I leave the house and notice Marco pacing back and forth, unaware that I’ve even stepped out of the house. When he hears my shoes against the gravel, he turns his head, jaw tight but grief in his eyes.
“Marco, this doesn’t change anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? This changes everything! You two are going to spend the rest of your lives together, and I’ll be cast aside. None of what we’ve experienced for months matters anymore. Congratulations.”
I want to answer Marco, but he shoves his way by me, leaving me alone in the driveway. This doesn’t change anything for me, but I guess it does for him. I won’t tell El tonight. She needs to live in this bliss I’ve created for her before I tell her that Marco may never be back. I take the time I need to calm my nerves before walking back into the house. Instantly, El turns around, wraps her arms around my neck, and kisses me.
“Alessandro and Luci have invited us to have a drink. Is that okay?”
I raise her chin to mine, staring at her pouty lips as I answer before kissing her. “Whatever you want.”
Alessandro pours us champagne and toasts our future together. After we empty the bottle, I take El home, showing her how I’ll make love to her for the rest of our lives.
Chapter 40
Marco
Two weeks ago, El and Andrea got engaged. Since then, I haven’t spoken to or seen either of them.
Alessandro has put me in charge of collecting debts while he spends the rest of Luci’s pregnancy at home. I’ve let every small piece of anger out on anyone who’s late, regardless of whether they can pay. Normally, we stop by for a visit, giving them the last chance to pay on their own. If they can’t, we'll drag them to our basement. I’ve stopped giving a fuck about the first step.
The man who’s currently in front of me only owes a thousand dollars that he racked up in our gambling room. Considering he’s gambled with us before, I know he easily has the money to pay for it. Instead, he’s sitting in front of me, a bloody mess, practically unconscious. The crack of my fist connecting with his face causes blood and a rogue tooth to spurt from his mouth. At that moment, Domenico walks in, pausing in the doorway.
“Alessandro says you can’t keep doing this.”
“Why the fuck not?” My bloody knuckles crack when I ball up my fists. The man behind me whimpers in pain, coming back from almost passing out.
“Because I’m in charge of collecting. You’re exclusively doing security for now. Don’t kill the messenger; it’s Alessandro’s order. We’ve had too many bodies to get rid of, and you’re taking things too far for small debts.” Domenico and a small team of men he leads normally take charge of disposing of bodies or dumping people who are still alive in a safe place. He’s put in plenty of grunt work over the years, now volunteering for non-physical jobs. Mainly leading teams of Alessandro’s men or working the gate. He told me once it’s because he’s getting too old. That’s a joke if I’ve ever heard one. He’s barely forty.