Page 11 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Look…I’m just going to say it. I know that you know how I feel about you.

At least I think you realize that I care for you more than just being your ward.

If you didn’t…well, now you do. So, if you want to talk about your engagement, then please let’s not.

I’m happy for you, and I wish you all the best with this woman.

Truly. But I’d rather not talk about it and just get on with my life like you’re doing with yours.

I smacked my hand off the top of the steering wheel.

“Suck it up. You wanted Fawn to live her fucking life,” I growled.

The drive home did nothing to soothe my frustration.

“Fuck this fucking day,” I cursed when I spotted my father’s car and another that I didn’t recognize sitting in my driveway.

What the fuck did he want? I’d no sooner put the vehicle in park when my front door opened, and my father, Vera, and her father, Pasha Vilanova, walked out.

What the hell? Oh shit, it was Valentine’s Day.

Father had planned a dinner celebration tonight.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Valentine’s dinner with our families was the last thing I wanted to do.

Getting out, I opened the back hatch to let Bella and Daisy jump down. They bounded over to my unwanted guests, and Vera screamed hysterically as she pushed Pasha in front of her.

“Back, stay away from me,” she yelled, jerking Pasha from side to side while Bella and Daisy tried to sniff her. “Ahhh, get them away,” she screeched, and I half expected her to jump on her father’s back.

“Titus, do something about this,” Father ordered, and I rolled my eyes at the drama.

“ Ryadom .”

Bella and Daisy ran back to me and sat down.

“Screaming doesn’t help. It only confuses them and makes them want to inspect you more,” I said.

Vera pointed at my girls. “They can’t stay here when I move in. They have to go. I’m terrified of dogs.”

“Over my dead body,” I shot back. Vera’s mouth dropped open like a gasping fish. “They are my guards and have done nothing wrong. More than that, they are my children.”

“How dare you,” Pasha said as he hugged his daughter.

“Titus, I’m sure you can figure something out. They don’t need to roam all over the house,” Father said.

“Yes, they do. That is how they do their job. Do you mind telling me what you’re doing here in the first place? Dinner isn’t for a couple of hours,” I said, hating that they’d been wandering around my house without me here.

“Vera wanted to see the house so she could hire the interior designer.”

“I’m sorry, I misheard you. We’ve had one meeting, and you think it’s okay to barge into my home unannounced and start making changes? I don’t think so, and my dogs are non-negotiable. If you want this merger, then understand that I’m not altering a single thing about my home or the way I live.”

“Titus, be?—”

My father started to speak, but I cut him off with a glare.

“Enough. I agreed to the marriage. I didn’t agree to take part in a Jerry Springer episode. This is my home, not yours.” I took a step forward and then stopped. “Wait…where are Sheba, Hailey, and Holly? What did you do with them?”

Father waved his hand at me. “I had Naji lock them in the sunroom.”

“You did what,” I growled as my earlier anger over Fawn and this entire situation bubbled to the surface.

“Vera is scared of dogs. We had to lock them up,” Father said.

“No, you didn’t have to do anything. You came here when you knew I’d be at work rather than calling me to confirm. What the hell is going on?” I looked at the trio in front of me, trying to figure out what they were scheming. “Well, someone better speak up.”

“I’d like to have a Christmas wedding,” Vera finally said.

“You couldn’t have waited until tonight to tell me that? That’s less than a year away. I thought the contract was for a year of dating, then we set a date.” I put my hands on my hips, wondering who was actually behind this new development.

“It was. But we need the merger to happen sooner,” Pasha said as he straightened his suit jacket. “It’s a business matter.”

“Titus, this is for the good of the family,” Father said.

Vera tentatively stepped away from her father and walked toward me like a terrified cat. She looked like she was going to hiss at my girls, and it set my teeth on edge. She slowly inched closer, and I refused to tell Bella and Daisy to back away. This was their home.

“Please, Titus, will you consider it? I’m sorry we came over here without telling you. You’re right. I shouldn’t make decisions about our life together without talking to you first.”

God, I was going to be sick. Just hearing Vera say, “Our life together” made me want to get back into my car, steal Fawn, grab my girls, and drive away. We could leave this whole world behind.

“Fine. December it is. But Vera…my dogs aren’t going anywhere. I’d get used to them if I were you. They are in the house to protect everyone, including you.”

She smiled and timidly held out her hand. Bella moved to sniff her, but Vera screamed and jumped away.

What the hell had I done? It was a question I was sure I’d be asking myself every single day until this wedding.