Page 63 of My Solemn Vow (The Mafia Arrangement #1)
ANTONELLA
THE UNEXPECTED
Snow is falling from the sky, and I look up, admiring it as it comes down among the buildings.
Kerrianne is all too excited to pick out gifts for Valor, Ian, and Betty. She’s stumped when it comes to Royal. The store we stop at doesn’t have anything Royal would seem to have a use for.
“Oh!” Kerrianne squeezes my hand. “Can we go to the hockey team’s store? He said that if he ever met number seven, he’d smash him. Could we see if they have a bobblehead?”
“Absolutely.” I elbow Leticia, who is not handling that nugget of information well.
She steps back behind us to get herself under control.
When we get down the street to the SUV, Declan isn’t the only one waiting for us. I’d recognize that profile anywhere. Valor’s angular features are softened only by how he’s smiling and chatting with Declan, standing across the sidewalk from him, leaning against the building.
“Well, this is a surprise.” I eye him, but nothing screams ‘I’ve got bad news,’ so I force myself to lower my guard.
“It is.” Valor smiles at me. “Are you all done shopping?”
“We were going to the hockey team’s store to get something for Royal to smash.” Leticia pipes up.
Valor nods like it’s a perfectly normal statement. “I don’t want to interrupt too soon. I’ll go with Jack and meet you there.”
He seems like he’s firmly decided so I don’t argue with him, especially not when he wraps an arm around me and pulls me in for a kiss.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” I whisper against his lips.
The soft smile on his face is unexpected. He was nervous this morning about sending us off without tagging along, and I expected to find a vehicle tailing us, with him in it, all day. But that never happened.
At the hockey team’s store, they had three different sized statues and bobbleheads of number seven.
Kerrianne picked the medium-sized one because it had the most bobble to the head.
I don’t know how Royal will explain to her that he won’t smash it into pieces.
But it’s also not my problem. Oh, to be a fly on the wall. .. Maybe I can make that happen.
Valor is outside with Declan again, and he’s quick to stoop down before his daughter to meet her at eye level. “Do you mind if I take Antonella out for a little while? I’ll send you home with Declan, and we’ll be back before bedtime?”
“Okay, but no looking at your present.” She narrows her eyes at him, giving him the signature Cavanagh glare.
“I promise.” Valor kisses her on the forehead and gives her a tight hug. To Leticia, he adds, “I’ve a car waiting to take you back to the Gold Coast. Trusted men, I promise. ”
She laughs. “I think you’re afraid that Antonella will kill you in your sleep if you don’t get me home safely.”
“Why does it always seem to be in our sleep that one of us is getting murdered?” Valor murmurs and offers his hand out to Leticia.
“Oh no, I’m a hugger.” She wraps her arms around him and squeezes before releasing him. “I’ll catch you all later.”
In less than thirty seconds, I’m left holding hands with Valor along the Riverwalk.
“I know you normally did dinner with your dad, but I thought maybe as part of the new tradition we could go together instead.” The tears I stuffed down earlier come out this time, and he’s quick to wipe them away.
“If I don’t meet the minimum age requirement, Dad said he’d come down and take you to dinner instead. ”
I lean into his touch. The comfort and familiarity shouldn’t be so easy. He shouldn’t make me feel so safe.
After a few seconds, I realize I haven’t answered. “Of course I’ll go to dinner with you. That would be a good tradition.”
“I’m glad you said yes. We have a stop to make first.” He grabs my hand and squeezes. “I’m so glad you were thrust into our lives.”
“Me too,” I say with a small smile.
Valor drives through the city, his right hand interwoven with mine on the center console. Every once in a while, he brings our joined hands up to his lips and kisses my knuckles.
We pull into a parking garage, and Valor motions for me to stay put. Being a complete gentleman, he opens my door for me.
Hand in hand, he leads us down the sidewalk to the front of a jewelry store. The business is closed, but he knocks anyway.
I’m surprised when someone opens the door and welcomes us in with their arm extended toward the shop’s interior. We walk farther inside, and I admire the sparkly stones glistening in the case as the shopkeeper locks the door behind us .
“I was wondering when you’d bring in your new bride.” A woman comes from the back, her gray hair glistening in the light. “She’s lovely. I can see why you picked her.”
“Mmm, she’s a spoil of war. The rarest prize in all the land.” The adoration in his eyes as he looks at me is a shock to my system.
I raise my eyebrows but keep my mouth shut. Damn. That was smooth.
“I don’t love the ring we started with. I was hoping you could help.” Valor leads me closer to the counter farthest at the back.
The sparkly nature of gems catches my little raven brain, wanting to see them glint and gleam in the light. I’m so fascinated with the case that I don’t notice Valor bringing my hand up to the counter until a feminine touch grazes my fingers.
“You never were a fan of the more traditional shapes. I’m surprised this is what you proposed with.”
I shift my gaze to her. A silent scolding passes between them.
“It’s a long story but... my father.” Valor defends himself.
The woman shakes her head. “Well, you know I always take care of you.”
“Antonella, this is Galina. Galina, I present you my wife, Antonella.” Valor introduces us.
Being invited into the conversation, I smile. “You have so many beautiful pieces.”
“Thank you. I know what Valor likes, but you wear it every day. What do you like?” she asks.
“I’ve never been a jewelry girl. My mom had my ears pierced when I was a baby. Beyond a few simple necklaces, I’m new to this.” Flitting my gaze between the two of them, I can tell it’s not the answer they were hoping to hear.
But Galina doesn’t waste time. “It means you get to see more gems. Valor, I’m guessing budget is not important. ”
He shakes his head. “Next alpha of the pack, there’s a certain expectation.”
My eyes go wide with the notion that she knows, but I’m unsure if she’s a shifter or not.
Valor fills in the gaps. “Galina is from a pack in Eastern Europe. She comes here to manage her many jewelry stores every few months.”
Galina pulls out a piece of black felt and then lays a velvet cloth over it.
From within the case, she selects a few pieces, setting them out on the counter.
“Now, these are just to determine shape. I’ve got what you’re really after in the back.
Valor is like a little magpie. He always wants the most sparkly.
Which normally is a round radiant. But a regular radiant or emerald will look best on your hand.
You’ve got long, graceful fingers.” She gestures to my hand. “Take off the abomination, dear.”
I look at the ring before sliding it off. It seemed fine to me.
The woman moves quickly, taking the ‘abomination’ and setting it aside. She then slips a new ring on my finger. It’s too big in the band but the diamond is a lot more sparkly. And I do like how it looks.
“Ah, look. She likes it.” Galina takes it back off and puts on another. This one’s much more subtle. It’s as if she’s reading my mind. “But she prefers the emerald cut.”
“And we’ll need —”
“Valor if you’re about to tell me that you need the full three-piece set, I’ll come right around this counter and deck ya.” Galina looks up at him, her chin tucked down and eyes narrowed.
It’s thirty minutes of trying on rings and sets, Galina pulling cut diamonds out of trays from the back, before she and Valor seem content with my reactions, which I wasn’t aware were giving so much away.
“Alright, I’ll get this on order.” Galina is beaming when she herself, not her assistant, lets us out the door again .
The sun was setting when we entered the store, and with the short days of winter, we’re only illuminated by the streetlamps.
I look at my ring in the glint of artificial light before looking up at Valor. “You didn’t have to replace this one. It’s beautiful.”
“It’s not and it’s been bugging me.” Valor laughs while wrapping an arm around me.
He leads me down the block past the parking garage to a fine dining restaurant.
The ma?tre d' immediately leads us to a table toward the back, away from the bustling door leading to the kitchen.
“Do I even want to know how much this costs? I know what Gregorio spends on gifts for Francesca, but I have a feeling what you bought is more.” I wince.
“Why are you uncomfortable with me spending money on you?” Valor counters.
“Why did this turn into an interrogation?” I push back.
He smiles at me. “About the same time you seemed to get weird about money. Though I’ve recently come to understand how much you have.”
“Okay, could I buy this ring?” I keep my voice quiet as our waiter brings over wine and an appetizer. In confusion, I look at Valor and the plate.
“I know it’s gross when men order for women, but this is the special tasting course, and it’s allegedly an amazing experience. I’ve wanted to try it for a while, and it’s a ‘meal for two’ type of thing.” He runs a hand across the back of his neck. “Forgive me?”
I nod. “Forgiven, but answer the question.”
“If you liquidated your assets and it wasn’t already paid for, you could buy your ring,” Valor answers. “Why are you uncomfortable with me spending money on you?”
My spine stiffens, and I try to relax, but there’s no way to say this without sounding ungrateful. I try anyway. “Until recently, things had been extremely tense between us, and in some cases, I wasn’t sure you believed me or trusted me with everything that’s going on.”
“I like you. I trust you.” Valor nods with each statement. He draws a deep breath in through his nose but doesn’t say more.
“I like you and trust you too,” I tell him, but my heart is screaming I love you, and I want you to love me too.