Page 136 of Vows of a Mobster

Mateo actually chuckled. “Definitely a strike against me.”

I shook my head. “He’s just hurt. You should try and talk to him.”

“There is nothing to talk about.” By his tone, I knew there would be no changing his mind. “Want to go back in the house?”

“God, no. Marissa is scaring me with all her event planning.” Both of us chuckled. He knew his cousin well. “Let’s hide from her outside,” I recommended instead.

His arm around me, we went in search of Daphne and Emma, and found Antonio there with them already.

Forty-Eight

Brianna

“Mommy, how do I look?” I turned around to see my daughter in a beautiful light pink sleeveless dress. Opening my arms, she ran into me.

“You look like the most beautiful princess,” I beamed. Tomorrow I’d become Mrs. Mateo Agosti. I had whispered my soon to be name in my head so many times. Everything seemed so surreal.

My baby girl was ready for our engagement dinner tonight. Little insert tubes on her left hand were the only reminder she was sick. Her next session of chemo was in four days’ time. After the phone call I just got, I held hope. Dr. Guzman felt he had a good match for Emma but couldn’t elaborate yet. He just wanted to tell me the good news and he made my entire year. It felt like things were looking up.

Marissa and Daphne followed right behind Emma.

“Isn’t she beautiful? I tried to tell her but she said Mommy knows best,” Marissa chuckled. Then she took my state of undress. I just got out of the shower and was still in my robe. “Why are you not dressed yet?”

“Please tell me you didn’t have a quickie with Mateo,” Daphne muttered, her eyes darting around as if expecting to see him come from behind me.

“Seriously?” I muttered. “And with the door wide open?”

“You never know. One of you two might be an exhibitionist,” Daphne retorted teasingly, speaking under her breath. Emma was on the opposite side of the room, admiring herself in the mirror.

“I want to go show my dress to Mateo,” Emma squealed and took off. She really liked him, which made this whole marriage thing even more appealing.

I turned back to Daphne. “What’s an exhibitionist? I haven’t heard of that one yet.”

“Having sex while running the risk of someone seeing you. Like in public.”

I laughed out loud. “That is the craziest thing I have ever heard. And Mateo nor I would ever be into it.” She shrugged her shoulder like it was no big deal. “Umm, you and Antonio,” I continued, “are you into it?”

“Fuck no,” she replied without delay. “He’d kill anyone that even peeked at me while I was changing.”

I had a feeling Mateo would do a lot more than just kill anyone that laid their finger or looked at me with anything but disinterest.

“Are we seriously going to be talking about exhibitionist sexual fantasies now?” Marissa chimed in, slightly annoyed. “We have this engagement dinner in an hour and Mateo’s fiancée is not even dressed.”

I studied Marissa. She seemed agitated, almost mad, and avoided my eyes. I took her hand, and she finally looked at me. “Mar, is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Something is wrong,” I claimed. I knew it without a doubt. “I knew this preparation for the wedding in two days is too much.”

“Everything is ready for tomorrow,” she replied. “It is not too much.”

“Then what is it?” I asked her. “Something is bothering you. Is it that I’m marrying your cousin?”

Her eyes flashed to me. “What? No!”

“Then what?” I questioned her relentlessly. “Because something is bothering you.”

“I want to bring a date to the wedding tomorrow.” It wasn’t what I expected. Why would that be an issue?