Page 83 of Claimed
He leaned in. “Sounds like I can’t back down. But when I win, you owe me a dance under the stars, right here in the city.”
The image of dancing with Achille under a starlit sky, even if it was more smog than stars, made me grin like a fool.
“And if I win?”
“I’ll cook you the best Italian dinner you’ve ever had, and I’ll throw in a bottle of good wine.”
“Lucky me, I’ll be winning no matter what.”
He took my shoulders, his gentle smile flipping my heart. “Let’s get married this weekend.”
I blinked. “What?”
“On Saturday. We’ll go to the courthouse.”
I gawked at him. “No. Our engagement party is in a few days. What will people say if we jump the gun?”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do. I’m marryin’ into your family. They won’t think kindly of us if we elope.”
“They’ll get over it.”
“My mama won’t! She’ll be so upset. She already took off work. Besides, we’ve booked the venue and paid for the church.”
“We’ll do the church thing,” he uttered hoarsely, backing me against the desk. “But I want a legally binding document saying you’re mine ASAP.”
My pulse pounded. “Why the rush?”
“Because…without it, you’re not fully protected.”
“Protected or controlled?”
Achille stiffened. “You think I’m controlling?”
“I don’t know what to believe. Elise is dead, and yesterday, I almost joined her. And now you’re talking about undoing weeks of planning.”
“It’s not a whim.”
“I want the flowers, Achille. The dress, both of our mothers in the front row, sobbing. To walk down the aisle to my sister’s songs. I want our favorite foods and music, and when they roll out the cake, you’ll feed me a small piece. It’s what I always dreamed of.”
“You’ll have all that after we’re married.”
I stamped my foot. “I’m getting married in a church, and that’s final.”
He lapsed into an unhappy silence, glowering at me.
“Why are you bringing this up?”
He growled. “If you run off with Jack, I can’t call the police. I have nothing tying me to my son.”
“It won’t be like that for much longer.” I took his hand, and his eyes softened. “If this is ever going to work, we have to trust each other. Right?”
“Trust is more important to me than anything.”
“I know. I promise you can trust me.”
He slipped his finger under my chin. “Two weeks. Then you’re at the altar, swearing your loyalty to me.”