Page 69 of Deceitful Oath
Three, I think, but don’t correct her. “If that’s really what you want, then yes.”
“Nah,” she shakes her head. “The courthouse downtown is just fine. Also, I start my new job today so Vegas is, unfortunately, out of the question.”
“Who starts a new job on a Saturday?” I ask, confused. I didn’t tell Enzo to have her work weekends.
“Not technically starting,” she says, pulling her feet out of the pool and getting up. “My boss wants to meet to show me the office and explain everything, like a training day.”
We head to the elevator as she chatters about her new job and how well she got along with her new boss. I smile, noddingalong and asking questions, while patting myself on the back for coming up with this idea.
After we both clean ourselves up, I throw on a casual suit while Lux pulls a flowy yellow sundress out of her duffle bag.
We grin at each other in the elevator, not really believing that we’re doing this. My overworked brain turns off the second I see that sunshine smile, and I know I’ve made the right decision.
The courthouse wedding is surprisingly fast and we’re done and married in about fifteen minutes. The clerk stamps our documents and congratulates us. I glance down at Lux. Her face is thoughtful. She looks like she’s a million miles away.
I squeeze her hand three times and she grins up at me, automatically placing her hand on her lower belly.We’re officially a family.
It’s not a beautiful setting with millions of flowers and guests in evening clothes, but it’s ours. A memory of the day Lux said yes. The day she became mine.
After the courthouse, we grab coffee and croissants, walking through a small park while we eat. Lux is unusually quiet today, the weight of everything that’s happened settling into her brain. I constantly worry about whether she’s regretting it, or if she wants to run.
When I drop her off at Enzo’s office building in midtown, she leans over and kisses me goodbye. Before she can duck out of the car, I grab her wrist gently and pull her back in.
“Any regrets?” I ask, needing to know for my own sanity.
“I don’t do regrets,” she grins. “If I did, I wouldn’t have survived this long.”
“It’s not ideal though, right?” I push. She sighs, fiddling with her purse.
“It’s not ideal, no,” she agrees. “But it is what it is. I don’t regret marrying you, Dominic—Rafael, I just wish it was under better circumstances, with more time, and less stress.”
“I get it,” I nod. “Have fun today, don’t cause any trouble.”
She laughs as she gets out of the car and winks over her shoulder at me. I watch her walk away, in awe that she’s my wife, until my phone buzzes and pulls me back into the present.
“Vince.”
“Boss,” his monotone voice greets me. “I’m heading to your office with some of our guys. We need to talk about the Mancini situation.”
“Meet me at the penthouse instead,” I tell him. “I’m waiting for an important delivery that needs my signature.”
“Got it.”
I hang up and run my fingers through my hair, trying to shake away the daze of my Lux-filled morning.She turns me into a mindless kid falling in love for the first time every damn day I spend with her.
Back at the penthouse, I force my brain to focus on the Mancinis and recent events. Vince and a few of my father’s closest men sit scattered around my living room, stinking it up with cigars.
“I say we attack one of theirs to show we mean business,” Joe volunteers, throwing back his bourbon.
“Too risky,” Vince brushes it off. “They’ll retaliate, and we’ll end up in a full-blown war.”
“Aren’t we there already?” Rocco wonders. Vince glares at him, sighing heavily.
“Vito Mancini was killed the other day,” I announce. “Perpetrator still unknown.”
“They’re going to pin it on us, those fuckers,” Joe spits out.
“We don’t necessarily know that,” warns Vince.