“Maria, where’ve you been all my life?” I said, setting her back on the floor.
She laughed. “I’ve been around,” she said. “But it’s you, that’s been missing-in-action, cousin! What’s been going on?”
I pulled out a chair for her to sit and then retook my own seat. “Your uncle has been keeping me busy, as usual. You know how that goes.”
Maria laughed. “How’s Uncle Luca these days? I haven’t seen him in forever.”
“He’s the same as always. All about the money.”
Maria shook her head. “Well, son, you know—time is money,” she said, her expression growing stern as she mocked my father.
I laughed, almost choking on my beer. Even though it had been a while since I’d last seen her, my cousin Maria was the same as I always remembered her—loud and silly. She and I had been close growing up, and she had practically been like the sister I never had.
“So, what else is going on with you besides work?” she asked. “I know the infamous Giovanni Romano can’t be entirely all work and no play these days.”
I shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Well, spill it then! I need to hear about something extravagant. My life has been far too boring lately. I need some excitement—or to at least hear about some.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You? Boring. Never! There has to be some tall, dark, handsome and unsuspecting poor fellow in your life, right?”
“Ha!” Maria said. “Sure, but they don’t last long. You know how that goes.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you can say that again.”
“So, I take it things have been pretty much the same for you too in that department, huh? Still jumping from one girl to the next?”
I smiled, shook my head, and reached for my beer.
Maria narrowed her eyes. “Wait—what? Did you just shake your head? What does that mean?”
I smirked. “It means I can’t quite agree with that statement. That I’m still just jumping from one girl to the next.”
Maria’s eyebrows show up, she leaned back in her seat and clutched her chest. She shook her head. “Oh…my…goodness. What are you telling me, Gio? Really? Are you honestly telling me that some woman out there has managed to do the impossible? Someone has put a stop to your old ways? How? How is that even possible? I seriously didn’t think you would ever be capable of being a one-woman man.”
I laughed. “It’s a long story. And goodness, cousin—you don’t have to sound so surprised. You just had no faith in me, huh? Like I’m the family whore or something.”
“Your words, not mine,” Maria said, laughing heartily. “And I want to hear this so-called long story. I’ve got time, and I’ve got a drink.” She raised her glass in the air. “I’m all ears.”
“Fair enough,” I said with a chuckle. “All right. Well, like I said, my father is all about business as usual, so he’s been wanting to get into the Marino family for quite some time now. Have you heard of them?”
Maria slowly nodded. “Marino—yeah, that rings a bell. They’re loaded, right?”
“You can say that again,” I said. “So obviously, you understand why my father was so anxious to get in good with them.”
“Yep. That certainly sounds classic like Uncle Luca.”
“Right. So naturally,” I continued, “he figured the perfect opportunity to get into the Marino family was through linking me to the Marino daughter…”
“Woah…wait…are we talking about an arranged marriage?”
I nodded.
Maria’s eyes widened. “And you actually agreed to it?”
I nodded again. “Yeah, I did. And it initially didn’t take me long to regret it either. The very night I made the agreement, I came here to drink myself into a stupor over what I had just committed myself to. But then I met her…here.”
“You met her here?”
“Yep. And I had no idea it was her.” I laughed. “Apparently, she was out celebrating her last official night as a single woman. I just happened to randomly spot her when I saw some sloppy drunk guy harassing her. I jumped in to break it up, and afterward, we just hit it off. I mean really hit it off. Then the next morning, my Dad calls waking me up at the crack of dawn telling me to hurry up and get ready because I’d be meeting my future wife soon. My folks had invited her and her family over for dinner. I can’t even describe how shocked I was when she walked into the living room that evening. It was crazy. I just kept thinking about how she had been right there, in my bed, when my Dad was telling me to hurry up and come over to get ready for the evening.”
Maria shook her head and burst into a fit of laughter. “That’s what you call stranger than fiction. So, how did she take it when she saw that she was being set up with you later that day?”
“Not good!” I shook my head. “She absolutely hated me in the beginning. Even though we were getting along pretty damn good at the club—not to mention later on at my apartment—she was pissed when I had essentially kicked her out that morning. I didn’t mean to be rude, but it came off that way to her. You see, she’s led a pretty sheltered and pure life, so she felt sorry for what had happened between us, to begin with.”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “So, you corrupted that poor girl’s virtue, and then she found out the following day she had to marry you. Yeah, I can see how that would mess with a girl’s head!”
“Hey—I didn’t corrupt anybody. You know that’s not my style. She was out that night looking to corrupt herself. She willingly left with me. Hell, she started it! She kissed me first.” I shrugged my shoulders. “But anyway, it all turned out for the best. That’s why I couldn’t figure out why she was so ticked off about it at first. But we’re good now. And as an added bonus, it turns out that I’m crazy about her. I swear, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I realized that after I took her out to dinner a few days later. I swear, Maria, there’s just something about her. She’s so sweet, yet feisty when she wants to be. And she’s so beautiful, inside and out.”
“Damn, cousin. I never thought I’d see the day, but you are positively whipped.”
“As much as I want to deny that—I can’t.” I laughed and took another sip of my beer. “Anyway, like I said, it’s all for the best. I get to do my family a favor, my father gets what he wants, and I get to actually be happy in the process. This whole arrangement could have been a complete disaster, but instead, it turned out to be a miracle.”
“Wow,” Maria said. “I need your kind of luck. Does she have any cute brothers or cousins in need of that kind of an arranged marriage?”
“Once I’m officially in the family, I’ll find out for you.”
“Yes, you do that. And don’t think I’m going to let you forget! I’m holding you to your word.”
“I’m sure you will.”
We both laughed, and Maria tossed back the last of her drink. “So how much longer are you staying here?”
“Not too much longer. I’m beat,” I said, stifling a yawn.
“Well let me go to the little girls’ room, and then I’ll leave with you. You can walk me to my car.”
“All right,” I said.
I found myself glancing around the nightclub again. It felt weird to think that I may be giving up such a lifestyle soon, in favor of spending my nights at home with my wife.
At that precise moment, my eyes landed on a curvy dark-haired beauty. Stunned, I couldn’t believe it was her. Arianna.
I laughed to myself, finding it ironic that I’d just spent so much time describing her to Maria without knowing she was right there under the same roof.
Maria came back towards me from the ladies’ room, smiling. “Well cousin, it’s been great catching up with you. We’ve got to start getting together more often, you know that, right?”
“Definitely,” I said, hugging her. “But I don’t want you to leave just yet.”
“I’ve got to work in the morning. Besides, I thought you said you were about to leave to
o?”
I grinned. “Yeah, but I want you to meet someone first.”
I looked toward where Arianna had last stood, but she was no longer there. I glanced around the nightclub, but she was nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to describe her to Maria and ask if she had seen a woman fitting the description in the women’s restroom, I finally spotted her.
Something was wrong though. She looked furious and was heading straight for the door, with a friend scurrying behind her.
I frowned.
“What is it?” Maria said. “Who do you want me to meet? Gio?”
“I…I thought I saw…” My voice trailed off. I considered whether it was possible that I’d just been seeing things—or perhaps had only seen a woman who resembled Arianna. But I knew that wasn’t the case. There was no doubt in my mind that it was her. I would recognize her from a mile away at this point.
I glanced around again, wondering if someone had been bothering her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell so that I could call her. But as luck would have it, my battery was completely dead. I’d been so busy working with my father that I hadn’t charged my phone all day and forgot to do it before coming out to the club. And I couldn’t even ask to borrow Maria’s phone because I had yet to learn Arianna’s number by heart.
“Okay—earth to Giovanni.” Maria snapped her fingers in front of my face.
I swore and shook my head. “Nothing. Never mind. I thought I saw someone…but, maybe not. I, uhm…I think they left.”
“Have you had too many beers, cousin?”
I forced a laugh. “Maybe so. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Maria and I tipped the waiters and then headed out. In the parking lot, I glanced around in search of Arianna again, just in case.
Maybe I really was just seeing things, I thought. But I still felt unsettled. I tried to brush the feeling aside though and vowed that I would call her first thing in the morning, just as I had planned to begin with.
CHAPTER 17
Arianna
It had taken some effort, but I managed to shake Angela off so that I could go home alone and unbothered. After seeing Giovanni at the club with another woman, I just needed some time to myself. I couldn’t handle dealing with anyone at the moment.
Granted, I knew Angela could have been a good shoulder to lean on, if necessary. I was so naïve when it came to relationships due to my lack of experience, but Angela, on the other hand, had plenty of experience. In fact, I’d spent a considerable portion of my life living vicariously through her as she told me about her various escapades with men over the years.
She had told me and warned me about the ‘pretty boys’—the handsome ones who could practically seduce you with one wink of the eye. They were good-looking smooth-talkers who were charming on the surface, but corrupt underneath. They were players, and they lived their lives to treating women as conquests. Each woman they managed to seduce was placed on a wall in their memories, like trophies for missions accomplished.
“They’re all the same,” Angela had told me. “I don’t know why I keep falling for them, but I swear I won’t do it again.”
After repeatedly hearing all the warning signs from her for years, I felt beyond stupid for having fallen for one myself. I should have known what kind of guy Giovanni Romano was from a mile away. In a sense, I had though, which was precisely why my guard had been up after our first night together. When I’d woken up in his apartment, I’d seen all the red flags about him. Yet somehow, I was dumb enough to let him get to me again anyway.
I officially knew better now though, and I refused to let him make a fool of me again.
I came to realize that I would be the biggest fool of all if I decided to go through with our wedding. I simply could not, under any circumstances, marry Giovanni Romano. It didn’t matter what kind of arrangement my family had made with his, or vice-versa. At the end of the day, this was my life, and I was the only one who had to live it. I didn’t deserve to spend the rest of my life unhappily with a man who would grow tired of me and just move on to his next conquest behind my back. That simply wasn’t a way to live, and I wasn’t going to condemn myself to that kind of life no matter what.
Thankfully, when I’d made it back home, my parents were already sleeping. I crept up to my bedroom, closed the door, and lied in bed, staring at the ceiling late into the night until I fell into an uneasy sleep.
I stared at myself in the mirror, admiring the long beautiful wedding gown I wore. Behind my reflection, my father appeared. He smiled.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I nodded, feeling nervous, yet excited.
He held his arm out to me. “All right then. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Looping my arm through his, we turned around. A magnificent church door appeared behind us, adorned with flowers lining the doorway. Within the church, the opening notes of “Bridal Chorus” began to play.
We stepped inside the church, and my eyes immediately zoomed in on Giovanni, standing at the altar beaming at me. He almost looked too handsome to be real.
Yet, as I made my way down the aisle, I began to hear footsteps behind me. I attempted to turn around, but my father held me steady. “Eyes on the prize, sweetie. Don’t look back.”
But I couldn’t help myself. I turned around. Behind me, there was another woman, far more beautiful than I could ever hope to be. She gave me a sly grin and then slinked passed me, right into Gio’s arms. The two of them locked in a passionate embrace and began making out right before my eyes.
Bile rose in my throat. “How could you?” I said, blinking back tears.
Gio nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. Kissing the woman once more, he then pushed her aside. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. He then held his hand out to me. “Come on. Let’s just get this over with already.”
I shook my head, turning around and bolting down the aisle for the door.
“Arianna! Come back!” Daddy yelled after me. “It’s too late! The arrangement has been made! You can’t back out now!”
“Arianna!”
“Arianna!”
“Arianna!”
“Arianna?”
I sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily. Disoriented, it took me a moment to realize that it had all been just a dream. And then it took me a moment further to understand that someone actually was calling my name. I noticed the knocking on my door, and my father’s voice calling from the other side.
I climbed out of bed, my heart still racing from the nightmare. I hadn’t even managed to change out of my clothes from the night before. Briefly glancing at myself in the mirror, my own reflection almost frightened me. My hair was a mess, and mascara ran down my face from the tears I had apparently shed in my sleep.
I opened the door.
My father’s eyes widened at the sight of me. “Arianna?” he said. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
I swallowed, not realizing until then that it was already past noon.
“Ari.” A note of sternness crept into Daddy’s voice, knowing something was wrong. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get away with lying and claiming everything was fine. “Giovanni just called not too long ago,” he informed. “He said that he’s been trying to call you all morning, but you haven’t been answering your phone.”
It took everything within me to not spit at the sound of his name. “I don’t want to talk to Giovanni,” I said through gritted teeth.
My father’s eyes widened again, startled. A wrinkle appeared on his forehead. “You want to tell me why?”
When I didn’t respond, he placed a hand on my shoulder and steered me into my room. He sat at the edge of my bed, his eyes never leaving mine. “All right, kiddo. Tell me what’s going on. Did something happen between the two of you that I should know about?”
What hadn’t happened between us was probably an easier question to answer. How could I tell my father about all the ups and downs tha
t had already occurred in the short time Giovanni had entered my life? Yet, with the way he stared at me, I knew I had to tell him something. I had to tell him because I knew now that Giovanni Romano wasn’t going to change just because he was supposed to marry me; he was far too set in his ways, and nothing or no one would ever change that. You can’t teach an old player new tricks—and you certainly can’t get them to give up their old tricks either…
When I looked into my father’s eyes, a whole life of unhappiness suddenly flashed before my own. I and Giovanni would not have the kind of marriage that my parents enjoyed, so there was only one thing for me to do.
I sat down beside my father and took a deep breath. “Daddy, I can’t do it.” I stared into my lap. A long silence stretched between us.
“Honey, what are you talking about?” he asked after a moment.
“I’m talking about the arranged marriage. I can’t go through with it. I can’t…”
“But why not?” he asked after another pause. “I thought you and Gio were getting along well? The two of you looked so happy together just the other day. Things can’t have gone wrong so quickly.”
“But they have.”
“How?”
“Last night…I…I went out with Angela.”
“Yes…” Daddy said, waiting for me to continue.
I took another deep breath. “We went out just for drinks and to go dancing. But…I saw Giovanni there. The day before, he had told me that he would be busy working with his father…”
“Yes, I remember him saying that.”
“Well, I don’t know how true that was.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He was at the club.”
“But it was late by then, dear. Perhaps he was finished and just looking for a way to unwind. There’s no harm in that.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too, initially. But then I saw that he was there to meet up with another woman.”
Again, another long pause stretched between us.
7+Us Makes Nine: A Nanny Single Dad Romance (Baby Makes Three) Page 26
