Page 141 of Forced Vows

But that's not something we're going to discuss right now. Because in reality, it will never be an issue and letting a hypothetical derail her trust in me would be stupid.

Which I am not.

This woman is fiercely loyal to her family, her love for them so deep, she's sacrificing her own freedom for the sake of her younger cousin.

No way is she ever going to relegate herself to the role of half-time parent.

I know it and one day she will allow herself to know it too. Considering how stubborn she is, that will be sometime after the birth of our third child.

Right now, she needs the idea of divorce to not feel trapped by the marriage that will be permanent for both of us.

"If you can do any of your schoolwork, study groups, etc. away from campus, that needs to be arranged too."

"You mean like my senior project? That actually requires time in a developmental studio."

"I'll have one installed in our home."

"Uh, that's overkill for something I will never use again. But I'll find a studio to rent that will be easier to secure than a college campus."

"There's no such thing as overkill to keep you safe." If I were her uncle, there would be underwater security on the shoreline twenty-four, seven.

"You are only going to get worse about my security detail after we get married," she says morosely. "Aren't you?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

She shakes her head. "Yeah, no. Anyway, I'll ask my senior project group to meet at your place, but if they don't want to go into the City, we can find someplace on Long Island that meets your security requirements."

"It will be our place." For some reason, it's important she acknowledges that.

Her shrug is not the agreement I'm looking for.

"We'll make it work," I vow.

"By make it work, you mean…"

"You'll have a security detail of eight people if not twelve." Getting the college to accommodate that kind of entourage will require offering the bribe she's so opposed to.

Róise's mouth opens closes, opens again, and closes again with a snap. Finally, she burst out, "Why so many?"

"Because a don's wife has to be protected. You will become a target the minute our engagement is announced, but it will only get worse once I become don." She'll be vulnerable to attack in a way she never would as the wife of an underboss.

Róise goes through the sequence of opening her mouth and closing it several times again, shaking her head and nodding by turns in between.

"Don's wife?" she squeaks, a note of hysteria creeping into her voice.

"When my brother becomes godfather, I will become the Don of the Genovese."

"But I thought Don Caruso…that he was both the don and the godfather."

"He is. But Sev believes that a godfather needs to represent more than one family. As a don, even the godfather will have a preference for one family over another. "

"You can't tell me your brother won't always have a preference for the Genovese."

"We are his family, but his time and energy will be focused on the Cosa Nostra as a whole and not the Genovese Family."

"You'll be the don?" she asks as if she cannot believe the words.

"Yes."

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