Page 26 of Beautiful Vows

Lia

After settling into the motor cruiser and having a shower, I pull on my pajamas and meet Milly on the deck.

The warm, tropical breeze caresses my skin as I take in the view of the Whitsunday Islands.

It's beautiful. Its full glory spreading out before me like a postcard. A picture-perfect vista of crystal clear, turquoise water, countered by the distant, verdant peaks of the North Queensland mainland and the glow of the lowering sun.

And then I see Milly, staring into space, deep in contemplation.

"Hi," I say as I take a seat opposite her, noticing she is chewing the inside of her cheek.

She still hasn't murmured a word. It could be the gentle rocking of the motor cruiser lulling her into such a relaxed state that she's fallen asleep with her eyes open.

“Earth to Milly,” I say into my watch as my sister now gnaws on her bottom lip.

She rips her gaze from the crystal clear ocean and stares at me. “Sorry. I can’t believe he dumped me.”

I laugh. “Your ego is a little battered. You’ll get over it. Just buy a vibrator and keep away from men for a while.”

“I don’t think I'll ever get over him, though. Not Romeo.”

It must be love when she doesn’t respond, not even a single chuckle at my suggestion.

Milly leans back in the ivory leather chair, her legs tucked underneath her bottom, her brow furrowed as the sun sets behind her, casting a golden hue on her rose pink hair. “How can I get over him when I still love him? He’s going to be a hard one to follow.”

“He’s a mafia heir, Milly. They kill for kicks. They extort money from businesses. They…” My shoulders sag as I swallow back the words I want to tell her.

“Con should’ve been the first son. He’s the one who does all that. Romeo doesn’t.”

Con is Romeo’s much eviler, but younger brother, and Milly is deluded if she thinks he is worse than her now ex-boyfriend. They’re all as crooked and evil as each other. They are all Contis.

Shaking my head, I sigh. “He does. They all do. He’s hardly going to tell you.”

I shoot her a concerned look. I thought it was our step mother marrying into the de Luca family that brought danger into our lives, but now I know the truth. I can only hope Milly and Amara stay away from men like Romeo.

“He’ll already be betrothed to another. The marriage will go ahead.”

“But he loves me.” She sighs.

Strangely, I feel so sorry for her. The one I thought no man could tame.

Milly doesn’t normally fall in love. No man has ever stuck before. She’s still young, but prior to Romeo she flicked all her boyfriends off her like they were a speck of lint she needed to brush off to make her sparkly again.

She’s the wild one of the three sisters, and I'm happy with that. But I want her future men to be as far removed from mafia men as possible. It's bad enough I'm involved as deeply as I am.

“Milly, he’s dangerous.”

“I know he is.” She runs a hand through her windswept hair. “And I know you’re just looking out for me. But he can be so caring and romantic when it’s just the two of us...”

If only I could tell her how I know it’s for the best that he let her down now. That dealing with the Conti crime family is like dancing inside a nest of venomous snakes. Instead, I tell her only what I can. “His family is neck-deep in all kinds of illegal activities. You’re better off without that drama in your life.”

“I can put up with it.”

I exhale deeply. “He’s a Conti.” There’s poison in my tone because I remember I’m a Conti, too.

Her eyes are on me as I lift my bottle of water and gulp the cold liquid. She picks up her glass of wine, takes a sip. “Have a glass of wine.”

Shaking my head, I say, “I can’t.”

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