Page 29 of Morally Gray Daddies

“Wife.” I turned her toward the crowd, my hand sliding down to give her bottom a little pat. Hailey narrowed her eyes at me, but she and Father John were the only ones who could see it, and the good father wouldn’t care. He was used to the DiNardo Family.

Clara stiffened but didn’t say anything.

I put my hand on the small of her back, gently moving her down the aisle. First the reception, then the wedding night. I wanted to get to the latter as quickly as possible.

Clara

Married. I was married.

To Giovanni DiNardo.

My life had taken a sharp left turn from where I’d thought it would be at this point, and I didn’t know what to do. Everything still felt surreal, as if it wasn’t really happening, yet I knew I was awake. I knew I was now a member of the DiNardo family.

I would never be returning to Mrs. Cunningham’s boarding house. That had been made clear to me. My things had already been recovered and moved to Gio’s rooms here.

They greeted me like one of the family. The dinner, the toasts. And all through it, Hailey kept a sharp eye on me. Where did her loyalties lie now? I didn’t know. And I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I always had a plan, but everything had moved too quickly, and I was floundering.

My only plan was to wait.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

It wasn’t a very good plan.

I needed to get out. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gio asked as I started to pull away from him. He’d been glued to my side from the moment the priest had pronounced us man and wife; there was no shaking him. I could only think of one way.

“I need to use the bathroom.”

“Very well.”

I gritted my teeth as he started moving with me, his hand on the small of my back, guiding me through the crowd.

“I can go to the bathroom by myself!” I snapped at him, trying to keep my voice low despite my rising temper. Gio just smiled benignly at me.

“You could, but I need to keep an eye on my new bride. Can’t have you running off on me.” He winked at me, but his words were not a joke, and we both knew it.

I would run the second I could, and the more he caged me, the more determined I was. Hailey would be fine. She’d be more than fine. I should have never worried about her so much in the first place, and now I wasn’t going to anymore. I needed to save my own skin.

“Are you two sneaking out?” Gio’s mother appeared in front of us, making me stiffen. “Lovely, go make me some grandbabies.”

My mouth dropped open in horror, but Gio just laughed and bent to kiss his mother’s cheek.

“We’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he replied easily as a heated blush filled my cheeks. Of course, everyone knew what was expected on a wedding night, though I’d been doing my best not to think of it, but did they have to talk about it?

“We’ll be right back,” I said, countering his statement.

Gio snorted, and his mother laughed airily, waving my words away with her hand.

“Tomorrow,” she said firmly, reaching up to take my face in her hands. She gave me a kiss on each cheek, then a smile that did not reach her eyes. “Welcome to the family, Clara.” There is no escape.

The words went unsaid, but I heard them anyway. Welcome to the family—because if I wasn’t a member of the family, then I was the enemy. My connection to Hailey only went so far; it was my marriage to Gio that was saving my life. And tonight was our wedding night.

He’d already had my mouth, my bottom… my pussy clenched in anticipation.

“We’re coming back as soon as I’m done,” I said, my voice low as we left the crowded room of people. Anything to put off what came next. The fact that part of my body was eagerly anticipating the event did nothing to reassure me—if anything, it made me more determined to delay the inevitable.

“We are not.” Gio’s voice was deceptively amiable.

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