Page 64 of Twisted Obsession

We make our way to the waiting car, waving to the members of our combined organizations and family. As we settle into the backseat, I finally let out a long breath, feeling a mix of elation and relief.

"We did it," I say, squeezing Dominic's hand.

He brings our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "We did. And it was perfect."

As the car pulls away, taking us to the reception venue, I lean my head on Dominic's shoulder, savoring this moment of quiet intimacy before the whirlwind of the reception begins. His arm wraps around me, pulling me close, and I breathe in his familiar scent.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly, his breath warm against my hair.

Deciding our marriage needs to start as I want it to go on, I’m honest with him. “I missed you the last ten days. You didn’t even come for my appointment, and it led to all sorts of things running through my head…”

Dominic's arm tightens around me, and I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm sorry, my love. I know I was distant, and I hate that it caused you worry. The truth is, I was struggling with some things myself."

I lift my head to look at him, concern furrowing my brow. "What do you mean?"

He takes a deep breath, his eyes serious as they meet mine. "I've been thinking a lot about our future, about the kind of life I want to give you and our child. I've been... reevaluating some things."

My heart quickens, a mix of curiosity and apprehension flooding through me. "What kind of things?"

Dominic's hand finds mine, his fingers intertwining with my own. “The world we both live in is a dangerous one. I’ve always accepted that, but with a wife and child, it’s made me realize just how vulnerable it makes me. How much of a target it makes you and our baby…”

Straightening, I lift a finger to his lips. “Honey, I’ve been a target since the day I was born. It’s not like I’m not aware…”

“But with ties to both the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia, that risk doubles,” he argues, pressing a kiss to my finger.

I raise an eyebrow. “Or does it halve it? I mean surely I have one less organization as a potential enemy.”

He gazes at me and shakes his head. “There are always others waiting in the wings, ready to make their mark.”

“And lucky for me, I now have La Cosa Nostra to protect me, as well as my brothers and the Bratva.”

“The Bratva…”

“Don’t say it,” I warn. “Emylyah has been my friend for a long time. Surely the wedding proved that, if nothing else.”

Dominic sighs. There wasn’t the same Bratva turnout as the rest, but Nikolai and his brother Darian were both present, since Emylyah was in the wedding party, and the one thing I wouldn’t allow was for anyone to argue her role. I was determined gangland politics should have no place at our wedding, no matter what the circumstances of our union.

“Still,” he says, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead that makes me melt inside. “I took it upon myself to talk to Mika–one might say I have ideas above my station, but the fact that I’m family goes some way to mitigate that.”

“And that took two weeks?” I ask, teasing just a little.

“Not exactly,” Dominic admits. “But you saw for yourself how fractured things within La Cosa Nostra had become. In aligning myself with Mika, and his vision for the future, there wereloose ends to tie up to ensure Vito’s warped ideas weren’t being harbored by anyone still in positions of power.”

I nod slowly, understanding the gravity of what Dominic is telling me. "And now?"

He takes a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine with intensity. "We're on the cusp of a new era. Mika has plans to legitimize more of our operations, to move away from some of the more... unsavory aspects of our business. Apparently, he’s been heading that way for a while, but has been hampered by the old guard. Since I was a capo under Vito’s command, I wasn’t privy to a lot of this information, but I needed to talk frankly to Mika and tell him where my head is. It's still going to be a gradual process, things won’t change overnight, but it's a step in the right direction. Something I hope shows you I'm committed to building a safer, more stable future for our family."

My heart swells with a mixture of pride and hope. "That's wonderful, Dominic. But why didn't you just tell me what was going on?"

He brushes a stray curl from my face, his touch gentle. "I’m sad to say, there are still dangers. People who aren’t so committed to the vision Mika has. Some of those had to be… neutralized, shall we say, so the only people privy to the plans were myself, Ares, Mika and Kaiden. We needed to keep it that way in order to prevent word getting out."

“I would never have said anything…” I argue, feeling a little aggrieved at his lack of trust.

Dominic's eyes soften as he cups my cheek. "I know you wouldn't, my love. It wasn't about not trusting you. It was about protecting you. The less you knew, the safer you were. If anyonehad tried to get information from you, you could honestly say you didn't know anything."

I lean into his touch, understanding dawning. "I see. That makes sense, I suppose. Though I hope in the future you'll find a way to let me know when something big is happening, even if you can't tell me the details."

He nods, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "I promise. No more secrets between us. We're partners now, in every sense of the word."

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