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“It’s so beautiful out here,” Mia says softly. “It’s why I wanted to have the wedding here. I fell in love with it from the pictures the planner showed me when I first met with her. I’m lucky there was a cancellation last minute. Otherwise, there’s a very long wait time.”

I smile to myself. “Yes, quite lucky. I like this place, too.”

She stops walking and looks up at me. “You had something to do with it, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I tell her honestly. I could deny it, but I want her to know I’ll do anything for her.

Mia tilts her head and studies me, not saying anything for a few seconds. “Thank you.”

I smile and she inhales a sharp breath. “You’re welcome, my bride.”

She turns away and continues to walk along the path, but I don’t miss the small smile she tries to hide.

“I didn’t realize you knew anything that was going on with the wedding,” Mia says after a minute. “You’ve been quiet for the past two weeks.”

“I told you I would see you at the altar. I wanted you to have the two weeks to plan your dream wedding and knew you might need some space for yourself. But don’t for a second think I don’t care. About this marriage or about you. If you wanted to talk to me,farfalla, all you had to do was call.”

“I don’t have your phone number,” she says, and I smile.

“That’s an easy fix, sweetheart.” I reach out and brush the backs of my fingers over her cheek. “You would have talked to me if I called? I assumed you’d ignore me, hang up on me, call me an asshole, or try to tell me how you can’t wait to divorce me. I didn’t want to hear any of that.”

“I probably would have done all of those things.”

“But you still wanted me to call.” She doesn’t reply, but I see it in her eyes. She’s finally showing me a glimpse of her vulnerability. “I’ll make it up to you.” I glide my fingers down the column of her slender neck and take her hand in mine as we continue to walk down the path.

She doesn’t try to pull her hand out of mine, and after a quiet few minutes, we come around a bend where there’s a small dock with a bench that juts out over the lake in the middle of the gardens.

“Want to sit?”

She nods yes, and the breeze blows, bringing with it a coolness from the water, and Mia shivers. I shrug off my tux’s jacket and drape it around her shoulders when she sits.

“Oh,” she says, surprised. “Thank you.”

I squeeze her shoulders and lean in to whisper in her ear from behind, “You’re welcome, my bride.” Another shiver runs through her, but I know it’s not because of the wind this time.

“What deal did you make with my family?” she asks when I take the spot next to her.

“You really want to know?”

“Am I not allowed to know?” she asks, her eyes sharp. “Will that be the kind of relationship we have? One where I’m meant to know nothing, keep my mouth shut, stay in the kitchen, and lay on my back to please you?”

“Mia,” I say with warning, “you’re neither my personal chef, maid, or whore. Get that shit out of your head right now. And as for the business deal, I simply asked if you’d really like to know. There was no hidden meaning or statement in the question. If you want to know about the deal I made, I’ll tell you. I don’t want any secrets between us.”

“Then I’d like to know.”

“Someone is targeting your family. Their trucks, drivers, and shipments have all been under attack for months now, and it’s escaladed recently to where Leo reached out to me for my help.”

“And you’d only provide this help if I married you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t we covered this already?”

“You’re telling me there’s no other woman you’ve ever met in your life that you would rather marry than an almost 21-year-old inexperienced girl who’s spent most of her teenage years holed up in an apartment with her mother making sure she doesn’t dive off the deep end?”

“What?”

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