Page 27 of Sin and Redemption

Maximus gave her a nod, then he left us alone. He was probably glad to cut our conversation short.

“Did you fight?” she asked with huge, curious eyes.

“No, we didn’t.”

She pulled a face that made it clear she didn’t believe me. “He looks good in a suit despite the tattoos. Do you know how many he has and where?”

My cheeks heated while my thirteen-year-old sister stared at me without shame. “I don’t know.”

I probably wouldn’t find out anytime soon. I shivered. Images of what happened threatened to pop up. I fought them. I wasn’t sure what to expect of tonight. Our wedding night. I hadn’t dared think about it. So far Maximus hadn’t sought my closeness, and I had a feeling our wedding wouldn’t change it. I was relieved I wouldn’t have to push him away.

I was glad when the festivities were finally over. I could see in Mom’s face that she wanted to hug me, but she knew my body language well and could see that I didn’t want any affection. She only briefly touched my arm and gave me an encouraging smile before she allowed Dad to pull her to his side. He only gave me an encouraging nod. This probably hadn’t been the wedding Mom had envisioned for her firstborn. Not that the location and event planning had been lacking, but everything else was a fucking mess.

Everyone from Sara’s family hugged her tightly before she got into my Suburban with Flavio’s help. I would have helped her climb in too but he’d been quicker, still keen on keeping me away from his sister. It annoyed the hell out of me, and under normal circumstances, I would have told him off and reminded him that she’d be alone with me tonight. Ours weren’t normal circumstances, however.

Romero’s gaze met mine across the hood of my car. It wasn’t a warning like that of many fathers handing off their daughter on their wedding night would have been. It said “I trust you to redeem yourself,” which was worse than any threat could have been. If I’d had any intention of getting it on with Sara, this would have been the point when my dick would have shriveled. Sex with Sara was the last thing on my mind, though.

Our ride to the apartment was silent. Sara was pale, and she clutched her purse against her belly. There was the barest hint of a bulge when she was in a sitting position, a small reminder of what had happened and what awaited us in the future. I hadn’t thought of becoming a dad yet, but a small part of me was excited of having a kid, the other part worried of how its creation would influence how Sara saw the child. And what about me? Would I be able to forget the past when I looked at my kid?

A walking memorial of past sins.

During the elevator ride up to our apartment, I finally said, “I hope you like the place I got for us. Eventually, we’ll get a house for our family, but for now, this will give us enough room.”

Sara’s gaze snapped up to my face. She seemed to have been far away in her thoughts.

“Okay.” She gave a tight smile.

“You look very beautiful.” I fell silent. I hadn’t told her so far. She hadn’t bought this dress with me in mind, not that I thought she had any deeper feelings for Paolo, but it still felt strange that he had been the man she was supposed to marry when she bought her dress.

She looked down at herself. “I had to take it in. It was too big on me…”

She had lost weight. Everyone had noticed. I’d heard the concerned whispers of people who knew of her pregnancy. “Is it normal that women lose weight in early pregnancy?”

I had asked my mother because I’d worried about Sara and the baby, but my mother had assured me that it didn’t necessarily mean the baby didn’t get enough nutrition.

“I have bad nausea, but I take supplements. The baby’s size was okay during my checkup two weeks ago.”

I nodded. I hadn’t been involved in any of her checkups yet. The elevator came to a stop, and I motioned for Sara to step out first, then I led her to the door of our place. I unlocked it and invited her in.

Mom had helped me make the place more homey in the past few days. Before that, it had been bare of decorations, cushions, duvets, and whatever else women liked. Now, there were even picture frames on the walls.

Sara looked around. “It’s nice.”

“Come on, I’ll show you your bedroom,” I said, then wondered if she maybe wanted to share a bed with me. Bullshit. Not after what had happened. Her expression didn’t betray her emotions. She merely looked exhausted and a little squeamish.

“It’s the primary bedroom. I put my stuff in the guest room, so you’ll have an en suite and a walk-in closet. I don’t need that.”

Surprise flashed across her face as she scanned the lavender-colored duvet and pillows on the bed. It was a color Sara often wore, so my mother had bought linens and towels in that color.

“This is your home too. I don’t want to be the reason you sleep in the guest bedroom,” she said.

“I’ll be fine. It’s only for sleep.”

She pursed her lips. I wished I could read her mind.

She slowly walked closer to the bed. “Thank you. I’m really exhausted.” I nodded again because while I’d never been a man of many words, Sara turned me into a near-mute most of the time.

She cleared her throat, then threw me a hesitant look over her shoulder. “Can you unfasten the back of my dress for me? I can’t reach all of the buttons.”

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