Page 73 of Secret Baby for the Italian Mafia King

“So does that make Ren my daddy?”

“It does,” a low baritone says from the doorway. Ren’s eyes sweep over me again, his face pinched by that same expression he wore when he made me try this dress on in the store. All that incredible pain branching through me like lightning.

Harper rushes him, tackling him into a tight hug around his hips.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” I say, forcing the words to sound cheery and let my feral expression do the rest.

But Ren is staring down at Harper, his expression vacant. It sends a chill up my spine. He doesn’t answer, his attention fixed on her with some distant thought playing across his face. Like the words are seeping in and settling in his bones. I call his name to bring him back to the present.

“What did you say?” he asks.

“Why am I dressed up like this, Ren? You didn’t tell me anything about this!” I say in a false whisper, trying to keep Harper shielded from the reality of everything that’s happening.

“You knew we were getting married, Nadia. Did you think we picked out a dress for show?”

“Okay, so you said we were getting married eventually. You didn’t say today! You didn’t even…”

Ask me.

His expression darkens as we stand in a tense, looming silence. My throat works. I have a feeling this is all coming out wrong.

“Did you think it was an empty threat, Nadia? Or that I’d change my mind? The when came sooner than expected, that’s all. But it was always going to be this way—”

“I know, but…”

“But what, Nadia? Do you have some objection?” he asks, as if challenging me in that cold voice that tells me his mind is already made up. That he is inviting me only to waste my breath.

“Just…another time? Aday’snotice; is that too much to ask? If we could just do this tomorrow—”

Ren steps closer. There’s a wildness in his eyes that makes me uncomfortable, as if he is on the verge of another one of his moods.

“I’ve lived through enoughtomorrows, Nadia. I’m done waiting. I’ll give you the wedding you deserve one day, if I have that chance. Today, this is what you get.”

He takes me by the arm and guides me out into the foyer. His mood is all wrong.

“You could have at least asked!”

“It wasn’t a question.”

Elijah’s gaze sweeps over me, takes in the sudden change of plans for this evening. Harper is enchanted, dancing around ourfeet, still over the moon as she plays with the train of my dress. She asks Ren if she gets to wear a pretty dress, too. As she has Ren’s attention for a moment, I glance at Elijah.

“Pick up my dry cleaning for me?” I mutter. He checks his watch, his expression grim as we share looks.

“Ren, do you need me for this?” Elijah asks.

“No,” Ren says. “This will be quick—just a formality.”

“A formality you had to dress me up like a doll for,” I mutter under my breath, arms crossed.

We had been close to getting along, so I had almost forgotten Ren’s explanation, his reasoning for all of this—it’s all a punishment.The good and the bad. It’s all meant to hurt, even the parts that shouldn’t.

As we wait for Marco, Ren stares and stares at me like he can’t tear his eyes away.

“What?” I mutter, through gritted teeth. I’ve been birthday-suit naked under Ren before, but wearing this dress is the most naked I have ever felt with him, like the seamstress has stitched my heart right onto the flowing sleeves.

Ren looks away, shoulders slouched. When the silence wears on too long, he finally says, “It’s just in case, Nadia. The meeting is tomorrow. We don’t…Idon’t have time to wait. I’m doing this now in case this all goes wrong. If I can give you a real wedding, then I will. One day. But I’m doing this now in case this ends up being the only time.” The words come out rough as he adds, “I’m not dying without becoming your husband.”

It’s like he’s poured cold water over my anger, my thoughts evaporating in a puff of steam. If I were one of Harper’s beloved cartoon characters, I bet it would have come out of my ears.

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