Page 102 of Married With Malice

“While you were sleeping earlier, I had a long talk with Cale,” I say.

“How did that go?”

“Good. He and Sadie were worried about you. They send their love.”

She nods. “I think they’re worried about you too.”

“I know.” During the phone call with my brother, the underlying tension and sadness between us was detectable. “But Cale made an offer that I think would be good for us all.”

“What’s that?”

“He and Sadie have invited us to stay with them. Sadie is due in just a few weeks and they’re busy prepping for the baby. This means Cale could use some help at the ranch. And I’d really like you to get to know my family. Plus it’s been a while since I spent time with my brother. We haven’t really seen eye to eye since…”

“Since you took his place at your uncle’s side,” she finishes.

This is a touchy subject that has gone undiscussed between us. It’s long past time to change this.

“That’s true. Cale never wanted me to have any part in the mafia. For years he threw himself on the sword in the hopes it would keep me out of the fight. But I saw more than he thought I did. I knew he hated being Richie’s right hand. And then when he married Sadie, it was clear he belonged with her, not in New York. So I did what Cale would have done for me. I offered my uncle a trade. He’d lose Cale but he’d get me, and he’d been scheming to pull me into the family business for years. To Richie, that seemed like a worthy deal. He sensed that his hold over my brother was tenuous. He also knew that any implied threat against Cale and Sadie would keep me in line indefinitely. In order to keep my brother safe, I’d cooperate with any demand Richie made.”

“Including marrying me,” Anni says. “To fortify the alliance between him and my father.”

“Yes.” I tighten my arms around her.

She’s quiet for a moment.

I hope she understands that I’ve only made this confession because I trust her. And I want her to trust me back.

“Daisy would have been punished severely,” she says. “For defying my father. And her husband never would have been seen again. I made a deal too, Luca. I’m sure you’ve suspected this all along.”

“You love your sisters. I love my brother. This was used against us.”

Again, she falls silent. She sighs into my chest.

Now is the time to make something else crystal clear.

With my forefinger, I gently tip her chin up so I can see her face.

“Our marriage didn’t happen the way marriages are supposed to happen. That doesn’t mean I regret a thing. I just wish I’d started this with a different attitude and told you honestly how I felt about you.”

She sits up straighter but remains in my lap. “Howdoyou feel about me?”

“You’re my heart, Annalisa.” I hear my voice crack and need to pause and take a breath before continuing. “You fascinate me in every way. You’re beautiful and you’re intense and you’re passionate. No other woman will ever be able to live up to you. I should have made sure you understood this every single day. I know how badly I’ve messed this up.”

She breathes deeply and looks down. “I think we might have messed it up together, Luca.”

My entire future and everything I hope for hinges on this next question. “Do you want to fix it together, baby?”

She lifts her head. Her lip quivers and her eyes mist over. “More than anything.”

I tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and touch her soft cheek. “We’re minutes away from a new year. Let’s start again and go slow. We can stay at the ranch for a couple of weeks. Let me take you out on dates, Anni. Let me give you all the romance you deserve and then try to earn a kiss from you at the end of every night.”

As she listens, the light of happiness dawning in her eyes electrifies my senses. I’m going to spend every day of my life keeping that light shining bright.

“I would love that,” she says and suddenly her lips press together. “There’s only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

Her mouth bends into a playful smirk. “I’m going to make you work for those kisses. And for everything else.”

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