Page 90 of Plunge into Obsession

He had been great.

A good dad.

For the longest time, it had been just me and him, and it was enough.

Things weren’t always good, but I had felt safe, certain he would take care of everything for me, no matter what. And how badly I fucking missed him every day.

“Gabriel will be a good father,” I said.

And I didn’t know if that was true, but how badly I wished it would be.

That he could be a good father… a good husband.

I blinked. “Please. I need you by my side when I stand at the altar and say ‘I do.’ I need to count on you to be with me and support me, no matter what.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment. “Of course I will. I just don’t want you to make a mistake and end up getting hurt.”

I shot her a smile that felt genuine for the first time in weeks.

“I’ll be fine.”

I had to be.

“When is the wedding?”

“Next Saturday.”

Her eyes widened. “That soon?”

Funny, I had said something similar to Gabriel when he’d said we would get married in a week. It was Wednesday, so I had a little less than a week before I would beMrs. Bianca Cadorna.

I could choke on the words.

I nodded. “Shotgun wedding and all.”

“Still, that’s…”

Ridiculous.

It was ridiculous. Not that I would tell her that.

I nodded. “Help me plan it. I’m working with this… woman. I think she’s pretty good at what she does, but I need you to help me decide the theme, flowers, and all that shit.”

My weak attempt at a joke didn’t do anything for her.

“Are you sure this is really what you want?”

I nodded. “This is what I want.”

And I was proud that my voice didn’t even shake.

I moved a little closer to her, seeking her warmth.

Before we worked at the club, we struggled. We’d barely had enough for food most nights, and I could remember a time when the electricity had been cut off because we hadn’t paid our bills in time.

We would huddle together for warmth while we slept.

Being near Kaia always brought me a sense of safety and security that I hadn’t felt since my dad died. Not even with Lucinda.

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