Page 46 of Bartered Innocence

The man laughs loudly before it turns into deep coughs again and then he’s holding a towel up to his mouth. My eyes drop to the comforter, unsure what to say or if I should give him privacy.

“I heard he shut down the entire block just to have an hour in that large cathedral.”

A soft smile lifts my lip and my cheeks blush. “Okay, it was a little outrageous.”

“My son doesn’t do anything half-measured. And if he wanted to make a show of marrying you, I’m sure it was quite the spectacle.”

I relax in the chair, hating what I’m about to admit, but if I’m going to tell anyone, I guess his dying father is the best choice. “It was beautiful. Like something out of a fairytale. I know the church is neutral ground, but I still never gave it a thought as somewhere people could marry. It seemed so ethereal.”

He smiles. “I’m glad he did right by that at least. I know you might have been hesitant to marry just for peace between us, but my son…he’s a good man.”

An ache grows in my throat and I swallow down the words, not wanting to alarm him that his son is not as good as he thinks. Considering what he was willing to do if I didn’t marry him.

“Yeah, I can tell. You and your wife raised him well.”

His eyes light up at the mention of her. “He told you about my Elodie? It was mostly her. She was the good in all of us.”

“I’m sorry you lost her.”

He waves his hand. “I’ll be joining her soon enough, but I was worried about leaving Rian alone. It’s one of the reasons I pushed for marriage. And after finally seeing you, I can tell I’ll be leaving him in good hands.”

Tears blur my vision and I clear my throat. “I didn’t actually want to get married, you know?” I glance at Rian’s father, the gentle patience on his face as he regards me continuing. “I actually really wanted to become a chef and take over my father’s restaurant.”

“And you can’t do that with a husband?”

I snort before I can stop it, and a smile stretches on his lips. “Most wives of Made Men don’t have jobs.”

“Because none of them want that,” he says before grabbing a cloth and coughing loudly. I divert my attention until it quietens. “None of them want to work, but if that’s what you want…there’s nothing stopping you.”

My eyebrows knit together and I frown before I look up at him. “I tried to bring it up to Rian and he just ignored it.”

His father sighs, relaxing in his pillows. “I’m sure he has his reasons, but I’m telling you…nothing will stop you from getting what you want if you want it bad enough.”

He stares at me, trying to convey a message deeper than his words. I fiddle with the seam of my shirt and watch him back before slumping in the chair. “What are you saying? That Rian won’t stop me if I pursue it without his permission?”

“I don’t advise sneaking around. We have enemies our wives will never know about, but Rian would never punish you for following your dreams.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

He smiles. “Because I never punished my Elodie.”

* * *

I’m barely down the hallway when his voice startles me.

“What were you doing in there?” His cold eyes drill into me.

I raise my chin, staring back. “Where?”

“In the room I told you to stay away from.” I have no doubt he rushed home from wherever he was once his faithful little spy told him where I ventured. I’ll have to be sure to give Aodhan shit about that.

Tilting my head, I give him a saccharine smile. “I thought this house was mine as much as it’s yours.”

Rian storms toward me, and I back up against a wall. His palms rest on either side of my head as he cages me in. “What the fuck were you doing in there? I’m not fucking around, Isabelle. If you harmed?—”

“Oh my god. We were just talking. I would never hurt your dad, you fucking psycho.”

He slams his hand against the wall and I flinch. Rian lowers his arms, some of the anger draining. “Talking about what?”

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