Page 14 of His to Have
I shook my head in disbelief. “Yet, you benefit from my marriage, and I have to shack up with some stranger.” The first tear fell from my eyes. “So, who is it, then?”
Dad’s eyes flicked over to Bash, as if he expected him to answer the question. But before Bash could even open his mouth, my mother finally spoke up, her voice soft.
“He is no stranger, Ayanna. You all have been in each other’s lives for most of your lives. It’s Teo, sweetheart.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. For a moment, I thought I hadn’t heard her right. Teo? As in Teo Donatelli? The man I’d known my whole life? The man that just left my shop and told me he would never lie to me.
Another gut punch. Just another person who claimed to love me who had lied. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My chest tightened with a mix of anger and something I couldn’t quite place. Teo and I had…. history.
I needed some air.
Somewhere between hyperventilating and trying to make sense of it all, I paced the floor.
“And when, exactly, was someone going to mention this to me?” I finally managed to ask.
My father straightened. “Next year on your twenty-fifth birthday.”
“And what if I had married someone else? Hell, what if I still marry someone else? You all realize that I am in a full-blown relationship.”
My brother snickered as if he found that funny, and my eyes snapped at him, daring him to laugh again. For my sake, he snapped his lips shut, but he still couldn’t contain the amused smirk.
“Baby, you must be losing your mind if you think Teo doesn’t have a firm grip on your dating life?” My father chuckled.
The pieces started clicking into place. Why none of my previous boyfriends lasted, or why Teo didn’t like any of them.
I clenched my fists, my mind still reeling from the news. “And Teo? He didn’t think it was worth mentioning this little life-changing decision to me at any point?”
Not even on that night that things changed for us?
Mom’s eyes softened. “He’ll speak with you, Ayanna. He wanted you to know in the right way. He respects you.”
Respects me? That was almost laughable. If he respected me, he would’ve told me. Not let me find out like this, in some backroom family meeting, blindsided by everyone I trusted.
“This is ridiculous,” I said, pushing back from the table and standing up again, with leaving as the only agenda. “I’m going home.”
“It’s what’s best for the family, Ayanna. And what’s best for you,” my father said, as I headed for the door.
I let out a bitter laugh, feeling my throat tighten. “Of course, it is.”
“He can protect you.”
“Thankfully, I don’t need protection.”
“You do. There has been a threat made on your life.” My father told me, his voice clipped and serious. That news knocked the wind out of me.
“What do you mean a threat. I don’t even have anything to do with the business. Why would someone want to harm me?” I asked incredulously.
The entire time I was ranting, I hadn’t even considered asking why the timeline had moved. Why, if this was supposed to wait until my twenty-fifth birthday, what had changed? But clearly this threat was what changed.
It also explains Teo’s random pop-up today. His questions, and somewhat pensiveness.
My father exchanged a grim look with my mother before answering, “The threat escalated. We can’t risk waiting any longer. Teo will be in touch. Answer when he calls.”
I stared at the table, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. I knew with a threat on my life that there would be no convincing any of the men in my life. One curt nod was all I could muster. I wouldn’t waste any more of my energy tonight fighting a losing battle.
It wasn’t an agreement. But it was enough to make my father believe that I understood the gravity of the situation.
“I have to go. I’ll talk to Teo when he calls.”
