Page 4 of Devious Vows

“No.” I push up off of my makeshift seat, looking at Julian. “I’m going to go use the bathroom.”

“Grab me a drink on your way back!” he yells at my retreating form, and I wave in acknowledgment over my shoulder.

Entering the house I look around, unsure which way I should go. I don’t really have to use the restroom, but I figure it’s the only place I can go to get a moment of peace without fear of Remy finding me. Passing a room I hear a familiar giggle within and pause in the doorway. The Lucianos’ nanny is sitting on the floor with the youngest Luciano, a deck of cards being passed between them. On a whim I enter the room, smiling when they both look up at me.

“Beverly!” Delaney yells happily, bouncing in place. “Want to play a game of Go Fish?”

Settling down beside her, I smile at the nanny as she starts dealing me cards before I even respond, “Thank you, I could use an escape from the party for a minute.”

REMY

My shoulder stings from how I’m leaning against the fence, but I ignore the dull ache, staring absentmindedly at where Beverly had disappeared into the house. Despite what I led her to believe, I didn’t spend any time with Stephanie after our argument. Instead, I stole two shots of whiskey from the bartender, played the entertainment for a few of my father’s Capos, and then posted up here where I watched Beverly like a creep.

“You know, she’s not that bad actually.”

Shifting to stand, I eye my half-brother Gavino as he joins me, only now aware that he must also have been watching Beverly to know that’s where I was looking. “She’s just a kid,” I spit back, annoyed he’s even talking about her. “A bookworm with more freckles than face.”

He shrugs, his hands slipping into his pockets. “I don’t know. I kind of like her freckles.”

My pulse pounds looking at him, teeth biting into my cheek. Truthfully, I also like her freckles. I like the way her dark hair curls around her cheeks when it’s wet. And I like the way she smells, like books and lavender. Ireallylike the way she talks back to me when almost no one else will.

But I hate that I’m being told that I have to like her.

I hate that she was handpicked for me by my father.

And I also hate that she hates me.

“I don’t. I can’t stand anything about her,” I finally say back to him, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue.

Gavino eyes me. “She’s always nice to me. If you were nicer to her—”

My stomach twists with ugly hot jealousy that burns angrily under my skin. He stops talking at the look I give him. “Beverly ismyfuture wife, which means I’m the only one who gets to like anything about her.” Snatching the front of his dress shirt in my fist, I yank him close. “She isn’t nice to you. She isn’t anything to you. Beverly is mine and it would do you good to remember it.”

He stumbles back when I let him go, his lips pinched tight as if he’s fighting the urge to say something back to me. Luckily for him, he doesn't, choosing to clear his throat instead. “Got it, brother.”

BEVERLY

Unlike Remy, I get along well withDelaney.

Sure, she’s only eight, but she’s always been mature for her age.And kind. Surprising really since Remy has done more to raise her than their actual parents have.

“This party really is one of the lamest I’ve ever been to,” Delaney says, off topic, eyeing the cards in her hand before leveling me with a serious look over the top of them. “Do you have any twos?”

“Sorry, no twos.” I laugh at her huff, watching her snatch up a card to add to the many already in her hand. “How’d you get lucky enough to skip it back here?”

Delaney shrugs, shaking her head at the nanny when she asks her for a five. “Ollie said I could hang out in the house and no one argued.”

Delaney is the only one who calls him that, a play on his middle name. It always makes him sound so much nicer than I know he is. I hum, picking through my cards for a moment. “Any sevens?” Plucking the card from Delaney’s fingers I set my pair aside before commenting, “Remy does get whatever Remy wants.”

“Non stai parlando di mio figlio, vero?” You’re not talking about my son, are you?

My head snaps up to Capo Famiglia’s entrance, returning his smile. Unlike his wife, he doesn’t radiate fake kindness. He wears his emotions on his sleeve when around friends and family, and thankfully, all he’s ever shown me are pleasant ones.

“I plead the fifth,” I state. Tucking my cards away into the stack. It seems my break was short-lived.

He chuckles at my remark, watching as I rise from the floor. “Dinner is about to be served. I came to get Delaney.” His eyes find the nanny. “Make sure she’s at our table before appetizers start.”

With that he leaves and Laney huffs, “We just started the game with Bev too.” The sound of Capo Famiglia’s footsteps disappearing down the hallway can be heard as she hands her cards to the nanny who is tucking them away in their box.

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