Becoming His Wife by Hayley Faiman
Chapter Thirty-Seven
TIZIANO
It takes me about an hour to drive to Gavino’s home. I don’t bother going to the front door, knowing that he said he’d be around the back waiting for me.
I’m not sure if his place is bugged or what the fuck is going on, but he wanted to talk to me in person about the favor he’s requested of me, the marker he’s called.
Gavino is sitting on his back patio, a beer in his hand as he watches the kids play on their playset. I notice Luciana, his wife, pushing one of the babies on the swing as I approach him and sit next to him on a chair.
“Soon, you’ll have the same view, yeah?”
“God willing,” I murmur.
He turns to me, his lips tugging up into a grin. “Maci will give you this, she’s got what it takes, Tiz.”
“Yeah,” I exhale with a sharp nod.
“I need the head of the New York gaming commission taken out.”
“Vino,” I warn.
He shrugs a shoulder. “He needs to go. The man below him can be bought off. The feds can be bought off. This fuck has a hard-on for me and I need him gone.”
“What about Mia? How does she play into this? Seems like she’s really fucking worried, too.”
Gavino lifts his bottle to his lips and sucks back his drink. I watch him for a moment, then lean forward and rest my forearms against my knees. He doesn’t speak right away and all I can think about is the repercussions of getting caught killing a goddamn government employee.
“She’ll be fine.”
“Gavino,” I warn.
“The feds are on her about that, the state on me. I’ve got the head of the department that is trying to bring her down, his balls are nailed to the wall. She is going to be fine, plus I’m going to be moving her to a different position.”
“A different position?” I demand.
He arches a brow at my tone, but thankfully doesn’t take offense. I’m fucking floored that he has another spot for her within the organization. She’s breaking boundaries by being in charge of the women and the auctions the way that she is.
“Got a spot for a boss that needs filling.”
“A woman as a boss?” I ask, unable to hide the surprise in my tone.
He chuckles. “It’s about time. The D’Amore famiglia needs a new figurehead. Someone needs to wrangle those fucking men in and the only person I feel that is qualified enough in my repertoire is her.”
“She’s single,” I remind him.
“That’s the only reason I haven’t made her the boss, yet.”
“However?” I guess.
He clears his throat, leaning back. “I don’t like to force my men into doing anything, or women in this case,” he begins. “However, she either marries and does this or goes down for being a madame.”
“You’re playing dirty, cugino,” I warn.
He shrugs his shoulder. “I usually do.”
“You gonna let her swing like that? Why?”
He doesn’t say anything right away, choosing to take another pull from his beer, then he turns to me. “It’s not that I’m letting her swing. It’s that she needs to settle down. She has earned her place as a boss, but even though making her one breaks a major rule, I can’t break any more of them. She needs to be married, should have been a hell of a long time ago in my opinion.”
“She’s scared shitless right now. I was with her before I came here. She called me to the casino, practically threw herself at me in tears about what’s to come. I don’t know if you should play with her, Vino.”
He watches me for a moment, as if he’s contemplating my words, then shrugs his shoulder before he turns his gaze to his family.
“I could continue to let her live a life where she pretends and hides in the shadows, too afraid to live. Only seeking physical release and nothing more. Or, I could gently push her into having a real fucking life.”
“What if she’s happy and satisfied right where she is?” I ask. He turns to me, arching a brow as he watches me for a long moment. “Okay, I know as much as you do that she’s not.”
He smirks. “No, Tiz, she’s not. She’ll be angry with me, but eventually maybe she won’t hate me too much.”
“You meddle with people, cugino.”
He doesn’t deny it and I can’t help but laugh. He does fucking meddle and he gives no fucks about it either. We spend the next few hours devising a plan on how I’m going to get rid of this gaming commissioner.
“Why doesn’t Renzo do it?” I ask after we’ve talked about it for a while.
His eyes find mine and he grins. “Renzo costs too much fucking money and I’ve spent enough on this. You owe me a marker, you’re free.”
“Fuck you,” I say on a laugh.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I take notes on all of the information that I need for this hit. I won’t be able to remember everything and Gavino is hesitant to give me any paper documentation on him.
It doesn’t take us long to get everything hammered out. It will take me a few days to stalk him, to figure out his routines and all of that. I promise Gavino that I will have it completed by the end of the week.
“Good,” he says, shifting in his seat. “I have a court date set for Tuesday. I want this done before then.”
“No problem, Boss.”
He grins, jerking his chin up. “Stay for dinner?”
I look at my watch and realize that it’s time to pick up Maci from Salvatore’s office. “Can’t. I need to pick up Maci from work.”
“Sunday, when all is done, we’ll celebrate. Bring Maci over, big family dinner, yeah?”
Smiling, I stand and extend my hand. “Yeah,” I agree as we shake hands.
Leaving Gavino’s, I make sure to extend my arm and wave to Luciana who is still pushing a baby on a swing. I watch them for a moment and realize that I have no yard at the townhouse to do the same with our new baby.
Shoving my hand in my pocket, I sink down into the driver’s seat of my car and find my realtor’s number.
“I need a house, with a yard,” I announce before he can even say hello.
“Budget?” he asks.
“None,” I say, my lips turning up into a grin.
He chuckles, promising to put together a list, then email it to me before end of day. Thanking him, I shift the car into drive and head toward Salvatore’s office with a smile on my face. That smile disappears when I get to Sal’s and find the place locked up and empty.
Where the fuck is my wife?
MACI
Salvatore curses as soonas we arrive at his place. I don’t have a key to get into the townhouse, plus I don’t even know where it is. Tiziano said we’d be going there tonight, but he never came to my doctor’s appointment and Salvatore said he’s tried to call him to no avail.
Wrapping the pink elephant stuffed animal and the little pink onesie that claims Daddy’s Girl in white lettering with little white flowers in tissue paper, I place them in the bag along with the ultrasound image that the tech typed Girl with an arrow to the girl parts.
The cupcakes stare back at me along with the pretty packaged gift bag and I wonder, again, what could have been so important that Tiziano missed the appointment and hasn’t called Salvatore back.
Sitting at the kitchen bar, I wait and decide that I’m going to demand a cell phone. I do not want to feel completely helpless anymore. I have his number, but no way to contact him unless I’m at work or with Salvatore. That’s just dumb.
I watch as Salvatore paces, then the door to his condo opens and it’s Tiziano. His eyes are wild as they look around, at least until they find mine and then he goes from wild to angry in just seconds. I can see the transformation come over him immediately.
Gulping, I stare at him, unable to move. I can barely breathe as I watch him walk through the door, slamming it behind him. Salvatore grunts behind me and I think he’s going to walk away when, instead, he steps in front of me.
“You’re not going to come into my house pissed off at Maci. I know you aren’t after the stunt you pulled,” Salvatore growls, sounding exactly like the big brother he is to me.
Tiziano’s entire body jerks and he looks from Salvatore to me, then back to him. “Excuse me?” he whispers, but it’s one of those daring whispers and it scares the shit out of me. I press my lips together, not wishing to get in the middle of these men fighting.
“You heard me, Tiz. You missed your wife’s doctor’s appointment. You ignored my calls, and for what?”
“Fuck,” Tiziano hisses, his eyes lifting to mine and if I didn’t know what his guilty expression looked like before today, I do now.
“Grab your shit, we’re going home,” he growls, his gaze flicking to mine.
I start to stand when Salvatore speaks again, as if Tiziano hasn’t issued me an order to get my shit and go.
“Tell me where you were,” Salvatore demands.
Tiziano pauses, his entire body going completely rigid. I don’t know what that means, but I can tell he’s about to lose his shit.
“Not your fuckin’ business,” Tiziano growls.
I gather my things and hurry to stand next to Tiziano. His face is starting to turn red and I’m afraid that he’s going to explode. Looking from Tiziano to Salvatore, I clear my throat, interrupting them for the first time since this whole thing started.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” I say firmly.
Salvatore’s body jerks and he dips his chin to look into my eyes. “I expect you in at eight,” he grinds out.
Without another word, Tiziano turns to the bags that are packed and placed next to the door, right where we left them this morning. He promised that he’d have them at his place before I got off of work.
Pressing my lips together, I realize that he didn’t do anything that he said he would today and it makes me wonder what he really spent his day doing. Seeing the anger and disappointment that was clearly in Salvatore’s eyes, I’m not sure that I want to find out.
I follow behind Tiziano, looking back over my shoulder at Salvatore. Smiling at him, I watch him and feel a sense of relief when his lips twitch into a small smile. I feel weird not only leaving him but also leaving his home—my home.
It’s been my home for months and now it’s just his again. It’s like closing a little chapter of a book. I don’t particularly care much for it. Maybe it’s just the unknown and everything that has and hasn’t happened today.
I’m just feeling very uneasy when this morning I felt nothing but excitement.
The ride to Tiziano’s and my new home is silent. I notice that Tiziano grips the steering wheel to the point where I hear it crack, and his knuckles are white the entire way.
Biting my bottom lip, I worry it over and over as he drives. Looking down at my lap, I stare at the pink frosted cupcakes and wonder if I should tell him about the baby or wait until tomorrow.
“We’re home,” Tiziano grinds out as soon as he shifts the car into park.
Looking up at the building, I’m surprised that it’s not an actual house. It’s more like the building that Salvatore lives in. I don’t know why it surprised me, it shouldn’t, this is normal for the city, I think.
My eyes take in the street around us and it’s quiet. There are trees lining the sidewalk and children riding their bikes up and down, laughing and smiling. It’s beautiful. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before in real life.
Tiziano unfolds from the car and gathers the bags out of the trunk. When the trunk slams, it causes me to jolt. I gather my gift bag and the cupcakes, then stand from the car and follow behind him, trying to take in all the beauty around me.
Once we’re inside, he jerks his chin at the doorman, but doesn’t introduce me as he quickly marches toward the elevator. We ride up the elevator in silence, though it doesn’t take long to arrive to his door.
Stepping into my new home, I don’t even get to look around and take in my surroundings before he lifts his hands, cupping my cheeks and his lips are pressed hard against mine. I gasp in surprise, almost dropping my cupcakes.
Breaking the kiss, he rests his forehead against mine with a heavy breath. “I missed your appointment. Fuck,” he hisses.
“You did, where were you?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer me, instead he shifts his face from mine, his eyes looking into my own, taking me in and focusing on me. When he looks at me like this, I feel like we’re back in Italy, in our little bubble where nothing of the outside world can touch us.
“I love you, zuccherino,” he whispers.
It’s this moment that I realize he’s not going to tell me where he was, which makes my heart crack. I try not to cry. I swallow the tears and take a step back, giving him a big smile. I gasp when he gathers the cupcakes and the bag in my hand, wordlessly setting them down on the floor.
“Would you like to know what we’re having?” I ask, frowning at the cupcakes on the floor. They’re in a container, but still.
His eyes widen, and his lips curve up into a huge smile. “Please,” he says softly, almost in a begging tone. “But not yet.”
