Page 64 of Under His Watch

“I’m not sure that’ll ever happen,” Tess said, slightly dejected.

I furrowed my brow. What the fuck?

“I have no clue what we’re doing or who I am to him. A girlfriend? A kept woman?”

I sighed heavily, happy that she didn’t say she was a goddamn burden. I’d fucked that idea out of her.

“The men in the family don’t really bother with titles and labels,” Eva said. “You’re married or not, so you’re a wife or a girlfriend.Even though one is a legal binding, they’re basically the same and you’ll be treated the same.”

Nina made a noise of disagreement. “I’m not sure about that. Didn’t you say that the Domino Family was notorious for swapping mistresses to spy on their own members?”

“Well, yes. There’s the whole thing with mistresses, too, but no one really deals with that in the Constella Family,” Eva replied.

“No,” Tess said, “it’s not the label. It’s more like I don’t know what he thinks. And I don’t want to be petty and ask, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t have a job. I don’t have my own place.”

“And your parents took all your money,” Nina added, annoyed and aggravated.

“That’s bullshit,” Eva said. “Dante or Romeo can fix that.”

“What!” It sounded like Tess spat out her wine.

“They can get your money back. Romeo will do you right, regardless of not putting a label on you,” Eva said. “Or putting a ring on it.”

“Yet,” Nina added, teasing.

I damn well would put a rock on her finger. While I was upset to hear Tessa still be so worried, assuming that I wouldn’t take care of her, I understood it. She was independent, and if the roles were reversed and I was the one who’d suddenly gotten swooped up in all this, I would feel the same. Instead of being insulted and viewing this in the light of her not trusting me, I was glad that she was so practical and still had a self-sufficient mindset. She wasn’t the typical Mafia wife, clingy and lazy, dependent on a man for everything.

“It’s all tip money and such,” Tess said. “For years. There is no way anyone could easily quantify it all and, what, sue them for it?” She huffed.

I smirked. You want to bet, my good girl? If she ever wanted me to recoup all the money that she gave her parents, I would make it happen. I’d demand that they pay her back—with interest—but I suspected she’d want as little contact with them as possible.

After the way that her mother yelled at her in the hospital, I doubted Tessa wanted to ever be in her presence again. I would always make that my mission, to protect her from them, from anyone.

I need to speak with them and tell them to fuck off for good. Tessa was my girlfriend. My lover. My future bride. Maybe one day, the mother of my children. She was my future, and I would never be so careless as to let her past interfere with her moving forward with me.

Killing them seemed extreme, but I would do her right. Justice was justice.

Nina switched the topic to her baby shower, and while Tessa was all about the conversation, Eva excused herself. Her heels clicked and clacked over the marble floor as she went from the large kitchen toward the great room I sat in.

I looked up from idly scrolling on my phone and caught her noticing me. True to her cool nature, she didn’t jump or flinch. We both knew I was listening, and she wouldn’t apologize or make excuses for it. Eva was consistent like that, unruffled, always “on” and maintaining the air of never letting anything bother her. Deep down, I knew she was more feeling andreceptive. She had to be, but not much could penetrate the icy shell she hid behind.

“I’m grateful that you and Nina can help Tessa adjust to our lifestyle.”

She sat, arching one brow. “Nina and me?” She twisted her lips in a wry smirk. “I wouldn’t say Nina’s an expert herself. She’s still learning.”

I chuckled. Fair enough. “You know what I mean. I’m glad that Tessa can ask you questions and count on you as resources.”

She nodded. “I admit that she’s surprised me. Coming from a shitty background, and then the incident of the night you found her… She’s a tough one. You’ve done well to stick with her.”

I raised my brows. “Implying that I don’t have staying power otherwise?”

“Sort of. You’ve never had a relationship longer than a week, and here you are, looking like you’re the most besotted man on earth.” She huffed a light laugh. “Other than your dad, I suppose.”

“It’s not complicated.”

She furrowed her brow. “Oh, sure.”

“It’s not. When you meet the other half of your soul, everything falls into place.” I was generalizing a lot. Nothing had simply fallen into place for me and Tess. I had to work on getting over my guilt. She had to cope with the trauma of being raped. We both had to manage the pent-up tension and self-denial we’d suffered those weeks of not communicating clearly. It had taken effort on our part to come together, but now that we had, I knew nothing could stop us from sharing our love.

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