Page 67 of Possessive Mafia Vows

Sienna lets out a tiny snort before she can stop herself. Then, realizing how it sounded, she shakes her head, heat flooding her cheeks. “Sorry, V. That wasn’t aimed at you.”

I replay in my head all that I can remember from our conversation at the gallery, and the warmth in my chest subsides when I realize that it was aimed at me.

“I was trying to help, Sienna. I’ve secured the gallery, and I’ve got a team of men working in there through the night to repair the damage. I only wish I could do more.”

I set my champagne glass down on the coffee table between the couches and rest my elbows on my thighs. Sienna and I both keep our eyes firmly fixed on the baby, and it occurs to me then that Holly is acting as a kind of diffuser to moods and tempers that might otherwise have been running riot around the penthouse apartment.

“I know.” Sienna’s gaze meets mine and something seems to connect between us; it’s fragile, as delicate as butterfly wings,but the fact that it’s there at all gives me hope. “It’s been a long and eventful day.”

The roller coaster reaches the apex and plummets towards the ground. My hands ball into fists, every fiber of my being suddenly on high alert. I ignore the warning glance from my brother.

“What did he?—”

“What else has happened, Si?” Victoria interjects, her voice low, reminding me that there’s a baby in the room.

“I…” Sienna sucks in a deep breath, eyes closed momentarily. “It’s nothing. Nothing I can’t handle anyway.”

“Sienna.” I wait for her to give me her full attention. “Do you want me to leave, so that you can speak to Victoria in private?”

It isn’t the first time that I’ve given her the opportunity to let me go, and I doubt that it will be the last. I’ll keep throwing the ball into her court until she understands that I mean what I say. Until she understands exactly how I feel about her.

Her eyes linger on mine. Then, “Nick proposed to me tonight.”

My pulse quickens. I suppress an image of Nick Morris going down on one knee and slipping a diamond ring onto Sienna’s finger. My gaze tracks to her left hand, which is still ring-less. For now.

Victoria almost chokes on a mouthful of coffee. Caleb reflexively leans closer and rubs her back while she grabs a tissue from a silk-covered box on the table.

“Where the fuck did that come from?” Victoria’s hand flies to her mouth. “Sorry,” she whispers to the room in general. “I know I shouldn’t swear in front of the baby, but what the actualfuck!”

Sienna smiles for the first time since she arrived. “You’re only saying out loud what I was thinking when I saw him go down on one knee.”

She deliberately avoids meeting my gaze, and I don’t know if it’s because she’s embarrassed after what happened between the two of us, or if she’s about to shatter my heart and toss it straight back to me.

“So, you had no idea that it was coming?” Victoria asks.

“No.” Baby Holly wriggles in Sienna’s arms, distracting her temporarily, before settling down again. “I mean, literally, no. We’ve been on a few dates. I know I’m out of practice, but if there were any signs along the way, I totally missed them.”

She’s saying everything that I want to hear, but my skin is still crawling at the thought of that man proposing to the woman I love. I don’t know him. I’ve spent very little time in his company, but what I have seen doesn’t resemble a man who is besotted with a beautiful woman.

“You didn’t miss them,” I say, and all eyes are on me. “Do you honestly believe that he’s in love with you? Has he told you that he loves you?”

“Okay.” Caleb is wearing a sweatshirt and jogging pants, and his stubble is longer than I think I’ve ever seen it. He’s comfy and contented. But his eyes are still alert. “Sienna, I think what my brother is trying to say is, trust your instincts. If you didn’t see it coming, it’s because you were not supposed to.”

Sienna’s gaze slides around the room, settling on each of us in turn.

“Caleb is right, Si,” Victoria says. “If it was what you wanted, you wouldn’t be here right now without a ring on your finger.”

“There’s too much going on.” Sienna’s voice is clogged with emotion. “I don’t even know what to think anymore.”

“Hey.” Victoria places her arm around her friend’s shoulders and wipes the tears from her cheek with her thumb. “It’s hardly surprising with your father rocking up out of the blue and then the gallery. If you want my opinion, the guy’s a fucking asshole for proposing to you tonight when you’re clearly struggling.”

“I’m starting a swear-box,” Caleb chimes in.

“Sorry.” Victoria wrinkles her nose. “But he is. I’ve never met the guy, and I already don’t like him.”

“You’ve never met him?” I blurt out.

Sienna and Victoria have been best friends most of their lives. They tell each other everything, they practically raised Abigail together, and yet Sienna has never introduced Nick to her. The more I learn about the man, the more I see him as a shadow lurking in the background of Sienna’s world just waiting to reveal his true colors.

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