Page 25 of The #2 Guy

11

Christine

We stayed up all night. I was too nervous to let him close his eyes. We laughed, kissed, cuddled by the fire, and drank until dawn. I finally let him sleep but I check on him every ten minutes. I stroked locks of his hair from his forehead, kept pulling the blanket over his bulky muscles. He said he forgives me, but doubt is an ugly thing. Johnny has no one but Roque and he’s moved on. I need a grand gesture. Something that will leave not a crumb of doubt in his mind about what he means to me. Maybe I’m a sneaky bitch but I grab his cell, unlocking it. I watched him tap in the six-digit code when he thought I had fallen asleep against his chest.

Biting my lip, I scroll until I find her name. Before I can think twice, I hit call.

“Uncle Johnny? I want to know everything. Spill.”

“Hi Chloe. You’re just like the actress who played you.”

“Christine?”

“The very one.”

“If you hurt him again, I’ll kill you.”

“You really are Roque Salvatore’s daughter.”

“I am. So, don’t fuck with him.”

“I asked him to marry me.”

“What???” I need to pull the phone away from my ear when she starts shrieking. I hear a deep male voice in the background asking her if she’s okay. She mumbles something then she’s back.

“I need your help. Johnny and I are trapped in a cabin in the woods, laying low for a while… but we need to get married fast. I’m taking a page out of your father’s book. I can’t testify against Johnny if he’s my husband.”

“Is that the only reason why you want to marry him.”

“No. He owns my heart.”

“Is the sex still off the charts?”

“How old are you again?”

“Old enough.”

“Not going to answer that. I need a Justice of the Peace, a wedding dress, a tux and two rings.”

“I’m on it.”

“I-I want this to be a surprise. I don’t want him to know.”

“A shotgun, mob, surprise wedding?” She shrieks. “This is going to be epic. Might even be a better ending than Savage Poet.”

“Yeah, we watched that by the way…”

“My parents melted the screens.”

“They sure did, Chloe. But Johnny and I are going to steal their spotlight with our own happy ending.”

“I know some people…”

“I think John is a bit jealous of Romeo Roque. He’s always been the guy behind him. It’s his turn to be number one.”

“Long overdue. I agree. Ok. Start jotting down some notes.”

“For what?”

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