Page 28 of Ties That Bind Us

“Beautiful place, beautiful girl.” I smiled, walking farther into the clearing. Wildflowers grew all around us and the aspen trees made an almost perfect circle around the perimeter. This place was like something out of a painting.

Ava blushed, following me farther into the clearing. I had brought a blanket with me and spread it out in the grass for us to sit on.

“How did you find it?” she asked.

“Well, my brother Leo and I used to come here to get away from everything at home when we were younger. This was kind of our peace in the storm, something only for us. You tend to see a lot of tough stuff when you grow up in the Mafia. I guess you know how that goes, though,” I said, leaning back on my elbows.

Ava sat only a few inches from me, her knees slightly bent, still gaping at everything around us.

“Actually, I don’t. My dad always kept my sisters and me as far away from it as he could. You’d be surprised how little I actually know about the business.” She shrugged.

I hated Moretti’s philosophy. It was the complete opposite of ours. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he had the right intentions by keeping them safe, but it almost put them in more danger. They had no idea what to expect, who to trust—he was basically setting them up as sitting ducks. It was a wonder nothing had happened to his daughters growing up. And knowing Alessandro, it was more for his own power and convenience than their safety anyway.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Ava even knew how to defend herself. He should have at least taught her that, but I highly doubted he had. For Alessandro, it was about power. He treated his wife and daughters like second-class citizens, ordering them around and dictating everything about their lives. Ava begrudgingly going through law school was a prime example of that. In some twisted way, she must have thought that would prove her worth to him, but guys like Moretti never changed. Women in his world weren’t important enough to know or understand the inner workings of the business; they weren’t important enough to make decisions or be involved at all. Things were much different in our family.

“Ava, I have something for you,” I said reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small box.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, this entire day is already amazing.” She smiled genuinely, a sight I could look at for the rest of my life.

“I know this is a lot to adjust to, and probably not how you pictured getting engaged, but I hope you’ll give it a chance.” I straightened a little bit, opening the box and pulling out the ring I had picked out for her. “Ava, I want to ask you to marry me. I know this entire situation is pretty screwed up, but I want to make this as normal as possible for you.”

Ava stared at me, stunned into silence. I took her hand and she let me put the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit, like it was made for her. The diamond sparkled in the sunlight and was absolutely spectacular. I had gotten the best money could buy, and looking at it glistening on her finger right now proved it was all worth it. I knew what a horrible situation this was for her, and despite the fact we would be married regardless, I wanted it to be on her terms as much as possible. I wanted to at least give her the illusion of control.

“I know you didn’t have a choice in the matter, but I hope that you won’t ever regret this. Someday, when I have earned your love and trust, I’ll ask you for real and I hope your answer will be yes. But until then, this”—I held her hand to my lips and kissed the ring—“is my promise to you that I will spend every day working on this with you, making the most out of our situation, and giving you everything you deserve. That I’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want to do, and that I won’t ever take you for granted. So with all that being said, Ava, do you accept this arranged marriage?”

“Nick, I . . .” she started, and then bit her lip, searching for words.

“You don’t have to answer me now. Let’s just see how things go.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” I squeezed her hand. “Now how about some champagne?”

I pulled a bottle from the small basket and poured us each a glass.

“You’ve really thought of everything, haven’t you?” She smiled, putting the glass up to her lips.

“I like to be prepared for anything that arises. I’ve even got a spot picked out to have sex in case the mood swings that way.” I smirked at her, keeping my voice low even though we were the only people for miles.

“I’m sorry?” She nearly choked on her champagne, looking back at me curiously. I had certainly sparked her interest.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” I put my hand on top of her knee, pushing her boundaries just a little bit.

“That’s a little presumptuous of you, don’t you think?” A blush filled her cheeks and she refused to meet my eyes. If my words could have this much effect on her, I could only imagine what would happen if I moved my hand a little higher. I did, resting it comfortably on her thigh.

“Not presumptuous, just observant. You loved every second of the way I dominated you in the hotel room that night. And by the way you reacted in the restaurant, I’d say you like the possibility of being caught by someone.”

“I think if we have any shot at a normal relationship, we should forget any of that ever happened.”

I feigned hurt. “You mean I don’t get to see Juliette anymore?”

“Maybe if you’re lucky.” She winked. Damn it, why did she have to be so fucking hot and seductive the day I’d promised to behave myself. I wanted to push the envelope so badly, but I also wanted to gain her trust.

“I’ll take those odds.” She was a fucking temptress, knowing full well what she did to me. “I count myself pretty lucky to be sitting here with you right now. But if normal is what you want, normal is what I’ll give you. What’s on your mind?”

She looked back at me blankly for a minute, as if deciding what she really wanted to say. When she finally spoke, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her kissable lips.

“What would my life be like if I agreed to this?”

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