Page 59 of Ties That Bind Us

“Noted.” I laughed. This was progress for me and Vince. At least we could agree on one thing—Alessandro wasn’t going to hurt Ava anymore.

“I’ll let you get back to your party, we’ll be in touch soon.” Vince slapped me on the back and disappeared. Our conversation was unnerving for so many reasons. Alessandro was up to something, but we had no idea what, and Ava’s safety could be at risk. I needed to talk to my dad and Leo about this, but this wasn’t the time or the place. I didn’t want Ava to think anything was out of the ordinary, or for Alessandro to know we were onto him. The only advantage I had now was that he didn’t think I knew anything.

Ava

“Well, there’s the blushing bride herself.” Jimmy grinned, sauntering toward me as if he owned the place. His father walked next to him. I had managed to avoid Jimmy most of the night, but he must have been lying in wait. The second Nick left me to get a drink, he pounced.

“Hi, Jimmy,” I said politely, hoping to get this interaction over as quickly as possible. Nick wouldn’t be happy if he came back and Jimmy was still here. “Mr. Bradford.”

“Please, call me Paul.” He hugged me gently. “I was sorry to hear things didn’t work out at the office. We were really looking forward to having you.”

“I really appreciate your offer.” I smiled awkwardly, having wanted to avoid this conversation. “The timing is just off for me.”

Just like I had told Nick, I had no intention of actually taking the job with Mr. Bradford. I’d been able to appease my dad and still do what Nick and I had decided, and honestly, that felt like a major win. After he ambushed me in the office, I hadn’t even had a chance to tell him.

“Well, I hope it all works out for you.” Mr. Bradford smiled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find your father.”

He excused himself, slipping through the crowd, and Jimmy and I were left standing alone. There were about a million other places I would rather have been at that moment. Jimmy made me uneasy. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust myself around him, I just didn’t trust him, and I knew he was pretty hell-bent on driving a wedge between Nick and me for whatever reason. I felt even more vulnerable without Nick here. I looked around anxiously to see if I could find him, but he was still on the other side of the room.

“I haven’t seen you around the last few weeks,” Jimmy observed, standing uncomfortably close to me. “I’m surprised your gatekeeper even let you out of the house tonight. Is he the reason you turned my dad’s offer down?”

“I turned it down because I don’t think it’s the right place for me. And honestly, I don’t see how this is any business of yours,” I stated, ready to defend Nick and our relationship.

“Relax, I’m just teasing. That’s what friends do, right? They tease each other. Although you and I have never really been good at the whole friends thing. We were much better as a couple.”

“We were a pretty shitty couple too.” I scowled. “And I was a completely different person back then.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.” He chuckled mockingly. “You know you can do much better than that guy, right? Why don’t you just tell your dad you don’t want to do this?”

“Because I do, Jimmy. I love Nick and—”

Jimmy nearly spit out his drink. “I’m sorry, did you just honestly say you love Nick? You know nothing about each other. He killed your brother, Ava.”

“You don’t know the whole story. Nick was honest with me about Andrew, and if I remember right, honesty is a tough concept for you to grasp.” I narrowed my eyes at him, angry that he was choosing now of all times to do this. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration of my upcoming marriage, and it irritated me Jimmy was even here. I was sure I had my father to thank for that one.

“Don’t forget this is a business deal for him, Ava. He stands to inherit two very powerful families the second you say I do. I’d be doing everything in my fucking power to make sure the wedding happened, too, if I was in his shoes. Don’t kid yourself into thinking he actually cares about you.” Jimmy’s words were like venom, stinging as they hit my ears. I knew he was wrong, that everything he was saying was a lie, but it still stung.

“Don’t listen to him, Ava.” Nick’s arm snaked around my waist and I had never been happier to feel him next to me. He would know exactly how to handle Jimmy. “I’d be jealous, too, if I had wasted my opportunity with you and was staring at your fiancé right now.”

Jimmy chuckled, finishing the rest of his drink and setting it on a nearby table. “Trust me, Nick, I am far from jealous of you. I’m just trying to understand why you’re so adamant about this marriage. I mean, the two of you have only known each other a few months and now all of a sudden you’re rushing to the altar. Seems a little convenient to me.”

“When you know, you know,” Nick said confidently, tightening his grip on me. His hold was reassuring, and exactly what I needed.

“Tell me, what is Ava’s favorite movie?” Jimmy pressed, not showing any signs of backing down. Unfortunately, neither did Nick, and I had a bad feeling about how all of this was going to end.

“Our relationship is none of your fucking business,” Nick said through gritted teeth.

“Nick, let’s just . . .” I was hoping to lead him away from Jimmy before this got any worse. This wasn’t the place for them to have this conversation.

“It’s a simple question, Caponelli. What is your fiancé’s favorite movie? What’s her biggest fear? Hell, I’ll even be satisfied if you know her favorite color.” He snickered confidently.

Nick clenched his jaw as I said a silent prayer he’d keep up his resolve. This wasn’t going to end well.

“I mean, I get that she’s good in bed, but I feel like you should know a little bit more about a girl than her favorite position before you pop the question.” Jimmy smiled wryly, trying to push every button of Nick’s he could. A pit formed in the bottom of my stomach.

Before I knew what was happening, Nick jerked away from me and reared his fist back, landing it squarely on Jimmy’s jaw. The two seemed to morph into each other and a mess of punches so that I couldn’t even tell where each one was.

“Nick!” I shrieked, wanting to break them up but feeling completely helpless. I was no more of a match for their strength than an annoying fly.

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