Page 79 of Ties That Bind Us

“We have a fundraiser coming up in a few weeks. I’ll arrange for Alessandro and his wife to be there, and depending on how things are, we’ll use it to announce your marriage.” He continued, “In the meantime, you better make sure that this document is legit.” He handed it back to me. “When Alessandro finds out about this, you want to be sure there are no loopholes and everything was done legally.”

“I looked into everything, but I’ll get it to the lawyers.” I folded the certificate up carefully and put it back into my pocket.

“I’ll get some men on security for Ava. Make sure she knows, though. I want her aware of everything that is going on so Alessandro can’t argue that we’ve forced her into anything. It has to be on her terms.”

“Good idea,” Leo agreed.

It was hard to admit defeat, but I knew I should have come to my dad sooner. He thought of things that hadn’t even crossed my mind, and I was thankful for his support. We would need it if Ava and I were going to war with Alessandro.

Ava

Nick and I had been home for almost two weeks when his parents had us over for a graduation BBQ for their youngest son, Frankie. At Nick’s insistence we hadn’t told many people that we were married, and I was still having a hard time wrapping my mind around it as well. He had been so persistent about marrying me in the first place, it felt odd that he didn’t want to tell anyone yet. I didn’t mind, though—not much had changed between us, and once the marriage was out in the open, I was worried it might.

Nick was working quite a bit and I was busy with school. I’d finally found an internship where I was working with survivors of abuse, and had just started training this week. So far it was just as incredible as I thought it would be, but by the time I got home at night, I was exhausted. Today was the first full day we were spending together since we had been back. The BBQ was early in the afternoon and after that, we planned to have dinner and go see a movie. It wasn’t glamorous in comparison to the dates Nick normally planned, but I was just looking forward to spending time with my husband.

Husband. That was still going to take some getting used to. Even the word gave me butterflies in my stomach. For so long, I had detested the thought of being tied to someone, but it was completely different with Nick. He was right—we worked as a team, and he was always so considerate of me, making sure I felt comfortable and taken care of, but still had my independence. It was like a dream. I was even surprising myself with how much I was adapting. I got so much joy out of doing even simple things for him, like his laundry or cooking him dinner. Nick had taken care of me for so long, and as I settled into my new role as his wife, I felt a sense of pride to be able to do that for him.

Nick held my hand tightly as we walked up the steps to his parents’ house. Balloons lined the path, and I could already hear people talking and laughing in the backyard. I was excited for our time alone together, but I knew Nick was looking forward to spending a little time with his family too.

The party was much bigger than I expected. We had to park a long way away and the house was crammed full. Nick had made it seem like a small get-together, but I didn’t recognize anyone in the room, and I suddenly felt self-conscious.

Nick and I wandered into the backyard, and his mother rushed toward us and threw her arms around my neck.

“Oh, there you are! I’m so glad you could make it!” She kissed my cheek. “How are you?”

“Hi!” I smiled, giving her a tight squeeze.

“Give her a little space, Mom.” Nick hugged his mother warmly.

“Can you blame me? I have a new daughter.” Mrs. Caponelli beamed.

My eyes widened. I knew Nick had told his father about our marriage, and I guess I should have assumed his mother would know too.

“Mom!” Nick groaned.

“Oh, don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me, I just couldn’t contain my happiness.” She grinned. “Why don’t you guys go get something to eat, we have so much food.”

“We will. Thanks, Mom. See you later.” Nick laughed and led me over to a picnic table where all the food was set up. Lasagna, spaghetti, sausage and peppers, and all kinds of other dishes were plated around the table. It smelled incredible, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

“Oh my god!” A shrill voice came from behind us. “Nick?”

I whirled around to see where the voice came from just in time to see someone with a pair of long, tanned legs and dark hair wrap her arms around Nick’s neck. He looked a little bewildered but hugged the woman back.

“Hi, Gina,” he finally managed to say, pulling away from her.

I felt myself getting a little possessive. Who was this girl and how did she know my husband? Did she not see me standing right here?

“I was hoping I would get to see you.” She beamed, not picking up on the tension mounting by the minute. “You look amazing, how have you been?”

“Good, I’ve been great! I can’t believe you’re here,” Nick said. He hadn’t looked my way since she’d appeared. Thinking it was best to leave them be, I tried to slip away but felt Nick’s grip tighten on my wrist.

“You’re not going anywhere, beautiful,” he whispered, hot against my ear. “Gina, this is my beautiful fiancé, Ava. Ava, this is Gina, an old family friend.”

“Fiancé?” Gina’s eyes got wide and she flashed her perfectly straight teeth at me in a big grin. “I never thought I’d see the day. Ava, it is an absolute pleasure.”

She gave me an awkward hug.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile. Everything about her made me uncomfortable, starting with the way Nick looked at her.

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