Page 57 of The Marriage Deal
"Thanks," I said.
"I mean, he can be playful, but not to this extend and I think it's all thanks to you."
I shook my head after taking a sip of the delicious drink. "Trust me, I didn't do anything. Our marriage is not—"
"Real. He married you because of a clause? Trust me, if my brother didn't want to marry you, he wouldn't have. He would have found a way to get that money, clause or no clause."
My heart skipped a beat.
"When Levi wants something, he gets it."
His words had a clear double meaning that I felt was going over my head. If he was insinuating that Levi wanted me, then he was wrong. Maybe physically. But emotionally? Our relationship was not like that.
"Our father wasn't a very nice man." Nolan sipped his brandy. "And he left many scars on all of us." He discreetly gestured to Ivy and Damien, who were whispering stuff to each other. Ivy giggled at whatever Damien had said to her. "Those two were separated for years, and my father cut her off for going through with her pregnancy. He didn't even know he had a son until a few years ago." He gestured to Carey and Thalia, who were also sitting on the same chair, Thalia on Carey's lap, showing him something on her phone. "And I cannot begin to tell you how he manipulated those two. But Levi, he gave all his wrath to Levi for being 'weak'. Sometimes I wish I were there to stop him."
"Levi told me when your father basically put him into hospital, he tried to restrict you from seeing him."
Nolan's jaw ticked, and he took a sharp swig of the brandy. "Yes. He thought cruelty would make us stronger. It only broke us." His eyes went dark as though he were remembering something horrible, then he shook his head and said, "I am glad he's happy. They all should be." His gaze went to Seb and Ty. Then he flashed a smile. Hopefully, I'll be seeing you at "Willow and Raine's wedding."
25
Elvira
ONCE THE HAWTHORNES LET you in, they basically treat you like family. Ivy, Thalia and Aire would chat with me on the phone regularly. And Willow was looking forward to seeing me at her wedding. Tyler and Sebastian would sometimes visit Levi and stay at his place. And as much as Nolan was sure that our marriage was real, it still felt like a sham to me. While Levi and I talked pretty much all the time, he would not divulge anything serious anymore. It was as though he had retreated back into his shell. Nothing major had occurred. He just became a different person after the brunch. Or should I say, the same person I used to know? Mr. Hot-and- Cold had gone back to being cold again.
Levi and I were basically living like a married couple now. I had since moved my stuff into his bedroom and was sleeping with him every night. But, not having sex. As the code became harder to decipher,the more uptight he became. He refused to speak about it. But I could sense it in the tight sinews of his neck and back when I held him in the night. He didn't want to talk about his stress, and whenever I tried to probe, he would change the subject. I was getting closer to him while he was pushing me away.
And going to this wedding would only cement me in this family. What would happen when Levi and I eventually break up? I didn't want to think of that inevitability, so instead I focused on the present. Willow and Raine's wedding, which wasbeing hosted at Nolan and Aire's villa just outside Milan. It was a grand home Nolan recently bought, according to Thalia, for Aire when they stayed there once.
"It's beautiful," I said when we arrived. Awestruck by the frescos on the ceiling and the stuccoes that adorned the walls. It was as though I had traveled back to the seventeenth century as we strolled through the airy villa. There were signs of recent restoration. The paintings looked freshly restored, and there were no chipped walls that usually came with old buildings such as these. Levi was just as awestruck as I, stopping every so often to observe a painting or a tapestry, his hand always in mine. He loved public displays of affection and never missed a chance to hold my hand, waist or arm.
"You're acting as though you've never been here before," I said when we stopped at one Renaissance painting.
"I haven't," his eyes on the painting. "It's my first time. Nolan bought it recently and has been renovating it since."
"Is it true that he bought it after his wife said she liked it?"
Levi glanced down at me. He looked handsome in his white shirt and beige chinos. The sun streaming in through the window above gave him a halo that made him look like the angels in the frescos. "That's what legend says. My brother." He clucked. "I never thought I would see him so whipped." He squeezed my hand. "Let's go."
We followed the usher, who was a few steps ahead of us, dragging our luggage.Our rooms had a view of the back garden, where the wedding was to occur. Wooden chairs, adorned with white cloth and decorated with orange and white flowers, were set up along a white trail and in front of a white and orange floral arch. The rooms themselves were a spacious suite with the same decorations as the rest of the villa plus plush carpets that made the otherwise cold room welcoming. My gaze went to the large four-poster bed in the sleeping chamber we were in, and amemory of a similar bed flashed in my mind. Levi glanced at me, and a look passed between us. He seemed nervous, and when the usher left, he said,"I would like to talk to you."
"You're talking to me now," I said casually, goading him.
"Later." He closed the space between us and encircled his hands around my waist. A thrill ran down my spine. "I have—we'll talk later."
"Okay." I wondered what he could be alluding to. I glanced at the beautiful garden outside. I was feeling restless after sitting in the same position during the flight and the drive here.
"Wanna go for a walk?" I said.
He smiled. "Sure."
The gardens were beautiful. They had been landscaped to perfection. Along gravel pathways leading to fountains darting around the gardens were square shrubs darted in neat rows. The lawn was green and cropped to an inch. Levi and I strolled aimlessly as I listened to him tell me the tale of the bankers of Milan who used to run the city. "I didn't know your knowledge extended to Italy," I said when he finished his story about a family that tried and failed to make their son pope only to end up losing all influence. "I thought you were a medieval English history guy."
"I was once obsessed with the Italian Renaissance for a while. There's so much to sink your teeth into that you can't help being a little too into the time period."
I sighed, lifting my face and letting my skin soak in the warm sun peeking through the gray clouds. "I get it. It's beautiful here."
"It's going to rain soon," Levi said, looking up at the sky. And as though to prove him right, thunder rumbled.
