Page 88 of In Her Blood
In front of her, both Mikey and Romeo arched a brow at her question.
Dante tucked his hands into his slacks pockets. “Ask what you need.”
Evelina chewed on her lip for another moment. She’d had hours to work on her wording, but mental rehearsal was not the same as reality.And this isn’t some high school presentation.“I’m not trying topry, really, it’s just”—she drew a careful breath—“all my life, my only exposure to the concept of marriage has been negative. Mamma andOtetsdidn’t have a healthy relationship. I figured that out early. It was made clear to me when I was young that women are assigned to a partner, at some point. I was taught the men are allowed, even expected, to take mistresses, and their wives are not allowed to complain about it as long as they’re still provided for. I expected that to be my life eventually. I never really knew whyOtetsnever married me off, as much as I dreaded it. I always figured the beatings I got from him were like practice for the ones I’d get from the husband I didn’t choose.”
It was the darkening of her cousins’ expressions that clued her in that she’d started rambling again.Shit.She cleared her throat and dragged herself back on-track. “What I mean is, for all those reasons, I never saw ‘marriage’ as ‘good.’ It didn’t bring … smiles, or feelings of longing, or—” Or the things she felt when Otto held her. That seemed a little too raw to say. “But I know you’re all married, and you don’t seem bitter with your wives or disappointed in them. Last night, you talked about them with affection. So, I guess I was just curious if that was a genuine impression?”Yep. So awkward.
All three stared at her for a moment, their looks similarly unreadable.
Finally, Dante said, “You know the version of the story of how our mother was forced into marriage with our father.”
He paused, so Evelina nodded. That was about the only thing she’d known besides her aunt’s name before her cousins had shown up.
“What you didn’t have the luxury of knowing,” Dante continued, “is that by the time they exchanged their vows, our father was already head-over-heels for his new bride. They’d only met a handful of times, and as he always proudly told us, that was all it took. Mom being the spirited, stubborn Italian she is, took a little longer to accept and return his feelings.”
Both Romeo and Mikey chuckled at the description.
“But for Dad, until the day he was taken from us, the sun rose when she opened her eyes in the morning and set when her head hit the pillow at night.” Dante’s expression remained unfailingly calm, though a flicker of something crossed his eyes as he spoke. “Mom grew to match that depth of love, and in return, she’s resolved to remain loyal to him exactly as she promised—until the day she dies.”
Evelina felt her breath catch in her throat.
A vision of Iouri, and his home of once perfectly preserved memories, flashed through her mind.
Dante continued. “That is where we learned the value of family, and of love. My brothers and I do not take the sanctity of marriage lightly. Mom forbade the continuation of arranged marriages when we were still young, insisting her children—and our generation—be allowed to marry for the right reasons. We’ve all sworn to honor that, and in turn, to honor the women we choose to bring into our family.”
That is … so different.It was so much better.
Romeo reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. “Marriage is what you make it out to be, Lina,” he said. “If you build it up to be something that crushes you, it will. But you can look at it in other ways.” He moved his hand away to jerk a thumb at Mikey. “This guy’s started as a protection contract.”
Evelina’s eyes widened. “What? It did?”
Mikey shot his brother a glare. “Don’t cheapen it.”
“Romeo is right,” Dante said, redrawing her attention, “Marriage is, and will always be, what those involved make it into.”
Romeo folded his arms across his chest. “Still, if you’re thinking Voronin might be popping the question soon, make sure he knows he needs to clear it with us first. We’re family now. He needs approval.”
A laugh bubbled up in Evelina’s chest and she gave a small shake of her head. “I’m pretty sure Otto knows about my marital reservations. He probably wouldn’t ask if he wanted to.” She cast a surreptitious glance over her shoulder, just to make sure he was still in the car, then lowered her voice anyway. “Which is why … I’m thinking about asking him.”
Romeo’s mouth dropped open.
Mikey snorted.
Something dangerously like a proud smirk teased Dante’s lips.
Then Romeo moved forward and pulled her into a hug just shy of crushing. “You better come visit soon, or we’ll never hear the end of it, understand?”
“He’s not wrong,” Mikey said, offering her a grin as Romeo stepped back.
Dante held out his hand, the same way he had when they’d met the day prior. “As soon as you have things settled enough here, let me know. I’ll send the jet.”
“You’ll definitely get trapped at Mom’s your first visit,” Mikey said, as if in warning. “Be prepared.”
“And if you need anything,” Romeo reminded, “we’re not far. Our resources are your resources now, remember that.”
Evelina nodded like a bobblehead, her smile growing with each sentiment as emotion built like a fireball in her chest.Has this always been what it should be like, having family?Her mother had tried to support her as best she could, but she’d been so beaten down and emotionally broken that most of the time they were barely holding each other up. And that was before the cancer.
Once the brothers had disappeared back inside their private jet, Evelina quietly retreated to Otto and the car he’d patiently waited within. She ducked into the passenger seat, but he made no move to roll over the engine.
