Page 54 of The Don's Prisoner

I really wished he hadn’t had to go through all that. No one deserved to see their partner hurt, let alone that close to knocking on heaven's door. I think a part of him felt guilty, but I kept telling him it was entirely my fault. I was the one who didn’t listen to him and went to work when he had said not to. I was the one who had pissed off Rex down in the basement of the warehouse. No one had made me taunt him, just my pride and my anger got the best of me. Gio disagreed though, and I had a feeling that we would forever be at odds when it came right down to it.

There was a knock at the door, and when I turned, Nonna was standing there wearing a gorgeous blue evening gown. She was smiling, and when I turned to her, she looked me up and down.

“I am so glad you decided to design your own wedding dress. It looks lovely on you, dear,” she said, and I smiled.

“Thank you, Nonna. I had plenty of time while I was healing to design it. Thank you for giving me the extra time.”

She waved a hand in the air as if it were no big deal.

“No bride wants to get married in a cast. I am not an unreasonable woman. The time limit was just to get Gio’s ass into gear after all. It was never meant to be a penalty to either of you.”

I thought for a moment and decided I would ask her something that had been nagging at me since the beginning. Now that I had gotten to know her better, I felt like I could ask her without fear of consequence, and she might actually give me a true answer.

“Nonna? Were you really going to excommunicate Gio if he didn’t marry?”

She looked surprised for a moment, then winked at me.

“I love my grandson, but sometimes I need to go to extreme measures to get him to do anything. Something I’m sure you’ve already realized. I would never kick Gio out of the family. He is the rightful heir and has earned his spot. If I did kick him out, the family would be done for, and it means too much to me to let that happen.”

“You bluffed?” I asked, astonished. She grinned.

“I bluffed,” she answered.

There was another knock on the door, and a moment later, the door opened. Gio stood there in his tuxedo, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He looked at Nonna, then at me, and had enough presence of mind to cover his eyes and look shamefaced. Nonna just rolled her eyes at him and held my hand.

“I just wanted to tell you, dear, that I love you and I am so happy you are going to officially be my granddaughter. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Nonna said, then left, patting Gio on the arm as she did so.

We stood there in silence looking at each other for a long time, taking in every line, every detail of the other. We had been doing that for a while now, like we were afraid something was going to happen to the other, and that every moment spent together could be our last. With the threat of Rex still over our heads, it was a likelihood, so it made sense to appreciate every moment.

Finally, he came over to me and held me to him, looking down at me with soft, happy eyes.

“You look beautiful,” he told me and bent to kiss me. My lips parted for him automatically and he ran his tongue over my bottom lip before sliding it into my mouth. He kissed me deeply and full of all the love he had for me. I could taste it in his kiss, and I reveled in it. I wanted him to kiss me like that forever.

“Thank you,” I said when we finally parted. “Are you ready to get married?”

“I am,” he said, smiling. “Are you ready to become Mrs. De Carlo?”

“Absolutely,” I grinned crazily and he laughed.

“I love you so much, did you know that?” he asked and I nodded.

“Oh, I know. Do you know how much I love you?” I countered and grinned even wider.

“I have a feeling,” he took my hand in his and looked at me for a moment longer. “By the way, don’t open the gift in the red box. It says it’s for both of us, but you’re probably not going to want to see what’s inside.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not even to the altar yet, and you’re keeping things from me?” I half teased. He shrugged.

“Oh, well, feel free to open it, but I’m telling you, you don’t want to see it.”

“Why? What on earth is inside?” I insisted, curiosity getting the better of me now.

“Well… it’s a wedding present from Robby. He found out where Rex was hiding, and he and the guys paid him a visit.”

“And?”

Gio grimaced, and I was starting to get the feeling that I really didn’t want to know what was in the box. Curiosity got the better of me though, so I asked again.

---