I hated that Santino could so easily switch back to being the asshole. 揘ow that we抮e back, will you return to servicing the lonely wives in Chicago??I asked, trying to sound casual.
Santino raised one brow. 揥ill you return to kissing Cliffy??
揌e抯 my fianc??
The sardonic smile Santino gave me made me furious. How could he be this blas?about this? We抎 been sleeping together, eating together, doing pretty much everything together for years and he didn抰 seem to care.
揂nd I抦 very obviously not,?he muttered. 揑抦 your bodyguard. As such, I抦 not required to tell you about my sexual partners, or did I miss a clause in my contract??
揧ou don抰 have a contract. You have an eternally binding oath to my father, your Capo, to protect me that you抮e obviously not honoring. If you were honorable, you抎 at least keep watching me until I marry.?
Santino抯 smile became dangerous. 揟ouch? I almost forgot that you抮e my Capo抯 daughter. But my oath isn抰 eternally binding, only until I get killed protecting your perky ass.?
揑 don抰 want you to get killed for me.?
揙h, Anna, I have a feeling that抯 not up to you to decide. You抣l be my death one way or another.?
I glared. 揧ou抮e being melodramatic.?
揑 learned from the best.?
I sighed and looked out of the window. We抎 almost reached O扝are. 揑 don抰 want to get used to a new bodyguard now.?
What was I doing?
Santino didn抰 say anything.
揝o you抣l have a sleepover with Mrs. Clark tonight??
Why couldn抰 I shut up? I had been the one who wanted to end things and now I was clinging to Santino.
揝he抯 probably found a replacement. I抣l have to find a new lonely wife to service.?
揟here are plenty to choose from.?
揑n a few years, you抣l be one of them and I can be your closet lover.?
揑 don抰 want to burst your bubble, Sonny, but if I go looking for a lover when I抦 a married woman, it抣l be a younger, less jaded man.?
I hated this. But it was for the best.
I couldn抰 wait for the airplane doors to open. I wanted to get away. I couldn抰 take any more of this.
Mom and Dad waited at the airport and I rushed toward them. Mom hugged me too tightly and Dad scanned me from head to top as if he wanted to determine I was really in one piece. He抎 done it during each of my visits. He nodded at Santino as if he was silently praising him for keeping me safe. If Dad knew half the things that Santino and I had done?
It was better if I didn抰 think about it. It was over now.
Santino gave me a cool nod before he said to Dad, 揑抦 heading home now to catch up on sleep.?
揑抦 here to protect them, go ahead,?Dad said.
Without another word, Santino walked off. I swallowed, forcing my gaze away from his leaving form. Was this our final goodbye?
Dad picked me up at the airport. One look at my face and his expression filled with concern.
I sagged into the passenger seat, feeling like someone had used me as their mental punching bag. I抎 always been good at casual sex, at keeping emotions out of the mix, but Anna had shown me the limitations of my control.
揧ou can tell me anything, son, you know that. Do I have to worry??
I sighed. 揑 suppose you don抰 have to worry anymore.?
Dad tore his gaze away from the street. He was usually a very vigilant driver and didn抰 let anything distract him, so this meant I had to really worry him.
揂nna and I have been together for the last three years.?
I could see the color drain from Dad抯 face, but he didn抰 interrupt me for which I was grateful. I needed to get this off my chest.
I needed to share this with someone. Maybe because it made it more real, made it seem like more than a figment of my imagination. Sometimes the last three years had seemed like a dream. I didn抰 have a single photo of Anna and me together, not a single proof, which was for the best but at the same time, it made it feel like the last three years hadn抰 happened, as if I was waking from a coma and life had passed me by.
揃ut it抯 over now.?
Dad cleared his throat, probably trying to stop himself from giving me a tongue-lashing. 揟hat抯 the right decision.?
揑t wasn抰 mine,?I said.
揂nna ended things??
揝he did, because she抯 loyal to her family and the Outfit.?
Dad pulled up in front of my apartment building but we didn抰 get out of the car. He regarded me silently. 揧ou never wanted me to look for a wife for you, but there are many families who抎 gladly give their daughters to you.?
揧ou never dated seriously after Mom died.?
Dad searched my eyes then touched my shoulder. 揝onny, I always feared one day you抎 lose your heart to a married woman.?
揝ee, I knew better and chose an engaged woman.?