“Should I cover my puffy eyes with makeup or do you want people to know I cried?”
I paused, one foot inside the shower. Turning back to my wife hovering in the bedroom doorway, I frowned. “I didn’t want you to cry. Why would I want people to know you did?”
He shrugged slightly, scrutinizing my face. “I thought maybe you would want people to think you hurt me enough to make me cry.”
I thought about it. The men downstairs were drawing the wrong conclusions and fearing me for it. It was not a decent thing to consider, but the men downstairs were not decent, and neither was I. “I am feared as it is…. And for good reason.
I don’t want my sisters on my back as they no doubt will be if they see you’ve been crying, so cover it up with makeup.” He looked at me for a moment longer, and I could not understand why. It was unnerving.
“All right. I don’t want to keep you from taking a shower. I know how busy you are today.” A hint of disapproval echoed in her voice. She had not reacted when I had told her that I would spend the day in work meetings until we went to my and my children’s home in the late afternoon.
“I work a lot, Gianna, and I don’t explain. As a woman, your only job is to raise my children, but I can’t afford that luxury.”
Anger flared in her eyes, but she turned and walked away. I was not in the mood to consider her adolescent antics.
He’d better get rid of them soon. When I came out fully dressed in another dark three-piece suit fifteen minutes later, I found Gianna on the couch in the living room of our suite, typing on her phone. She was smiling sweetly.
I approached her. “Who are you talking to?” She lifted her head and her eyebrows twitched.
“Excuse me?””Who are you talking to?” Anxiety crossed her face, but I didn’t care if she was annoyed that I towered over her. “Who?” I growled.
“Your sister Mia.” I picked up the phone and Gianna released it without protest. I apologize for my brother’s rudeness because I know he never will. I would say it is because he is a man, but his stubbornness has nothing to do with the Y chromosome. Gianna stood up.
“I told you the truth.”
I scanned the previous messages to see what Gianna had told my sister, but she had only written that she still had to get used to me after Mia asked her if she was okay. Gianna shook her head, then sighed. “Trust is the basis of a marriage.”
“How do you know?” Was she really trying to tell me something about relationships?
“I think I know more about how a marriage works than you do, girl.” Her expression lit up with pain.
“I wonder if Gaia would agree.” She tightened her lips and opened her eyes wide. Fury surged through me at the same moment as the knock was heard. Swallowing my anger, I headed for the door, glad for the distance this put between Gianna and me. I opened the door wide, feeling the pulse pounding at my temples. Mia’s smile fell when she saw me. Her eyes settled on something behind me.
“Are you all right?” she whispered.
We opened the door wide. Behind Mia, Ilaria, Gianna’s mother, Aria, and other women waited for the ceremonial retrieval of the sheets.
“Come in. Get the sheets. I don’t have all morning.”
“Rude as usual,” Ilaria said as she walked past me. Mia hesitated, which was good. I pulled her to the side. “I saw what you wrote my wife.” Mia huffed. “Are you spying on her?”
“You will stay out of my marriage, Mia. I’m only going to say this once. Remember your place. And above all, don’t talk to Gianna about Gaia, understand?” He shrugged me off, then nodded.
“Certainly.” Gianna smiled at the women who gave her sympathetic looks. I approached my young wife before one of the women, especially Mia, managed to engage her in a nosy conversation.
Gianna lightly touched my forearm.
“I’m sorry I mentioned your late wife, Alessio. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Surprise filled me. Her eyes and expression were serious. I nodded sharply and placed a hand on her lower back.
“Let’s go. Let’s go down to the banquet hall where breakfast will be served.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until they are finished?” She nodded toward the bedroom door. The women’s voices were a low murmur of gossip.
“I don’t need to see this.” She smiled embarrassedly.
“You’re right.” I hesitated, on the verge of saying more, then guided Gianna out of our suite. Our elevator ride passed in silence, but Gianna’s tension was palpable.
“The worst is over,” I said. Her head lifted and her lips pursed.
“Are you talking about our wedding night?” I tilted my head, looking at her. She was obviously fighting the amusement.
“You don’t have to pretend that the night didn’t hold great fears for you. I felt you shaking.”
“It scared me, it’s true. But it’s over and it wasn’t as unpleasant as I thought.” My eyebrows rose, not knowing what to think of my wife’s honesty. Even though we were married, the spontaneous way she spoke to me required getting used to.
“All right, I guess.” She leaned toward me with a small laugh.
“Yes, I suppose so.” The elevator doors opened, interrupting our strange conversation.
I led Gianna toward the largest room of the banquet, which was already filled with the men of my family and Gianna’s family, as well as the most important members of the Family.
“Let the meat show begin,” Gianna said under her breath. I squeezed her hip in warning, although I had to stifle a smile. “You are now my wife and you must act accordingly. I can’t afford to lose face in public.” She stiffened.
“I know.” There was no need for me to worry. Gianna had inherited from her mother a talent for chatting with people, even strangers, but unlike Egidia, she was charming and adorable, wrapping everyone around her finger with ease.