I thrived to be the same way with our family.
I stepped up to the man who’d soon be my Capo. “I am.”
My voice was firm, no hint of a doubt, and I realized it reflected my true feelings.
“Born in Blood,
Sworn in Blood,
I enter alive,
and I leave dead.”
I cut my palm, presenting the wound to the gathered crowd. The tattooist dipped the tattoo needle into the blood before he touched the needle to my chest. The oath couldn’t be placed over my heart as was tradition because I had other covers there. When the needle pierced my skin, my eyes found Marcella once more as she cradled her belly. She smiled in the dignified way she had in public. I’d learned to see past this official mask and see the emotions hiding beneath.
Marcella’s eyes brimmed with love.
Once the tattoo was done, I put my shirt back on and headed to her. She touched the skin over my heart and kissed me briefly, her eyes becoming softer.
We didn’t have time to talk as other Made Men were already crowding in to congratulate me and welcome me in the Famiglia. I could see that this small gesture changed a lot in many of their eyes.
Overcoming the enmity from the past hadn’t happened in an instant, not even in months or a few years. I had been with Marcella for almost a decade and now finally seemed to have fully arrived in the Famiglia.
Later, Marcella and I sat on our comfy couch in front of our fireplace in the townhouse right beside her parents’ mansion, both in sweatpants and hoodies, snuggled against each other.
Marcella lifted her head off my shoulder. “I never told you how much it means to me that you sacrificed so much for me over the years.” I raised my eyebrows and she elaborated. “Your biker family and lifestyle, your name and now you even became part of the Famiglia.”
I ran my nose along her throat, drawing in her scent. “It’s not a sacrifice if you are gifted with something in return, especially if said gift is worth so much more than what you had to begin with.” I drew back to look into Marcella’s beautiful eyes. “I chose you and I’d do it again. And I’m not the only one who had to sacrifice something. You risked a lot by marrying a dirty biker, by standing up to your family and your people for me.”
“I’d do it again. And you’re not that dirty.” Her lips twitched. “Except for your mouth.”
I chuckled, then turned serious again. “I love that you can be soft and caring, but that you can also be tough and strong if necessary. And what I love the most is that I’m one of the very few who get to see your mushy, emotional side.”
Marcella rolled her eyes, but she did it with a small, pleased smile. “And I love that you think my imperfections make me perfect.” Her voice became very gentle. “I love that you showed me that the infinite love my parents share isn’t an unattainable dream.”
The End