I walk down the aisle with my husband as music plays and then we’re alone in the limo as it takes us to the venue, a gorgeous space out in Fairmount Park that must’ve cost a fortune. “Wife,” Carmine murmurs as he kisses me. “Wife, wife, wife.”
“Why do you keep saying that?”
“I’m trying it out.”
“And what do you think?”
“I think I love it.” He kisses my neck. “Let’s park for a second, I need to get you out of this dress.”
“Carmine!”
But he’s already knocking on the privacy divider and the driver happily finds a quiet spot off a shady avenue deep in Fairmount and he stands outside smoking a cigarette as Carmine spreads my legs, lifts my dress, and proceeds to give me the best toe-curling orgasm of my freakinglife. It’s sick and wrong but, god, I love it, and when he kisses me afterward, I can taste it on his lips.
“Wife,” he whispers.
“Husband.” I pat his cheek and shake my head. “You’re insane.”
“And you’re lucky I want you to be able to walk tonight, otherwise, I’d fuck you raw until you screamed here and now. As it stands, I plan on getting you very pregnant tonight.”
“Do I have any say in the matter?”
“Possibly. Get me to come in your mouth instead. See if you can do it.”
“A challenge, I like that.”
“Good girl, I knew you would.”
He motions the driver back inside once we’re settled and we end up at the venue only a half hour late. After that, it’s pictures and small talk, and I’m practically blinded by flashes but Carmine never once leaves my side. We end up at a table and men keep coming to us with envelopes of cash, and Carmine keeps stuffing it all into a massive bag, and there has to be a few hundred thousand in there.
“We don’t need the money but it’s a sign of respect,” he says with a shrug and who am I to argue? I’m a mob wife now.
What a strange thing. I’m a mob wife. If my life weren’t already odd, I might not be able to believe it, but I’m Brice Rowe, daughter of oil barons, and that family isn’t so different from this one. As the night continues, I spot Sara dancing with Angelo—that’s going to be a problem—and Robyn and Cassidy corner me in the bathroom for the first alone time I’ve gotten since before the ceremony.
“You look amazing, you know that?” Robyn stares at me in the mirror and leans on my shoulder. She’s drunk and I’m working on catching up.
Cassidy sits on the counter. “I think Sara’s going to fuck that mob guy.”
“Seriously, can you imagine?” Robyn cackles to herself. “Sara fucking some random guy? She’s like the most uptight person I’ve ever met. Except for you, Brice.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“I’m just saying, Sara’s, like, I didn’t know that girl had emotions.” Robyn kisses my cheek. “But whatever, it’s not her night, it’s your night. Are you happy, hon?”
“I’m happy,” I say and smile at them. “But you two know I’ll be in Philly for a while, right?”
“I figured,” Cassidy says. “And I figured you’re moving out.”
“Actually, about that. Carmine said as a little going-away present to you, we’re going to pay your rent for a year.”
Cassidy’s eye widen. “That’s insane! And totally unnecessary. Seriously, I can’t let you do that, it’s totally embarrassing.”
“Too late,” I say and laugh when she hugs me. “Carmine already wrote the check and your landlord cashed it.”
“You’re too much,” Cassidy says as she hugs me tighter.
“It’s easy to be generous with someone else’s money,” Robyn says, grinning, and Cassidy playfully punches her in the arm.
I lean back and watch them bicker with each other, grinning the whole time, and I already miss them so much. I’ll be coming back and forth between Dallas and Philly for a while, but things will never be the same. I’ll be the wife of a mobster and the Don of his family, which means we’ll have certain responsibilities. He has big plans and wants to make the Scavo Famiglia more legitimate, which means we’re going to be very, very busy.