“The threat of it is scarier than doing it. Plus, I have people to take care of that shit.”
“You just proved my point. You intimidate the hell out of the average guy.”
“I have never uttered the words, ‘I want an average guy.’”
“But you did say you didn’t want one from your world.”
“And here I am, engaged to one. This has to be some cruel joke.”
“I still can’t believe all of this started because Drakos’s uncle decided to push to enforce the contract.”
I sighed. “Money is a great motivator. Look at Aunt Teresa—she jumped on the train as soon as she heard how much was involved.”
“Just to play devil’s advocate, what if he wants to marry you?”
“I’ll convince him otherwise. I can’t go back to New York. Vegas is where I belong. This is where I fit.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Every time I go home, I feel as if I’m being put in a cage. All these rules, all these expectations. Every move I make is watched. I’m the first Mykos female born in over a hundred years. I’m like a prize horse everyone wants to buy. Then add on the pressure to be perfect.”
“So, you show everyone how imperfect you are and make them run as fast as possible away from you.” Penny lifted a brow.
“I guess.”
“Doesn’t that get exhausting too?”
“More than you can imagine. Hence the reason I never want to go back. I can be myself here. People don’t have expectations of me based on rules of the past. I’m not bound by archaic principles of behavior.”
“Then I suggest you talk to your family, meaning your parents and brothers, before you go through with this plan of yours. I have a feeling Simon Drakos isn’t going to sway as easily as you hope.”
“I can’t do that. What am I going to say? Sorry, Papa, I hate the life you gave me and want nothing to do with it. Yes, I know it’s very privileged, and I probably sound like a spoiled brat. But you see, being a Greek syndicate boss’s daughter is too stifling. So would you mind pretending I wasn’t part of the family so I can live in peace in Vegas?”
Just the thought of uttering any of those words made me cringe inside. I couldn’t say anything like that to Papa. Plus, I couldn’t truly live without my family. They were a deep-rooted part of me.
“Phillip Mykos is known for making grown men cry and more. He can handle it.”
“That’s the thing. He’s not as cruel and cold as everyone believes. Papa is really sensitive.”
Penny stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.
What she couldn’t understand was that Papa was a hard-ass in all things except when it came to Mama and me. Cherishing his women, as he called it, was his life’s mission. We were his soft spot. And if I went without a trip home at least every three weeks, he’d fall into a mini depression.
“His nickname is the Mykos Surgeon. That’s like saying my giant of a husband is a warm, huggable teddy bear. You know that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Hagen can scare the shit out of people with just a stare.”
“I’m offended, Starlight. You seem to enjoy certain giant aspects of my body.” A deep voice spoke from behind us, and immediately Penny’s cheeks were tinged with a hue of pink.
“True. And hence the reason I was pregnant or nursing for six years in a row.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but if I was honest with myself, I adored how Penny and Hagen interacted. The two never seemed to get enough of each other.
This was the case with all of the Lykaioses and their wives and the same for my other cousin, Ana, who was Hagen’s half-sister and married to Penny’s brother, Ian.
Yep, it was a crazy hot Greek mess of relationships, but it worked for us.
“Is there a reason you’re here, dear cousin?” I asked Hagen. “Penny and I were having girl talk as we transplanted some new tulips.”
“I’ve come to take my wife away. The kids are having quality time with their cousins this weekend, so I have my wife all to myself.”