“I stand just fine on my own, thank you very much.”
“I’m not arguing with that. I just can’t play with you now; you’re married to my cousin and he gets homicidal when his wives stray. I’m stunned that you came out of Vegas so unscathed, to be honest. I wasn’t suggesting you keep quiet to cover my ass, I thought I was covering yours. I know he fucked someone else on the regular, so technically he didn’t have a right to get mad at you, but he’s not generally all that worried about fairness and equality in his relationships.”
“We have a unique relationship, but he values and respects me. I know it probably doesn’t always look that way from the outside, but we keep each other safe and make each other happy.”
Nodding, he says, “You don’t have to convince me; I get it. It takes an enormous amount of trust to surrender your power to your partner. If I’d have found you first, you’d know these things and understand yourself a little better. Seems like Mateo’s such a control freak, he didn’t properly educate you about your own interests. Probably makes him seem that much more irreplaceable to you.”
“He’s super irreplaceable. There’s no on in the world like Mateo,” I assure Rafe.
This causes him to smirk. “See? Like I said.”
“You just don’t understand.”
“I completely understand. It’s possible to have what you have and also have consent, that’s all I’m saying.”
I roll my eyes. “He has my consent. I signed a waiver and everything.”
“Did he really make you sign something?”
“No! That was a joke.” It’s halfway off the tip of my tongue to tell him Mateo designated him as my back-up husband, but I nix the urge and redirect. “Anyway, we were talking about Meg.”
He cocks a questioning eyebrow. “Were we?”
I give him what I assume is a convincing nod. “How’d your date go?”
“It wasn’t a date. It was a kidnapping. She made plans and dragged me along for the ride.”
I nod, smiling fondly. “That sounds right. But you had fun?”
Frowning slightly, he says, “I don’t know. She’s not really my type. Guards herself like the Hope diamond. Hell of a lot of work to crack a nut like that. Could be fun, but with her I think it would be more a battle than a thrill. Anyway, I’m not into long distance relationships or potential step-children.”
“Oh, come on. Step outside your comfort zone. You’re a big, strong man; don’t tell me you can’t handle a challenge.”
Smiling, Rafe shakes his head at me, his brown eyes dancing with amusement. “It’s adorable that you think you can goad me into dating your friend.” He pulls me closer, our hips brushing as we move. “If you were mine, little one, I’d discipline you for attempting things like that.”
I hold up my hand to flash him not only my engagement ring, but now my wedding band. “Sorry. Only one man gets to discipline me from here on out.”
Rafe nods once in acknowledgement. “Like I said, he’s a lucky bastard.”
Chapter Thirty Six
Mia
Rafe and I finish that song and get halfway through the next before Adrian comes to retrieve me. As he leads me away from Rafe and off the dance floor, I joke, “Elise won’t let you dance with me, will she?”
“That’s a definitive no,” he assures me.
Glancing around, I note he’s leading me away from the reception. “What’s happening? Where are we going? Is it Vince?”
“Not exactly.”
“Don’t be vague,” I say, shooting him a look of annoyance.
“Ben’s here,” he states.
My face falls and my jaw inches open. “Vince’s dad? Why would he come here? We didn’t invite him.”
Nodding once, the weight of the world weighing on his broad shoulders, Adrian says, “I’m sure that’s exactly why he’s here. It was a blatant show of disrespect. Ben’s old school; you don’t do stuff like that. Family is family, regardless of what shit might be going down. Mateo not inviting his own uncle to his wedding… Well, I warned him it wouldn’t be looked at kindly.”
My eyes bulge. “His uncle who provided shelter when Vince kidnapped me.”
“I know, Mia. I’m not saying Mateo was morally wrong, I’m just saying that’s not how things are done in this family. Whether you hate each other or love each other, you do the respectful thing; put on a smile and shake hands.”
“The respectful thing would’ve been calling Mateo and letting him know where I was.”
Adrian glances over at me. “You’re looking at this from your perspective, where Mateo is God. Ben is from the old generation. Mateo’s below him in regards to respect owed. You respect your elders regardless.”
“The elders in this family suck,” I mutter, loyally.
“Trust me, I do not disagree.”
Mateo, Ethan, Colin and some dark-haired man I’ve never seen before stand huddled together, appearing to be engaged in middle East peace talks, judging by their solemnity.