Antonio ( Underworld Mafia Romance 3)

“What?”

“That you won’t let her hurt you, too.”

I’m not sure exactly why he said that or what he means by it, but I nod. “Okay.”

He gets on his bike. I step back.

“Oh, by the way…” He glances over his shoulder. “You’re coming to Paul’s wedding, right?”

His cousin Paul? Right. He’s getting married this weekend. I almost forgot.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the MC or something?” Ned asks.

I touch my neck. “I turned that down.”

“So you’re not going to be there?”

“I’ll see.”

I was planning on going, but now that Triss and Lara are living with me, I’m not sure. Should I still go?

Then another idea comes to mind.

Should I go with Triss?

Chapter Seven

Triss

“Me? Go to a wedding?” I arch my eyebrows at Antonio.

I thought he was mad at me. I know he’s disappointed in my decision to leave. I’ve been expecting him to try to persuade me to stay. I even expected him to lock me up. Instead, he wants me to go to a wedding with him?

“It’s the wedding of Marianne and Paul, Ned’s cousin. I know him well. The three of us used to go drinking by the river.”

Antonio drinks? Wait. That’s not the issue here.

“Of course you know them,” I tell him. “But I don’t. And they don’t know me. Why would they want me at their wedding?”

“Because you’re with me?” he answers.

I scratch my head. “Why do you even want me to go with you? If it’s because you’re afraid I might escape while you’re partying, I promise you I won’t. My foot isn’t healed yet.”

I glance at it. The swelling has gone down, but it still hurts when I put weight on it, which means I’m not yet well enough to walk away from this place.

“I know you won’t,” Antonio says. “I’m not worried about that.”

Why does he want me to go with him, then?

“It means I can’t go to a wedding, either,” I point out.

“Why not? You won’t be walking there. I’ll drive, and you can use your crutches to get from the parking lot to the church. Same with the barn.”

“Barn?”

“Bob’s Barn. That’s where we have all our parties. We’ll get to our table and then you can just sit in your chair all evening. Eat. Drink. You don’t have to do anything.”

“Wow. That sounds like fun,” I remark sarcastically.

Antonio says nothing.

“Wouldn’t you rather go with someone you can dance with?” I ask him. “I’m sure there are plenty of women in this town who would love to go with you.”

Like Sally said, he’s a doctor. He’s educated. He’s respected. He has money. He’s still fairly young. And he’s hot. Surely, any other woman would be happy to accompany him to the wedding.

“I’m asking you,” Antonio tells me with a serious expression.

Damn it. He can be persistent, can’t he? I just don’t understand why it’s this he’s being persistent about and not me staying. Or is it because I refused to stay that he’s insisting I come to the wedding?

I sigh. “Give me one reason why I should go with you.”

He looks into my eyes. “Because you’re leaving soon. Don’t you want to make the most of your remaining time in Summerset?”

I don’t answer. I hate to admit it, but his reason isn’t bad. It makes sense, actually, to do something with your time when you know it’s running out. True, going to a wedding where you don’t know a single person might not be the best use of time, but at least I’ll be able to spend it with Antonio. After I leave, I may never see him again, which suddenly saddens me.

But is it really okay for me to go with Antonio?

“What about Lara?” I ask him. “Are we bringing her?”

“Sally will take her,” he answers. “She’s not going to the wedding because her son has a basketball game that afternoon and then they’re going to an arcade after. She can bring Lara with her.”

Of course he’s already thought that far ahead. Just one more thing.

“I don’t have a dress.”

“Really?” His eyebrows furrow. “Sally said you do.”

I do? Oh. That green dress.

“I believe she said it’s in your closet. She’s willing to lend you a pair of shoes to go with it and do your hair and makeup as well. Anything else?”

Seems like he and Sally have everything planned.

“Is she going to bathe me, too?” I ask sourly.

“If you need help,” Antonio answers.

I sigh. “I was just kidding. I’ll bathe myself. It’s the least I can do. In fact, the only thing I can do since you and Sally seem to have taken care of the rest. You two make a good team, don’t you?”

“When we have a common goal, yes. So you’re going?”

I shrug. “Looks like I don’t have much of a choice.”

I just hope I don’t regret it.

~

I’m already regretting it, I think as I cross my legs for the third time in the past ten minutes while seated in my padded wooden chair.