“Of course not! I couldn’t say yes because of everything you just said. Hello, not even a full week, and him being a complete fucker.”
“You said no?” Her astonishment reminds me of Enzo’s face that day.
“I said not yet. Would you have said yes to Dante that soon?”
I’m jealous of the way her smile lights up her whole face. “Oh yeah. I didn’t know what I wanted, I just knew I wanted Dante. Whatever way I could get him, and if he asked I would have screamed my yes. He bought my engagement ring only three weeks after we met. It’s just...” She sighs. “I know it sounds crazy, but once you know you just know, all the way down to the marrow in your bones. I couldn’t have said no to him.” When she looks up at me, her smile disappears. “But not everyone is the same, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I mean I can understand why you might have said no if you weren’t sure.”
Shaking my head, “That’s exactly what Enzo said. I didn’t say no. I said not yet. I was scared, okay? I’ve never wanted anyone the way I wanted Enzo. No one ever made me feel the things he’s made me feel, like lust, giddiness, contentment, but then there was the anger, and the pain and the complete exasperation. I couldn’t walk away from him even when he gave me every reason to. I wanted to say yes, but I was too afraid I wasn’t being... I don’t know, it seemed crazy until the moment when he told me he was going to sell the house. That he was going to walk away from it, from me. It hit me I could actually lose him. I told him to ask me again, but he wouldn’t. So I asked him, even though a part of me was still terrified I was just a repeat of the Sheila thing to get the family he wanted.”
“Wow.” With an unladylike snort Bethany tosses her long hair over her shoulder. “The whole Sheila thing, and you bear no resemblance whatsoever. For the first time, in the four years I’ve known him, Enzo is...I don’t know how to explain it... like he’s excited, happy is too beige of a word to use. When he looks at you I expect a cartoon heart to start pounding out of his chest. He told Dante he made a mistake marrying Sheila and he’d never get married again. Not only does he want to marry yo
u, he asks you less than a week after meeting you.
“I’m going to let you in on a Sabatini trait I’m sure you think you’ve seen and know, but woman, you have no idea. They are all about control; their need for control over themselves and those around them makes up 99 percent of their DNA. These men are downright Machiavellian in the way they plot to get the end result they want. I’m going to say he had to know there was no way you’d say yes, whether he gave you the best orgasm you ever had in your entire life or not, after knowing him only one week and with him being such an asshole. I’m also going to guess he got the ring and laid all these plans, but then he saw you and it all went out the window. For that to happen means Enzo is straight-up, kiss-all-his-billions-goodbye crazy about you.”
Pathetic, I’m so pathetic; I sag onto the other end of the couch. “For real? Don’t tease me.”
“I swear on this gorgeous baby cooking inside me. I’m going to give you some tips: he wants the control, give it to him when it’s something minor. If it’s big then stand your ground, he’ll respect that too, but on the small things it will soothe his savage beast when you do. An offshoot of the control is the Sabatinis are super protective, okay, overprotective. You think it’s controlling, but it’s really that they want to wrap you up in cotton wool and keep the world from so much as giving you a headache. So, good luck dealing with that. It’s sweet but also will drive you clear up the wall at times.”
Hmm.... I haven’t seen any of that yet. “He told me he threw the ring away. Do you think he really threw it away?”
She considers the question. “I wouldn’t put it past him. As much as I love him, I would never want to anger him. I’ve never seen him angry, and I hope I never do. I promise, by the time you guys get married I will have done all I can to impart my long and varied knowledge of Enzo and the Sabatini men. For now, let’s get to the fun part of planning a wedding. You want to do it at the house or Enzo’s boat? I have pictures of the boat and we can go check it out. Enzo bought his boat to compete with Dante’s boat. I mean they are actually super yachts that are over three hundred feet long, so calling them a boat is like calling a tiger a kitty.”
“He said he prefers the house and honestly, I do too.”
“I think it’s adorable the way he bought the house for you, then gave you free rein to do whatever you want with it. I’m fighting with Dante on the colors for our kitchen. He wants too much boring brown wood, and I’m in love with your stove. I want one and to make the blue a color to build off. In case you weren’t aware, I’ve been checking out your remodel for ideas. Ray is nice, his guys are breaking their humps to finish in under eight weeks for the bonus Enzo promised. Is the mold thing going to hit them on the bonus?”
“I have no idea. Enzo plays fair with everyone but me, so probably not.”
Bethany laughs. “Yeah, Sabatinis don’t play fair when it’s not in their best interest.”
“How is that funny?”
“Okay, I guess it’s only funny when it’s not happening to you. But I mean it’s kind of endearing. Think of the reverse, it would mean they don’t care. It’s not just what they want, though; they will turn their world inside out for you if you’re important to them, all of them without a doubt from Dante, to Cesare, to Dominic, and even Tony. Dominic spent two hours helping me pick out our master bath and the rest of the bathrooms in the house. While we were doing it, he got me a vanilla shake, a bottle of water, French fries, and turned the A/C down so low the lady in the office put on a sweater. Tony spends hours with Alicia, helping with Matteo and Sophia, and was incredibly patient teaching her Italian.” I wince at the idea of Tony and Dominic. “What?”
I tell her about Tony and what Dominic said.
“Hmm...he wasn’t wrong.” It’s a slap across the face all over again. “I wondered myself if you would unplug from all of that to give Enzo a chance. What changed?”
“That Dominic wasn’t wrong, as much as it hurt. When Enzo walked away after I said no, I had it in my head I would make him grovel until he went hoarse before I said yes. I never doubted he would ask me again. I mean, I told him not yet. Except I was also planning all these ways to make him pay, not even considering the fact that Enzo had done what I wasn’t willing to do: be vulnerable.
“I wasn’t willing to lay myself on the line for him. On one hand he’s this massive, made-of-muscle billionaire, bigger, stronger than me who doesn’t look like a city bus could put a dent in him, but Dominic then Russell made me realize he could be hurt too. His pride had to take my no hard, no matter if I was saying not yet. I wanted to be as brave as him, to be what he deserved. Then he was standing there, waiting for me to push him away, yet not walking away. I couldn’t let him doubt for even another minute I wanted him. And he is offering a marriage, not some casual hookup, even if ten years feels like a limit not forever.”
“I’ll bet you a billion dollars Enzo won’t let you go when you hit ten years.”
“I don’t have a billion dollars and I won’t anytime soon. I’ll bet you a weekend of babysitting.”
“You’re on! Come on, let’s go take a look at the house to see how it can be laid out.”
“We don’t have time, we have to be at the dressmaker’s in twenty minutes. Lydia is meeting us there and my bestie Russell might be late.”
“Okie dokie, wedding dresses are more fun anyway. I’m sorry Alicia couldn’t come, she’s sad but she’s miserable. She swears if the baby doesn’t come on his own this week she’s taking desperate action.”
“I understand, poor thing.”
“Yeah, her ankles are twice their normal size. She’s so uncomfortable walking she’s been in bed all week long.”
We’ve barely walked through the door of the exclusive bridal salon of the most sought-after wedding dressmakers in Chicago when Enzo calls. “The wedding planner is expecting you at four thirty today. Warning, she’s got an attitude, but she’s being paid well so don’t take any of her shit.”