Ryder's Claim (Mafia Heirs 2)

She nods eagerly and I lead the way. The crowd parts for us and my brothers, aware of my plan to introduce Liv to Father, leave us alone so we can have a private conversation. Father's brows rise up with amusement when he sees me approaching, but I see a hint of doubt in his gaze when he looks at Livia. I fucking knew her dress was a mistake. It's not going to do her any favors with Bruno Bernardi, that's for fucking sure.

"Father, I want you to meet a dear friend of mine." I gently push Livia forward and she smiles her disarming grin at my father, who doesn't seem impressed. "This is Livia."

"Pleased to finally meet you, Bruno," she purrs, making me cringe inwardly. You just don't call men like Father by their first name without being prompted to do so. Worried about his reaction, I glance between the two of them, waiting for Father to reply.

He shakes her hand without saying a word, merely nodding politely at her. Then, he turns to face me as if waiting for an explanation. And now I'm getting fucking nervous.

"Father, Livia and I were hoping to speak to you about..." I swallow thickly. "Well, a marriage. A bond between our families. We want to be together."

"You do, do you?" His brows shoot up in amusement and he checks Liv out again before turning to face me. "And what do you want, for me to bless this union?"

"That would be ideal," I grunt. "But if need be, we'll progress without your blessing."

I don't make it a habit to stand up to Father and my own disobedience is a shock to everyone, including myself. But he doesn't react apart from raising his brows and glaring at me.

Finally, after an uncomfortable silence, Father clears his throat and politely smiles at Liv. "It was lovely to meet you. Would you allow me a moment in private with my son?"

"Of course." Liv kisses me right in front of him and my cheeks burn with shame as she pulls back, wiping the lipstick off my mouth. She blows me a kiss and leaves us standing there.

"Something you wanted to discuss?" I ask Father, pretending I'm not burning up with embarrassment.

Father watches me with amusement, but doesn't offer his opinion until Livia is out of earshot. "You love this girl, figlio?"

I don't know how to answer, and as much as I realize that it's a problem, I don't want to admit it out loud. There's no way I'll willingly look weak in front of Father. I want him to see me for the man I am, not the little boy who's always second best to Adrian, my older brother.

"Yes," I say firmly, even though I don't know whether it's the truth. "I love her, and I want to marry her."

Father watches me quietly before finally heaving a sigh. "Whatever you want, son. I'm not going to stop you from marrying the love of your life. And you're certain that's her?"

Alarm bells go off in my head but I ignore the warning signs, press my lips together and nod as if I'm really sure about this. "Yes, she's the love of my life. My soulmate."

"Then so be it," Father nods gravely. "You'll be wed in a week. We'll start the preparations tomorrow."

"W-What?" I furrow my brows. I wasn't even expecting his approval, let alone for him to announce the wedding in only a short week. Now I'm fucking panicking, but I can't let Father see that, can't let him in on the fact that I'm not fucking sure about this. I'll do anything in my power to hide the truth. Now that I've come forward about Livia, I need to push through and be the man my Father raised me to be.

"Is there a problem with that?" Father demands.

"No," I reply firmly. "I'm glad. Thank you, Father."

"You're welcome." He watches me closely. Am I imagining the pain in his eyes, or is it real? "I hope you know what you're doing, figlio."

* * *

It's my wedding day, even though it doesn't feel quite real.

The preparations happened so fast and now the big day is here. I'm supposed to say I do to the woman I love. Because I do love her, I remind myself. I may have my doubts, but I know Livia is a beautiful, engaging, warm and sexy woman and I do want to spend more time with her...

But more time isn't eternity, I remind myself. And tonight, I'm going to promise her just that... without knowing whether I can truly give it to her.

Heaving a sigh, I walk out from my chambers. But when I walk into the hallway, I see Livia there, angrily talking on the phone, already in her wedding dress.

I want to slink back and pretend I haven't seen anything – after all, it's traditionally bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding in her dress, and us Sicilians are hell-bent on tradition – but her conversation catches my attention.