Giovani.Everything was going according to plan, and I was beyond happy. There I stood, as James's best man, wearing a soft smile and my best tuxedo. So many happenings lately landed on my plate, but like I promised James, I took care of them all. As I looked at my cousin, I felt a warmth in my chest. I genuinely wanted him to be happy. The responsibility of the Don couldn't be easy to balance with a growing family. I wasn't greedy or power-hungry. In fact, the prospect of the Don was daunting. However, I had a feeling James may ask me to take over at some point. I would be there for him if he ever made that decision. For now, I needed to make sure this wedding went as smoothly as possible. Some of James's old 'friends' wanted to ensure this wedding was less than savory for him. I couldn't let that happen. I smiled kindly at the butler, my 'friend,' as he passed by and turned to acknowledge me. "Sir," he grumbled. "I don't know why Becca would choose James."
Becca.It had happened. I'd done it. I was Mrs. James Valentino! My heart pounded so hard in my chest, I could hardly believe it.Everything had happened in a blur. One minute, I'd been getting ready, along with the help of my stepmom and Sophia, as well as the stylists I'd hired. The next minute, I'd been standing next to James at the altar. I'd been so focused on him, I'd hardly heard a word of the ceremony, which was short and to the point.He looked so handsome in his tuxedo, I couldn't pull my eyes away from him. James was such an amazing man in every way. We'd had our problems in the past, but I loved him with all of my heart. We were starting a new chapter of our lives together, and I was looking forward to spending every moment with him.After the pictures, we went into the reception hall and greeted all of our guests. My father, who hadn't said much earlier, kissed my cheek. I was hoping he was starting come around. "Dance with me later?" I asked him.
Neal.I knew I was going to miss the wedding, but I didn't want to intrude on Becca during that time, even if James was a prick. I just needed to see her happy. One more time. Before I could move on with my life. The conversation on the phone played out in my head again and again. I needed to move on, but I couldn't stop hearing her voice in my mind. I wished things had worked out between us, but that sadly wasn't meant to be. "Why can't I stop thinking about you, Becca?" I asked aloud, my knuckles white on the steering wheel as I parked my car at a bar. The wedding would be going on right now, but I wasn't close enough to make it, anyway. What would I do? Say that they shouldn't be married, or it should be called off? No. I just wanted to see her happy. Allegra sounded none too pleased on the phone, and I couldn't blame her. This wasn't healthy.Yet, here I was. Well, drinks at the bar would drown away some of that. The moon shone clear overhead as I
Giovani.The wedding was wonderful, but I knew our troubles were not over. As much as I adored the happiness of James, I couldn't let my guard down. These people were relentless, as had been made pretty clear by the poisoned cake. According to my men, there was a gathering outside of the wedding hall. I couldn't have this interrupt James on his special night. Not to mention, kids were involved. I would sooner die by a bullet to my chest than have any of them get hurt. This was my job, mine and my men's. James being the Don of our family was irrelevant. My heart pounded in excitement as I stared toward the woods that surrounded the wedding venue. My intelligence told me that they were going to try and end James once and for all. Yeah. That was not happening. I chuckled at the thought that they thought they could win this. They were sloppy, leaking information left and right. Negligence? Rage? Didn't matter. They had a vendetta against James and Becca, and th
Allegra.Apparently, Neal had been on his way to visit Becca. I had warned him that he shouldn't do that, though he never listened to me. I had been worried for a while that he would pester Becca beyond just making sure she was happy. That plan had been shattered by a new guy he'd met. I wondered what changed but figured he would tell me about it. Now, he was on his way over to tell me all about it.My stomach lurched at the fact that he would see Layla here, however. She wasn't too bothered, or at least, didn't show it. I could tell there was a little bit of nervousness there, given all that had happened. A few weeks had passed since I'd gotten with Layla, and we were beyond happy together still. She sat at the table as I approached, giving her a smile and setting up some tea. I'd serve lunch for my brother when he got here, too. Before all of this had happened, I'd had a staff to take care of that sort of thing, but now, I was kind of liking taking care of myself.
Becca.The wedding had gone so well, and I was beyond thrilled. It was the day after, and at the moment, I was eating a hearty breakfast and thinking about the wonderful time I had. We had to plan for a honeymoon! I couldn't wait to talk to James about that.Madeline entered the room, humming a tune and giving me a huge smile. "Becca!" she exclaimed. "You were so beautiful at your wedding. I am so happy to have been there, thanks for having me. The kids had a ball, too!" "I noticed!" I said, beaming right back at her. "Thank you so much for helping to watch them during the wedding. I'm really glad they weren't too much trouble. I was so happy to have our family there." "They were angels!" Madeline exclaimed, taking a seat in front of me and helping herself to a plate of eggs as well. There was whistling from the kitchen, which prompted me to get up and set ourselves up with some tea. I brought in a cup for Madeline as well.I sat down, taking a sip of tea, an
James.Still feeling beyond happy about the news of the baby still being healthy, I walked over to the fridge to get myself a quick snack before meeting with Giovani. Becca was dripping with joy, which made me relieved, to say the least. She had no idea what was going on in the background, and I didn't want her to, either. She shouldn't suffer the stress of anything anymore. My wife was looking forward to a wonderful life with our expanding family, and I wouldn't let worry settle in her mind. At least, despite the stress on my end, we were going to have our honeymoon soon. The kids were happy, and that's all I could ask for. Speaking of which, I stopped into the nursery for a visit before heading off to discuss things with my cousin. Alessandro was playing around with a few cars and stuffed animals. Dahlia sat in front of him, doing the same, making happy cooing noises threaded in with a few words. When they saw me, they let out squeals of happiness and hobbled o
Neal.A few weeks had passed since I met Mariano, and the strong sense of attraction I had to both his looks and personality had not faded. In fact, we were hitting it off even harder now, and I couldn't be happier. Thankfully, I was brave enough to call Becca and say I wanted to visit as a friend. I meant it this time. There was no ulterior motive, not that there had been one, to begin with. She may have been stuck in my head a little, but that wasn't an issue anymore. After some hesitation, she agreed to see me. Likely because I wanted to introduce her to Mariano, which put her at ease for me not actually being after her anymore. I accepted that she was with James. Mariano and I were sharing lunch before heading out. I gazed into his eyes, my own full of adoration for the man. "We're really hitting it off, aren't we?" I chuckled, breaking the silence that had formed between us as we ate sandwiches. Mariano winked, saying, "I think we are, yes. I am thrill