Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“Then what? I see you too in these moments, and then you go cold on her.”
“I didn’t—”
Mom holds up a finger to silence me. “I wasn’t done.” I keep my mouth shut. Especially now that my wife is watching me dance with my mom with a smile on her face. If I pissed my mother off, Tova would notice, and then that smile might fade away. “You avoid her for days.”
“It’s for her own good,” I say too defensively. Tova has to think I’m some beast at this point. I’m always pouncing on her one way or another.
I didn’t mean to be harsh when I stalked her down at the dock. I was worried. She can’t go slipping out at night all alone. I don’t care if it was still on our land.
“Is it because, as I said, it doesn’t matter? You’re done for. Fighting that will only hurt her.” My mom goes to step back, but I stop her.
“Why?” I don't mean to hurt her. I prefer when she smiles at me. I don’t mind when she rolls her eyes at me either. It’s rather adorable. It’s the tears that irk me. They get under my skin and make me want to do whatever it takes to make them stop. To make sure she’s never sad because of me.
“Oh, you want advice now?” She smirks. It’s playful.
“Mom.”
“No girl wants the man she is to marry to avoid her. Ignore her. Do better.”
“I promise you. I have never ignored her.” Ignoring her is an impossible task. Fruitless. "She was forced to marry me."
My mom throws back her head and laughs. "How are you men so brilliant at times and utterly stupid at others?"
"It's a gift," I reply with a hint of sarcasm.
"That girl loves you."
My feet stop moving. The music doesn't. It is not until this moment that I realize how badly I want that to be true. "She doesn't."
"She does."
"She cried when she found out she had to marry me."
“You should ask her about it, then.”
“It’s far too late for that.” The gold band on my finger is proof of that.
“It’s never too late.” Mom pats my cheek twice before stepping away.
I watch Tova along with everyone else as her father spins her again.
The flame of jealousy burns inside of me. It’s always there when it comes to Tova. Even watching her smile at her father stokes the flame. It could be the flowers she’s stroking or the bite of cake she moans around as she eats.
I envy them all.
Chapter Fifteen
TOVA
“Your dress is beautiful.” Cosima takes Warren’s empty chair next to me. He’s greeting and talking to guests. It stung that he hadn’t asked me to join him. Does he not want to introduce me to them? Is he embarrassed?
“Thanks.” I give her a smile. “Yours is beautiful too.” Cosima has on a deep purple dress that hugs her curves. With her blonde hair, every color works on her.
“This old thing.” She playfully bats her lashes as she snags Warren’s glass of champagne that has been left untouched since it was poured. I lost count of how many I’ve had at this point. “Z told me it was ugly.”
“Really?” Z, out of all the Marino males, tends to be fairly nice. He doesn't have that grumpy scowl that I’m pretty sure is inherited. I glance down at him and see that he is, in fact, scowling at Cosima. “He’s protective?”
“He’s something all right.” She rolls her eyes, taking a sip of the champagne. I do the same, sinking back into my chair. “So you two finally tied the knot.”
“Finally?” What is she talking about? This was the world's quickest engagement. Cosima shrugs.
"The way he watches you." A whimsical expression falls across her face. This isn't a fairy tale. She knows that better than me. My father has always been a part of this world, but we lived on the outside edge of it. It's only these past few years I've gotten a real understanding of the power the Marino family has.
"You think he watches me?" I search War out in the room. When my eyes land on him, he is staring right at me. His father is next to him with two other men in suits, all talking, but he doesn’t give them his eyes. He’s fully focused on me.
"It's not just the watching. It's how he watches you."
"It's possessive," I add.
"Really possessive. It's interesting. I mean, sure, my brother can be territorial, but this is different."
There's that word again. Different. If only I knew exactly what that means when it comes to War and me.
A server comes by, filling our glasses again. Cosima doesn’t get a chance to take another drink because Z is there taking the glass from her.
“Hey!” she huffs, jumping to her feet. Cosima teeters in her heels. She has to be tipsy because I’ve seen her rock heels by the freaking pool before like it was nothing.