She stood shakily on her feet, absorbing the feeling, savoring the way she felt loved by him. She needed him more than ever, when she never had felt like a needy woman. “I must be a mess. When I cry, I get all red and splotchy.”
“You’re beautiful, baby. But I’m not a big fan of you crying. That breaks my heart, and I feel like I have to go slay a few dragons.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. Giovanni made everything better. Everything. Even the truth about Sandlin. He was right, she needed to be happy with whatever time she had left with him.
As she washed up in the bathroom, Giovanni stood beside her, as if they’d been doing such things for years. It felt comfortable. He met her gaze in the mirror.
“I’m going to talk to Aaron.”
She shook her head. “Whoever this man is, he’ll be looking for that. If he sees you talking to Aaron, he’ll be afraid you’re figuring it out. Right now, everyone is safe …”
“Only if we’re right.”
“We can still take precautions.”
Giovanni caught her to him and lowered his mouth to hers. His kiss was wild. So hot it scorched her. So sweet it sent her heart tumbling over a cliff. “You look beautiful.”
“I don’t have more makeup. They’re going to see the real me.”
“I love the real you.”
Holding hands, they walked back to the others, who had retreated from the dining room to the great room where they had after-dinner drinks in their hands.
Stefano looked up. His gaze slid over Sasha, clearly seeing too much. His gaze moved to Giovanni, and something passed between them. She realized Stefano had been concerned about her. They all had. A part of her was embarrassed that she’d broken down over the realization that Giovanni knew Sandlin’s time was limited and he wanted to include him in the wedding—in his family. This one. The one that was so accepting of her.
“We’ve been throwing out the idea that Sid Larsen or Chesney Reynolds was involved, but looking over the reports, it appears as if both have alibis,” Stefano said.
“Sasha thinks I shouldn’t be seen talking to Aaron,” Giovanni told his family after explaining her theory. “But the only way to find out if he regularly competed with someone for a woman is to ask him.”
“She’s right,” Stefano said. “Right now, if this man is trying to frame Aaron, he thinks his job is done. He can’t attack anyone else, not without blowing everything he’s put in motion. He’s handed the cops their arrest and conviction. He isn’t going to think that our family might champion him. If you suddenly show up at the jail, visiting Aaron, that’s going to make this man crazy. He might very well retaliate. In fact, most likely he’ll be worried enough to strike at you, Sasha and Sandlin.”
“One of the others has to talk to him,” Sasha said. “Unseen. I know they can do it. You said so. If that’s the case, someone else has to visit him when no cameras can catch them, caution Aaron not to tell a single soul about the visit and then ask him.”
Stefano shook his head. “It’s too risky. That’s not what we do, Sasha. When we come out of the shadows, anyone who has seen us doesn’t survive. How would we explain to Aaron how we got there? We can never appear anything but normal.”
Sasha and Francesca burst out laughing. The others stared at one another as if confused.
“Tell us what the joke is,” Giovanni prompted.
“There’s nothing normal about any of you. No one thinks that,” Francesca said. “The first time I ever saw Stefano, I thought he was a member of the mafia, and a very mean one at that. He scared me to death.”
Stefano flashed her a smirk. “I still scare you to death.” He looked very pleased at the idea.
Francesca laughed and snuggled closer to him. “You keep telling yourself that, babe.”
“She’s on to you,” Emmanuelle said. “No more bossing her around, especially now that she’s with child. I love how that sounds, Francesca. You’re with child. Are you planning on telling Eloisa?”
Stefano threaded his fingers through Francesca’s. “Not for a while. Francesca needs to feel secure that she’s going to carry this child with no more complications. I’m not quite ready to forgive Eloisa the things she said to my wife behind my back. We don’t keep things from each other, and she should have known that. What she says to Francesca, I want her to say to my face.”
A little shiver went down Sasha’s spine. She would never want to be on the wrong side of Stefano, especially if it had to do with Francesca. He obviously loved her very much. Francesca was completely comfortable with her husband. His scary demeanor didn’t affect her in the least. Sasha realized she’d gotten that way with Giovanni. She knew with absolute certainty that he’d never hurt her, and he would fight for her whenever it was needed.
“What about the wedding?” Vittorio asked. “Will Eloisa be going to that?”
Sasha’s first thought was hell no. But she was Giovanni’s mother. She saw them all looking at one another and then at her. Giovanni’s arm circled her waist and he pulled her against his chest, so her back was to his front. His arm locked just under her breasts. She didn’t like being so exposed. Her face still felt swollen and tight from crying so much.
Sasha couldn’t help it, she reached up to shield her face, trying to pull her hair subtly to cover her. Giovanni’s mouth was instantly against her ear. “Baby, you’re so beautiful, you take my breath away. Don’t be embarrassed because you love someone and were emotional. That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”
She leaned her head against his chest and reached back with one arm to circle his neck. The action lifted her breasts and pushed her bottom tightly against him. At once his teeth tugged at her earlobe, and she wished they were home together. She loved their home. She loved him. She wanted all this to be over so she didn’t have to worry night and day.
“What do you think, Sasha?” Mariko asked. “Would you mind Eloisa coming to your wedding?”
“She’s much better once you’re actually married. Prior to marriage, she views you as a threat to the family, but after,” Francesca said, “you are family.”
“She still says things that are difficult to take,” Sasha said. “You’ve been her family for a while now yet she thought nothing of coming in and making you feel bad.”
“She didn’t know I had two miscarriages,” Francesca pointed out.
Stefano made a sound like a growling panther. “Baby, you’re the most forgiving person on this planet. Eloisa needs her head examined, and if she ever speaks to you or any one of my sisters, new or not, like that again, she is going to be officially banished.”
Francesca gasped. “You can’t do that, Stefano.”
“Watch me, Francesca.” His voice was harder than ever. “I’m not putting up with it. She isn’t mellowing. She’s getting worse. What happens when she starts talking to our children that way? Or taking them out for her kind of training sessions? She learns now that she can’t behave that way, or she goes.”
Sasha believed him. Every word that came out of his mouth was a decree. “If I invite her to the wedding, is there a way to keep her from Sandlin? I can handle anything she says to me …” She paused and looked up at Giovanni. “As long as you realize I can get ugly. I dealt with bulls and grew up surrounded by cowboys dealing with bulls. I don’t like being pushed around and usually push back hard. As long as Giovanni’s all right with that, I won’t have a problem, but Sandlin’s too sweet.” She hated the way her voice broke.
Giovanni’s arm tightened and he dropped his chin to the top of her head. “Baby, you can say whatever shit is warranted if Eloisa is ugly to you. As for Sandlin, we’ll tell her if she wants to come, the requirement will be that she has to stay away from your brother.”
“Then we should invite her. She’s your mother, and I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.”
Taviano snorted. “Everyone is on the wrong foot with Eloisa, Sasha. Francesca has been the sweetest being on the face of the planet, and our lovely mother is ugly every time the two get together.”