Chapter 60 Family first, Family always
Rose.
I officially hate my future husband. And it's sad, because I can't control my role as a husband.
He follows me, and I race toward the back of the house. The party continues, and most of the guests are seated at the long table. Maria sits at the head of the table with the birthday girl in her arms. My niece seems to love all the attention, and I'm glad for it. She deserves the best birthday ever, even if she won't remember it for years to come.
My eyes wander around until I find my brother. He's standing off to the side of the party, talking to Tony. His eyebrow rises as he notices me approaching. His gaze hardens, and I know he must notice Enzo behind me.
"Did you tell him I could move into his house by the end of the week?" I hiss.
He frowns. "Calm down, sister."
"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm not an object, Roman. You can't just wave me around like a puppet. I'd do anything for our family, but at least think about your feelings."
I love my brother, I really do, but sometimes I truly hate who he's become. Who our world has forced him to become. He's a great older brother, caring, a little overprotective, but I can understand that. While we didn't grow up particularly close, that has more to do with how we were raised.
And in the last few years, since our father died, I thought we were closing that gap. But I feel like this decision is weakening our bond. I want to understand it, but I can't. Especially not now.
"Rose, you're going to marry him. When he asked, I thought it was funny, but it makes sense. You need to get to know each other. You need to get to know his family and adjust to his life." He said.
"I'll do it at my own pace. Not because you or he's telling me to," I say sharply.
Roman opens his mouth to say something, but closes it as our mother approaches. There's a frown on her face, a wary look in her eyes, directed at us. After all, we are still in public. My gaze shifts to the table, filled with party guests, who keep glancing at me. I force myself to remain calm.
My mother stops in front of Enzo, and I turn to see her giving him a cold look. Enzo straightens his tie and clears his throat.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am," he tells her.
"It would be nice to meet you before I consent to your marriage to my daughter." Mom said.
My jaw clenches. It would have been nice if she'd used that tone when Roman first told her about the match. Instead, she chose to trust that he knew what he was doing.
"Of course," Enzo says with a charming smile. "It was my mistake. Rest assured, you'll be seeing more of me from now on, Mrs. De Luca."
He's perfectly polite, even-tempered. I can practically see my mother melting. It makes me sick. While Enzo continues to impress her with his wiles, my brother puts an arm around my shoulder and leads me further away.
"Rose, I know this is hard," he begins. "And you have every right to be upset. I don't like it either. But I need you to trust me on this.”
"It has nothing to do with trust," I state.
"No, it's not. Tell me, sister, what are you so afraid of?"
I open my mouth to say something, then close it, considering his question.
"That's it," I say, finally deciding to answer.
Roman nods, his dark blue eyes shining with understanding.
"I understand, and it's completely normal to feel this way," he says. "I need to tell you one more thing. Enzo's other condition is that the wedding takes place before the end of the year."
My stomach growls. That's less than seven months.
"I know," Roman says, noticing the look on his face. "It's crazy. But that's exactly why I didn't argue with his request for you to move in with him so soon."
My brother puts his hand on my shoulder. I look at him, and his gaze is firm, unwavering.
"You're my sister, Rose. My family. I would never put you in danger. You have a few months to spend time with this guy, so get to know him. And if he hurts you, or, hell, if you feel like you really can't marry him, just let me know, okay? I'll break the contract in a heartbeat. I'll take you away from him. I swear.”
His words warm my heart. And I didn't even realize that this was exactly what I needed to hear.
"You promise?" I asked.
"I promise, sister." He extends his little finger toward me, the gesture reminding me of the times he'd done something bad when we were kids and made me promise not to talk about it.
He hugs me tightly.
He reaches out and presses his forehead to mine. "Family first. Family always."
"Family first. Family always," I whisper back in English.
He nods, and we both turn to find more than a few glances on us. When my eyes meet Enzo's, there's an intense look in his. My heart shakes.
"I don't know if I can love him, Rom," I say quietly.
"Love is never easy," my brother says. "All you can do is keep an open mind and try, Rose. Maybe he's not the monster you think he is."
Oh God, I really hope not.