Gian (Trassato Crime Family #1)(14)

I squeezed Evie’s waist, signaling her to let me answer. “I asked her not to. I know how protective you are of your friends, and I thought it’d be better to keep it quiet until her ex was out of the picture and she was ready to commit to a real relationship. We both knew we couldn’t keep you in the dark much longer when you asked me to hire her.”

“Are you serious, Evie?” Carmela asked, her voice climbing higher with every syllable. “You just got out of one f*cked up relationship, and now you’re moving in with my brother? My f*cking brother? Do you realize how crazy this sounds?” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Tell me you guys are only messing with me because this is absolutely insane.”

I kissed the side of Evie’s head. “Go get your things. Let me talk to my sister alone.”

She leaned into me, her lips brushing against the rim of my ear. “I can’t stand you. You know that, right?”

Ice seeped deep inside of my core, and my fingers dug into her waist. Even though this arrangement was a necessary hoax, she needed to remember her place. “You only wish you did, sweetheart, but don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you.”

Evie’s heels clacked over the honeyed hardwood floors, and a door slammed. I had saved her ass for reasons that were becoming increasingly unclear. She was going to f*ck this up if she didn’t reel in her emotions. Part of me wanted to follow her down the hall and rip into her for being ungrateful. If she barged in on any other capo, she’d be at the bottom of the Hudson River by now.

“Gian—” Carmela wagged a red-tipped finger at me “—tell me the truth. What’s really going on?”

“There’s nothing to share.”

“You seriously want me to accept the fairytale you’ve tried to spin? I know you, and I know Evie. I don’t believe for one second that you’ve changed your ways or that she would jump into another relationship. She planned to marry that pathetic excuse for a man until a week ago because she thought she loved him. She would never be interested in someone like you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you aren’t boyfriend material, and up until right now, you’ve never pretended to be.”

I shrugged, ignoring her attempt to bait me. “Maybe you don’t know either of us as well as you thought.”

She shoved her hair away from her face. “She doesn’t keep secrets.”

I glanced down the hall. What was taking her so long? “Everyone has secrets.”

She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and grasped my hand. “Please don’t push this relationship. Evie doesn’t need someone in her life who thinks being faithful is optional.”

I hesitated, a toxic cocktail of guilt, anger, and regret sloshing around in my gut. “Trust me. I won’t hurt her. I asked her to marry me.”

She gasped. “What?”

I tugged on the collar of my shirt. Why the f*ck did it suddenly feel like it was a hundred degrees in here? “We’re engaged.”

She studied me like she had suddenly acquired a superpower designed to ferret out lies. After a beat, her shoulders sagged, and she leaned against the flared arm of the sofa. “Please tell me this is a joke.”

“It’s not.” I shifted my feet. “I wanted her to know I was serious about her, and I am. This is what I want, what we both want. Don’t worry, though. We’re not rushing to set a wedding date or anything. We’ll take our time.”

“You’re not going to back off no matter what I say. Are you?”

I didn’t respond for a split second, the echo of her frustration and defeat swirling around us. “No, and I’d appreciate if you didn’t meddle in our relationship. We’ve got enough to work through without adding your opinions into the mix.”

She squeezed her eyes closed. “Fine, I’ll reserve judgment for now, but if I suspect you of cheating on her or playing games with her, all bets are off.”

“Thanks.” I kissed the top of her head.

“Is everything okay?” Evie said, pausing at the end of the hallway, a suitcase in one hand and an oversized purse in the other.

“Yeah.” Carmela crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Evie. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me.”

I collected the suitcase from Evie’s hand. “Did you get everything?”

“I think so.” She made eye contact with my sister. “Thanks for everything, Carmela. The apartment, the pep talks, your advice. Everything. So much.”

“Of course.” My sister looked like she was going to cry. We needed to get the hell out of here because I wasn’t entirely sure Evie wouldn’t blurt out the truth if pushed.

I laced my fingers through Evie’s and led her out of the apartment. The minute the door closed behind us, Evie yanked her hand from mine and wiped it on her skirt.

“Do you think she believed us?” she asked.

I took a deep breath. “For your sake, I hope so.”





CHAPTER NINE




Evangeline



Footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors.

Clack.

Shuffle.

Tap.

I looked up from the half-eaten food, my hungry gaze landing on Gian. I shamelessly drank in the angles of his face, so bronzed in comparison to his white collared shirt.