Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(56)

“Don’t listen to her, Livvy. She’s the crazy twin. She thinks the Valentino men have some kind of poison they use to keep us addicted to them.” Holly rolls her eyes.

“Oh, well, I don’t want the antidote if that’s true. I’ll live in ignorant bliss,” I say with a grin.





I’m absolutely stuffed. Dinner was amazing. Romeo’s family is great. I’m not sure why I was so scared to meet them. I’m not really seeing what’s so terrifying about his dad either. I get that he’s supposed to be this big scary mob boss, but all I’ve seen is a doting husband and a loving father. He loves his family and he’s welcomed me in with open arms.

His exact words were: “I couldn’t have asked for a better match for my son, and I can’t wait to tell the world that you’re my new daughter-in-law.”

I do think they get a bit carried away with the whole marriage thing. I might have said yes to Romeo, but that was with the stipulation that we wait until after graduation.

“Thanks for dinner, Ma. We have to go.” Romeo stands. Taking my hand, he pulls me up with him.

“You haven’t had dessert yet,” Holly says.

“I’m stuffed, and we both have studying to do.”

“Romeo, I thought we were done pretending you were stupid and needed to actually study?” This comes from his brother, Matteo.

“Savannah, hit him for me,” Romeo asks Matteo’s wife, who reaches behind her husband and slaps his head.

“Ouch. What was that for?” he whines.

“Leave them alone, Tao. Look how cute they are.” She sighs, her eyes flicking from me to Romeo.

“Livvy is cute. He’s fucking ugly. Every family has one you know. An ugly duckling,” Matteo says.

“Okay, on that note, we’ll see you next week, Ma. Pops, thank you.” Romeo hugs and kisses both of his parents. They stand, and Holly pulls me into a hug, telling me how excited she is that I came. When Mr. Valentino approaches me next, I freeze.

Please don’t hug me, please don’t hug me, please don’t hug me. I’m begging him internally.

Romeo notices. Of course he does. He steps ever so slightly in front of me. His dad stops and looks at us. “Livvy, it was a pleasure meeting you. Our home is your home. You’re always welcome here,” Mr. Valentino says.

“Thank you.” My voice is quiet. I feel like everyone is watching me. The broken girl who needs her fiancé to be her shield. I’m sure they can all see it. I feel so stupid. I was doing so well, right up until I thought his dad was going to embrace me. Once we’re closed inside the car, I let the tears I was holding in fall. “I’m so sorry,” I tell Romeo.

“Shit, Livvy. Come here.” Romeo pulls me over the center console. I straddle his lap as he shifts the driver’s seat backwards, creating more room. “You’re okay. You’re okay,” he whispers, cupping my face with his palms.

“I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to. I just…”

“Stop, you don’t need to explain anything. I get it. I will always be there to help you through any situation.”

“It’s not normal, Romeo. I should be able to let your dad hug me.” I sniffle.

“And you will, when you’re ready to, and not a fucking minute before. What you went through, Livvy, that’s not going to go away overnight. It will take time. It’s okay.”

“They’re going to think I’m rude, or clingy, or… I don’t know,” I cry.

“No, they’re not. They love you. But it doesn’t matter what they think, because I love you. That’s all that matters. You and me.”

“I love you. I just want to be the kind of fiancée you can be proud of,” I tell him.

“Say it again?”

“What?”

“Fiancée. I like hearing you say it.”

“You, Romeo Luca Valentino, are my fiancé. I’m going to marry you. I’m going to have your babies. We’re going to live happily ever after.”

“Yes, we are.”

“Well, that’s if my dad doesn’t kill you first. You still have to meet my family, you know.”

“Let’s go this week.”

“Where?”

“To Covington. To meet your family.”

“What if they can tell what happened to me?”

“They love you, Livvy. They will want to help you. That’s all.”

“They’ll want to move me back to Covington. They’ll want to wrap me in cotton wool and never let me leave the house. You don’t know them like I do.”

“I think I’m going to get along just fine with them, because that is exactly what I want to do with you. Wrap you up in cotton wool and never let you leave my sight.”

“Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?” I quote Jane Austen.

“You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love you,” Romeo responds with the famous words of Mr. Darcy.

“You know, I used to think I wanted a real-life version of Romeo or Darcy. But I got better. Because I got both,” I say, leaning in and kissing him.

“Let’s go home before they realize we haven’t left yet,” Romeo says, pulling back from our kiss.