Escaping: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #2) (6 page)

Vince quirked an eyebrow at her, his chiseled jaw twisting into a smirk. “Um, I’m a guy, so never.” His shoulders slumped at the massage she didn’t need to do, but indulged him in anyway. Vince mused that their whole relationship had been a string of indulgences he hadn’t known it had been a crime to live without until he’d been introduced to her sweetness. “You love me,” he stated, constantly amazed it was so.

“I do.” Fallyn leaned up on her toes and kissed him, melting them both.

The brief period he’d been injured made them both appreciate all the more how capable his arms were of holding her, lifting her as they kissed. Every day that passed made Vince stronger, bolder as he leapt past the point of no return, bathing in the love she beamed at him. His life had been duty. He hadn’t known what he’d been missing until he caught sight of the softness of her beauty.

His palms began to sweat as something inside of him pushed him forward like a shove to the back. There were so many things he wanted to tell her. So many things he wanted her to understand without scoffing at the sincerity.

He’d wanted to do this at a nice restaurant or at their secret spot, but he could feel her slipping away. He was sure there was a more perfect time, but as he looked around, he realized in its own way, the bakery was perfect. The pleasant chaos of the kitchen in Sweet Somethings gave him that final push, and he knew there was no turning back.

“This is where I fell in love with you,” he admitted. “You and that crazy caramel sauce.” He kissed her once more, tracing the outline of her face with his thumb. Vince was rarely nervous, but when he slid down onto one knee, he realized his legs and freshly-lotioned hands were shaking.

“Vince, what are you doing?” she asked warily. “Get up.”

“No.” He met her fear-laden eyes with adoration, confident in their connection to jump off the cliff into the unknown. “Fallyn Asthore O’Keefe, I’ve never wanted anything or anyone as much as I want you. You’re all I think about anymore, and I can’t keep living separate from you. I want to come home to you. I want to cook dinner with you. I want to carry you to our bed and wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life. I love you,
dolcezza
. Marry me.” He pulled the small box that had been burning a hole in his pocket, opened it up and presented it to her.

He’d pictured this moment so many times. He knew she would cry. He knew she would be floored, no matter how often he prepped her with confessions of the plans he had to make his place in her life one of permanence. He knew she would be enraptured by the circle cut two-carat diamond and the smaller clusters decorating on either side. He knew her so well by now that every move had been anticipated, all except her response.

Vince’s heart pounded as he waited.

And waited.

Ten.

Forever

When words finally came to Fallyn, they were incoherent. “Wha—I, Vin—you, I… You… What?”

“Will you marry me?” he repeated, holding his position as long as it took to get a yes.

Fallyn took three steps back, then four. Then she was clear across the kitchen, back plastered to the wall. “What are you saying?”

Vince stood slowly. “I’m tired of going home to you not being there.”

“You can’t know… Vince, this is… I don’t understand!”

“I’m ready. I’m done being without you. I want to be your husband, Fallyn.”

“Stop it!” she cried, tears streaming down her face. Her nose was pink, and her breath was coming out in shallow gasps. “I can’t even begin to figure out how that could work! Where would we even live?”

“Wherever you want to live. I want you to come move in with me on the west end, but I’ll go wherever you want. We can even start over someplace knew, if you like. I can hand the family businesses over to Tony and we can run away together, if that’s what you want.”

“We can’t do that!” she shouted. “My family! They… I… We’ve been dating in secret for like, five months? Six? You can’t possibly know you want to marry me.”

Vince cleared the distance between them, lightly pressing her body to the wall to make sure she didn’t run. “I knew in the first week I couldn’t be without you. If you’re not sure, I can wait. But I’m sure, Fal. You’re the one.” He took a chance and kissed her, lacing his fingers through hers and pinning her wrist to the wall over her head, just how he knew she liked to be seduced. He tasted her tears on her lips and smeared his lips from hers, dragging them across her cheek and over to her ear. “I’m sure,
tesoro
. I’m sure. We can work all the details out later.”

Fallyn buried her face in his neck, a million emotions and conflicting arguments flooding through her. “Vince?” Her voice was timid and fragile, afraid of the words she had no idea were buried deep inside her. “I’m sure, too.”

Vince’s heart stuttered, and he almost fell. “Yes? Is that a yes? Are you saying yes?”

Fallyn nodded into his neck. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

Too much happiness banged and crashed inside of Vince, rendering him speechless. The only thing his lips were good for was kissing the woman he loved. His fingers shook as he pried the ring he’d spent too much time obsessing over out of the box and slid it onto her finger, exhaling when it fit perfectly. Every detail, every worry – all of it fell away when she melted under his spell, and he hers. She was pliable in his shaking arms, kissing him whenever her crying permitted.

“Tonight,” Vince breathed. “We tell my family tonight, and then yours at family dinner this Saturday.”

Fallyn’s eyes flew open in panic. She ducked out from Vince’s hold and took several steps away, as if he had grown too hot to be near. “No! No, Vince. We can’t tell them yet.”

Vince took a few steadying breaths before responding, unwilling to let the best day of his life crash and burn under the flames of a fight. “When? When do you want to tell them?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “They should hear it from you, and soon. I don’t keep things from my family. Someone’s bound to say something, so it should be us.”

Fallyn looked down at the ring on her hand that was trembling so badly, she knew she’d never be able to finish piping her cake. “They’ll break us up.” Her voice was small, and she felt like a child banished to her room without her favorite toy.

Vince went from ball of nerves, to puddle, to livid. He pointed his finger at the floor to punctuate his point. “You listen to me right now. What we have is stronger than them. We found each other despite everything against us. Don’t bail on me now. My girl doesn’t quit when things get hard. I love you because you’re strong. I need you to stand with me when they come after us.”

Fallyn stared at the ring that was so beautiful, she knew she would never find anything else in life as perfect. She thought about her brothers who loved her, but couldn’t stop trying to control her life. When compared with the freedom she felt with Vince, she knew that when it came down to it, she would go with her equal. She wanted to be treated kindly and fairly, not as if she couldn’t handle a little hardship. “You’ll stay with me forever? Even when it gets hard?”

Vince’s shoulders relaxed, but his eyes stayed laser sharp on her. “Forever. I’ll never leave you.”

“If my brothers run us out of town away from everything you’ve built, you won’t resent me and take it out on me?”

Vince moved slowly toward her, picking up her hand and kissing the ring. “I’ll never regret this,” he vowed. “I’ll never regret you.”

“Okay, then. We’ll tell my family at dinner on Saturday.” Fallyn was unsteady on her toes as she rose to kiss him, but she drew confidence from the man who would stand by her, no matter how bloody things got.

Eleven.

Bolt or Fight

Fallyn’s nerves had been so high, she had thrown up in anticipation of having dinner at her father’s house. The D’Amatos all knew, and had thankfully kept the secret so Vince and Fallyn could shoulder the blow as a team, with them there for support. With her ring in her pocket, Fallyn was white as she waited on the porch, unsure if she should open the door or run.

Vince wouldn’t run,
she chided herself.
The guys want me to be happy. They love me. This is good news.
Even as she gave herself the pep talk, she could feel the falsity in the words. She shrieked, jumping out of her skin when Declan threw open the door to greet her, belting out a loud Irish song at the top of his lungs in welcome. His eyes widened at her pale face and skittish behavior. “Whoa. You alright, kiddo?”

Fallyn nodded twice, faking a smile she knew convinced no one. “I made a cake but I dropped it, so I didn’t bring dessert tonight.”

Declan wrapped his arms around her, taking in her apparent frailty and deciding not to squeeze her too tight. “Hey, that’s alright. Vince brought some cake from his restaurant. Lucky coincidence.”

Fallyn swallowed thickly. She had called Vince in hysterics when she’d dropped the cake, begging him to elope so they didn’t have to tell her brothers. In hindsight, she’d known that wasn’t a great option, but standing in her father’s house surrounded by her armed brothers, it didn’t seem like such a silly idea after all. Vince had talked her down in his steady way, and of course brought dessert, picking up the slack where she dropped it.

Vince and his family were already there, each man feigning ease on the couches in the living room. They were braced for the impending war they were all prepared to back Vince up for. Fallyn had worked the whole evening through in her mind, deciding on dessert being the best time to announce their engagement.

As she stood in the living room, her knees shaking so terribly, she was sure she would pass out, she knew she had to tell them before the words stayed stuck inside of her forever. “Guys, I have to tell you something,” she began, but no sound came out. Her brothers were talking shop and planning their next trip with the D’Amatos to the cabin, and didn’t hear a thing.

Fallyn dipped into her pocket and slid her engagement ring onto her finger, letting the two carats speak for her. The carats were quiet for a while, letting the men enjoy what they could of their evening. When the nurse brought her father out from the bedroom where he’d been having his breathing treatment, Fallyn wished beyond anything that her father would recognize her. She met his eyes and nearly sobbed when Patrick’s usually glazed-over eyes fell on his only daughter. “Fallyn?” he asked, as if he hadn’t seen her face in months.

“Daddy? Hi!” She ran to her father, crashing into his arms that felt strong, despite their weakness that came from age. “Daddy, I missed you so much.”

Patrick kissed the top of his daughter’s head, snuggling her like she was his favorite doll. His Irish brogue was thick, and warmed everyone in the home with its familiarity. “Then ya should come visit yer old Daddy more often. Such a pretty face. Now my house is perfect.”

Fallyn was beside herself with relief and joy. Her father knew her face, and no matter what else devolved in the evening, she had that nugget of priceless treasure to cling to.

“Um, Fal? Tell me that’s fake jewelry you’re wearing,” Danny said, breaking the tender moment.

Fallyn refused to let go of her father, holding onto him for every second that he knew her, willing this moment to be forever in his memory that was quickly fading. “When have you ever known me to wear fake jewelry?” she responded, finally finding her voice, quiet as it was.

Danny forced out a laugh. “Because you’re wearing it… I mean, it looks like you’re married. You should wear it on a different finger.”

The levity that had been filling the living room before came to a screeching halt. Beers were frozen mid-sip and eyes were wide as the men all turned as one toward their sister. “I’m not married,” she clarified quietly. “But I am engaged.”

Twelve.

Fault Line

The shouting and demanding lasted for ten whole minutes while Fallyn clung to her father, who slowly began to loosen his grip from around her. She could feel him slipping away, and wished the great man in her life could stand next to her with some amount of loyalty.

Patrick stepped back from her, reaching for his nurse, who led him to his recliner. “It’s alright, Patrick,” Nurse O’Malley said with unbending calm as she lowered him down into his soft chair.

Fallyn was tired from throwing up due to nerves. She was tired of hiding things from her brothers. She was tired of being a stranger to her father. She was tired of being quiet. Deep inside of her, she summoned the voice that she hadn’t been able to access and shouted above the chaos. “Enough!” She clapped her hands twice and then moved to the coffee table, pointing to the wood surface. “Guns on the table, all of you.”

Declan waved off her demand. “What? Fally, you’re being dramatic. We’re pissed, but…”

“On the table!” she ordered. “It’s my pound of flesh from each of you. You want to know my fiancé’s name? I want your guns. Now!”

Carrigan sunk to his knees in anguish, barely holding back his rage. “No! Tell me you didn’t. Tell me this isn’t. No, Fallyn! No! Anyone but him!”

“Guns on the table!” She met Angelo’s eyes, who nodded in solidarity. “Angelo keeps the guns until I say so.” This brought about more arguments, but Fallyn kept her mouth shut until she counted six guns from her brothers on the coffee table. “I’m finally happy, which you all want for me, right?” She glared at each of her brothers until they nodded with varying degrees of hesitance. “I’ve lived on my own just fine. I run my own business. I have two degrees. I pay my own bills. I don’t want anyone questioning my choice. Any of you messes with my future husband, and I’ll elope so fast, you won’t know what hit you. You won’t hear from me until you get our couple’s Christmas card in the mail, with no return address.”

Joey and Tony both snorted at the notion of their intimidating older brother grinning out at them from a cheery Christmas card. Angelo smacked them both upside the head. “Guns stay on the table,” Angelo ordered, standing to enforce Fallyn’s rule.

Killian waved Angelo off. “Look, this is family stuff. You all want to step outside and give us a minute?”

Vince stood next to Angelo, and then slowly moved beside Fallyn, stopping them all short when he reached out and held her hand. “This involves our family, too. We wanted to tell you all sooner, but Fallyn was afraid of how you’d react. She was sure you’d try to break us up, or beat on me, like I let Carrigan do when he found out a couple months ago.” Vince smirked at Carrigan, glad to feed him to the wolves to distract from them ganging up on Fallyn.

Seamus whirled on Carrigan, angry he’d kept them all out of the loop. “You knew?”

Declan and Killian were beside themselves with what looked like food sickness. Killian held his stomach and jabbed his trembling finger at Vince. “You! Explain yourself!”

“Don’t hold her hand like that!” Declan shouted, looking like he might throw up on the carpet.

Vince’s voice did not waver, nor did he let go of Fallyn’s hand. “When I first started coming around the bakery for our weekly meetings, Fallyn and I got to talking. One thing led to another, and here we are. Nothing more complicated than that.”

“I said get your hand off her! Fallyn, get away from him!” Declan didn’t just appear upset, he was choked with something Fallyn couldn’t place. It was a deeper level of disgust than a sentiment of the typical rage displayed on Danny, Seamus, Finn and Carrigan’s faces.

Seamus took the lead and threw the first punch, narrowly missing Vince’s jaw. Vince pushed Fallyn behind him. “Get in the car,” he ordered. “I’ve got this.”

“No!” She ran to her father’s recliner, taking in his glazed expression that looked mildly perplexed by the ruckus. “Daddy, tell them it’s okay. They’ll listen if you tell them Vince and I should be together. Please, Daddy!”

“Vince?” Patrick questioned in between lucidity and not. “Vince D’Amato? Papa D’s oldest boy?”

“Yes!” Fallyn was on her knees, both her hands wrapped around her father’s large mitt. “Yes, Vince and I are in love, and we’re going to get married! Daddy, I’m getting married.” She tried to force a smile through the punches she could hear being thrown behind her.

Patrick’s bland expression shifted to indignant, and to unmitigated rage out of nowhere. He stood, his tall stature only made more giant-like when compared to Fallyn, who scrambled to her feet before him. He sneered down at her and roared, “I don’t have a daughter!” Then Patrick did something he’d never done in his life. He wound up and backhanded Fallyn across the face, sending her flying out and to the ground in a crash of terror. The beginnings of a permanent fault line were almost audible as they cracked like a whip across her heart.

Finn tried to scoop his sister up while Killian gently wrestled his confused father back into his recliner. “Dad, no! Fallyn’s your daughter, and you can’t hit her!”

Fallyn pushed Finn off of her. “No! Get away from me!” Tears were streaming down her throbbing cheek as she let out a bleat of emotional trauma that hurt far worse than the sting of the smack. “If you can’t accept Vince, then you don’t get me. We’re a package, so it’s both of us or none of us.”

Killian straightened, and with venom in his voice, he ruled, “You can’t marry Vince. That’s the end of the discussion. Vince, get out and don’t come back.”

Declan was holding his stomach. “Fallyn, there are things you don’t know. You can’t marry Vince, sweetie.”

Fallyn permitted Joey to help her off the floor, leaning on him so she didn’t collapse under the weight of a depression she was sure she would never claw her way out of. “Get me out of here,” she whispered. “Vince, we’re going.”

Angelo shoved Seamus and provided enough distance between the potential attackers for Vince to snatch up Fallyn’s purse and help her out the door and into his car. He tossed her keys to Joey. “Meet us at home,” he instructed to his brother and Angelo.

Vince screeched out of the driveway, ignoring Declan, who ran out of the house in a blind panic, calling for his sister to come back.

Vince’s heart was pounding as he drove out of O’Keefe territory, knowing this was the last time he would set foot on the property for the foreseeable future. He reached over at a stoplight and pulled a lever next to Fallyn’s seat that lowered it so she could mourn in comfort. Her finger stayed tight inside the ring he’d given her, and for the time being, that was enough of a silver lining that got him through until he pulled into his bulletproof home and locked the door.