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I’ll need to keep my thoughts out of the gutter and my hands to myself for an entire year. Is that even possible? Yes, I’ve already had two fucking years of practice.
I hear my front door open and close and look up to see Val. She’s obviously taken a shower, as her unruly curls are even more pronounced from the moisture that still clings to her dark curls.
She’s dressed in jeans and a black top that shows off her dark hair and eyes. I remind myself that she is just a friend as we head toward the door.
We see a car pull up in the driveway as I open the front door for her. It’s probably her aunt and uncle. They are now parked in our driveway.
“Damn, I was hoping to avoid this. Come on, Val. Let’s get this showdown with your family over with.”
Val’s car is parked on the left. I notice they park directly behind her car. I guess they think they might be able to hem her in if she tried to leave again. I feel my anger start to rise at their high-handedness.
“Valentina, we see you standing there in the doorway. Come out this minute and explain yourself.”
Val walks outside to talk to her family. They’re the older couple I caught a glimpse of as they ran after Val at the church. I take my time and walk over to them with a swagger. I want to show them they aren’t the ones calling the shots anymore.
They look exactly as I expected them to look. Mean and petty. The older woman has brown hair and hard, green eyes, and she’s as thin as a rail. She looks like she would try to cut you down to size if you let her. Unfortunately, Val lets her.
The man, Val’s uncle, might have been better off if he had married a more likable woman, but it looks like the years haven’t been kind to him. He’s a big, dark man who looks Italian, but his belly protrudes over his waistband, and he’s sweating in the hot Florida sun.
Four
Val
“Aunt Gloria, Uncle Vincent. This is Chase Knight–”
“Explain yourself, young lady. You just walked away from your only chance at getting married.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Chase says casually.
At his words, both my aunt and uncle glance his way. I watch my aunt’s lips tighten even further when her gaze rakes over Chase’s biker leathers and boots.
“Explain what you mean by that remark,” my aunt states waspishly.
Chase takes his time answering as he looks from one to the other; he then wraps his arm possessively around my waist and pulls me close to him.
“Val and I are getting married. We’d invite you to the wedding, but it will be very small and intimate. Probably just us two.”
I see my aunt’s eyes narrow as she looks at Chase with a suspicious look.
“And just what are you getting out of this deal? What did Valentina promise you? Money, I suppose?” she questions with a sneer.
“She’ll be promising to love, honor, and cherish me. I would go with obey, but that’s too old-fashioned,” Chase states with a smirk.
“Humph, I doubt those are the only reasons a man that looks like you would be marrying my niece.”
I squirm at my aunt’s scathing words. Chase probably thinks she’s cutting down his biker leathers, but I know she thinks he’s too handsome to be attracted to someone like me.
Chase narrows his eyes and gives both of them a stern look.
“Why wouldn’t a man like me be interested in Val? She’s lovely. Not only on the outside but on the inside as well. She’s kind and thoughtful and would do anything for a friend.”
“Why was she all set to marry Anthony Bernardi if she has you?” My aunt asks in a sharp tone.
“We’ve been practically living together for over two years. But Val and I had a fight and broke up about six months ago. Learning she was going to marry someone else made me come to my senses,” he looks down at me and pulls me even closer, then he looks back up at my aunt and uncle, “Quite frankly, she is a hell of a lot better off with me than any other man.”
My uncle looks down at my aunt with a confused frown, “Val has talked about some biker named Chase, but I thought he was just a friend. I didn’t know they lived in the same house.”
My aunt ignores my Uncle Victor’s words and instead looks at me and says accusingly, “You are the most ungrateful young lady. Look at everything your uncle and I have done for you since your parents were killed. Why, we’ve deprived our own daughter just to provide for you.”
