Page 19 of Taking His Heart

“I like dancing,” she says.

“I remember.” We danced together a lot, on our own. Sometimes there wasn’t even music, but we still danced.

“What else do you remember?” Daniella questions.

“There isn’t a thing about you I don’t remember, Dani,” I admit.

“You should have moved on by now, CJ. You should be married or something,” she says, again with the hot-and-cold bullshit.

“You proposing, Dani?” I smile at her but my heart is pounding in my chest. I know she’s not. I can’t help but hope, though.

“You should be married to someone who’s not me,” she says.

“The only way I’m ever going to be married is if it’s you, Dani.”

“You know we can’t do that.”

“I know I could, right now. I could take you down to a little chapel and say I do without a second thought. It’s you who won’t do it,” I remind her. “Whatever is holding you back is in your own head. It’s not on me. You know, I thought it was me for a really long time. But now I’m realizing it wasn’t anything I did, was it? It’s something you’re not telling me.” I’m pushing her. I know I am.

“You wouldn’t actually marry me right now, CJ. You hate me.” Dani rolls her eyes.

“Try me. Come down to the chapel with me right now and say I do,” I tease her.

“Fine. Let’s do it.” She stands and grabs hold of my arm, pulling me up out of the seat.

My eyes widen. She’s not serious. She’s trying to call my bluff. Joke’s on her, though. I’m not bluffing. I would marry her, in a fucking heartbeat, because there is no one else for me.

“How drunk are you?” I stand and follow her.

“I’m not,” she says with a straight face. “Wait… Where’s my sister? I can’t get married without her.” Daniella looks around the club until she spots Rosie.

“You’re not getting fucking married, Daniella. We’re going home, now,” Aurelio cuts in.

“But CJ just said he’d marry me, Aurelio. Don’t you want me to be happy? To be married and all that?” Daniella looks at her brother, and they seem to have a conversation without words. “Besides, it’s not like he’s actually going to go through with it,” she adds with a laugh.

“He will,” I say and point to myself.

Aurelio turns to me. He’s mulling something over in his head, and for a long moment, he’s just silent. “Fine. Let’s do this. But when Dad finds out, remember I tried to talk you out of it,” he finally says.

I blink. What the fuck just happened? He’s going to let me marry his sister? Unless he thinks I won’t go through with it either.

Daniella pulls Rosie off the dance floor, and then the younger De Bellis sibling is squealing loud enough to be heard over the club music.

“You sure about this?” Alfie asks me.

“Sure about what?”

“Getting married? In a Vegas chapel?” he asks.

“Worked out fine for your parents.” I shrug, not taking my eyes off Daniella.

Am I sure I want to marry her? Yes. Do I believe she actually wants this? I’m not nearly so sure.

I should put a stop to it. But there’s this selfish asshole part of me that wants her tied to me forever, no matter what it takes. I gave her what she wanted years ago, and all it did was make both of us miserable. It’s time to try something else.

“Your mother is going to kill you.” Alfie laughs.

“Nah, she’ll forgive me eventually.” My mother is definitely going to kill me for getting married without her there. Daniella might just be the fastest widow in history.