Page 20 of Taking His Heart

“You know, if you break her heart, I will tear yours from your chest and shove it up your ass,” Aurelio tells me.

“If I ever hurt her, I’d let you do it,” I tell him.

“She’s… Between you and me, I think you two have shit to sort out before you do anything like this. But I know my sister, and she’s stubborn and that conversation isn’t going to happen by itself. If I let her do this, it might help get her what she really wants but won’t go for.” Aurelio is talking to me, but I feel like he’s trying to rationalize letting his sister get married to me in a Vegas chapel.

“Whatever hangups she has, I’ll get to the bottom of them,” I assure him. Because I will.

First, I need to make her my wife. When I told her the only person I’d marry was her, I didn’t expect her to agree to it, or to suggest we do it right now.

“I need to talk to Daniella.” I walk towards where she’s standing with her sister.

The moment I reach the two of them, Rosie turns to me, her eyes icy as hell. “If you break her heart, I’m going to make you swallow a grenade and watch your ass blow to pieces.”

I do my best not to laugh, because the threats these siblings come up with are creative. “Noted. Dani, we should talk.”

“You backing out, CJ? Can’t really marry a girl you hate?” Daniella raises a challenging brow at me.

“No. I’m not backing out, and I don’t hate you.” I like to tell myself I do, but I’ve never been able to fully hate her. I hate the situation she put us both in. I hate the situation I put us both in by making her choose between me and her family. But the reality is… nothing has changed.

Whoever said that bullshit about love conquering all didn’t know what they were on about, because no amount of love can change the fact that our lives exist on opposite sides of the world. She won’t leave Australia. And I… Well, I don’t think I can leave Vegas.

I take Daniella’s hand and lead her away from her sister. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Marry you?” she asks, and I nod. “I’m sure you’re not actually going to say I do, CJ.”

“I guarantee if we go to that chapel, those words will leave my mouth, Daniella. You know that. So, I’m asking again. Are you sure? Because as much as I want to say fuck it, take advantage of this moment, and make you my wife, I don’t want that if it’s not truly what you want too.”

Daniella looks up at me. Something in her gaze shifts. “I can’t,” she whispers.

And again, my heart feels like it just got stabbed with a blade. “You can’t? Or you don’t want to?” I ask, because obviously I’m a sucker for punishment.

“I can’t,” she repeats. Which tells me she wants to. I can see it in her eyes: the indecision, the want, the love I use to let myself sink into.

“I don’t know what’s goin’ on in that pretty little head of yours, but you either need to sort your shit out, or tell me so I can sort it out for you. Because I can’t keep putting myself out there for you like this, Dani. There is only so much rejection I can take.”

“I’m not… It’s not you, CJ,” she says. “It’s me. I know that sounds lame. But trust me, you don’t really want to be stuck with me for a wife.”

Is she fucking serious right now? Stuck with her?

Before I can say anything, Daniella is turning and making her way towards her brother. I don’t move. I’m stuck. Frozen as memories of the last time she fucking walked out on me play through my head. I watch as Aurelio leads Daniella and Rosie out of the club.

Aiden stops in front of me. “You okay?”

“Not in the slightest. Go with her because I can’t right now,” I tell him.

He nods. I know I don’t need to hover over her. But fuck, do I want to.

Instead, I head back to the table, pick up the bottle of whiskey, and bring it to my lips. This is what I need right now. Alfie, Emilio, and Elias say nothing.

Frankie, however, isn’t so subtle. “You can do better than her.”

“Sure.” I shrug. “I knew she was never going to go along with that anyway.”

It’s a lie. I had hoped she would. But I should know better by now than to hope for anything. Especially when it comes to Daniella De Bellis.

Chapter Ten

Icried myself to sleep last night. My eyes are still puffy and red this morning. What was I thinking? I can’t believe, for a brief moment, I was actually going to go through with following CJ to a wedding chapel and marrying him. And honestly, if he didn’t question me, I probably would have.