Page 87 of Till Death Do Us Part
Mia shrugged, her smile dimming. “We were young. Rocco’s parents gave us money for our wedding. He wanted things to appear as if we were better off than we were. Instead of budgeting the money, he insisted we make the first floor look like a showroom.” She shook her head. “In retrospect, I realize it was a cheap imitation. For the first two years, we slept on a mattress on the floor, and our clothes were in those plastic dressers.” She inhaled and looked down at her lap. “No one was allowed to go upstairs.”
I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t give two shits about other people’s opinions. The only person whose opinion matters is you.”
“I want you to like it too.”
“The office is even better than I imagined. I’ve never had my own office,” I admitted. “At my parents’ house, Rei and I would talk inmi padre’soffice. Our work was done throughout the house.” I laughed. “It’s a big fucking house, so we were never without space.”
She lifted one of the magazines and showed me different sets of outdoor furniture. “I was thinking about this for the back patio and pool area.” She turned the page. “This is pretty, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra expense.”
“Stop.”
Her hazel orbs looked over at me.
“We’re not on a budget. Get whatever you want.”
“My mom has some amazing artwork. You know…real art. Not paintings you buy at a store but ones you purchase through dealers.”
Mi padreandmadrehad artwork. I thought of it more as a status symbol than their love of the art or artists.
“Get art,” I said.
“I wish I knew more about it.”
“Cat’s degree is in art something or the other. I’m sure she’d be open to talking to you about it.”
Mia sighed and tugged on her lower lip. “I feel bad about Catalina.”
“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I didn’t realize until we married how lonely Catalina must have felt in Kansas City. I wish I’d done more to welcome her into the famiglia.”
“Are you lonely?”
Her gaze met mine. “Sometimes. I was at first with the extra emotion of feeling sorry for myself.” Before I could comment, she went on, “Josefina was a big help. It sounds ridiculous that I was feeling sorry for myself while sailing on a superyacht. It’s a lot to leave your home, family, and friends.”
“Valentina Ruiz and Camila recently returned from Kansas City. Maybe you could do something with them? I don’t care where you go or what you do as long as you have Silas or another bodyguard with you.”
She sat taller against the headboard. “I was thinking that maybe after the house is decorated, we could have a housewarming party or something.”
My thoughts immediately went to the problems with the bratva and some unusual coincidences that had befallen a few of the cartel’s recent transactions. For a party we’d need more than Silas’s security; we’d need guards we could trust without question.
“If you don’t want us to…”
I shook my head. “Give Silas and me time to manage security and we can have a party.”
“What about Gerardo and Liliana Ruiz?”
“What about them?”
“Did you tell Gerardo after our wedding that we may visit?”
“I said something that morning, but honestly, with everything happening, I’d forgotten all about it.”
Mia turned toward me, pushing the magazines out of the way. “If we could make the trip, I want to do it. I’m worried about Liliana.”
I lifted my palm to cup her cheek. “I never took you for someone with such a big heart.”
Her smile caused her cheeks to rise. “You didn’t know me, nor I you. I admit I had my share of misconceptions about you.”