______________
Skylar's POV:
"How do I look?" I stand in front of Dean and Sage blocking the TV adjusting my necklaces trying to figure out if they go under the collar or over it. "You look good but I think it depends on what this outfit is for, it isn't your prom already is it?" Sage asks and I shake my head, "No it isn't prom I don't even know if I'm going to that. Bailey's mom invited me to dinner probably to size me up and I'm not excited for it because they're lawyers." I explain fixing my cuffed sleeves just below the elbows of my only fancy shirt and I managed to find black slacks that go well with the navy button shirt, blue really isn't my color but it'll do.
"Oh so they're a lawyer family?" Dean asks and I shake my head, "Nope just the parents, she doesn't want to be a lawyer." I say brushing my pants with my hands. "I didn't know you two were serious, already meeting the parents, that's a big step in your relationship." Sage jokes and I glare at the two grown men, "Ha ha so fucking funny we're not in a relationship." I shake my head walking away towards where we keep our shoes, "Seriously though, you've been with this girl a ton, does she know everything?" Dean and Sage both follow me, "No, she doesn't know everything, she doesn't need to know everything." I roll my eyes trying to find something to go well with what I'm wearing.
"She will soon, you know that right the longer this keeps going that you're going to have to tell her right before you know our little government finds out." Dean stands next to me pulling out the shoes I was looking for. "Honestly fuck those people they just think they rule and look over everyone in every mafia because they've been running the longest, they're not going to know that I'm talking to someone who isn't in the mafia, they're not going to have her sign anything because she knows me, she doesn't know the life I live and I'm going to keep it that way." I take the shoes from Dean and I walk past the both of them into the garage.
"Sky, you know they're going to eventually know, mind I remind you that they're the ones who let us fucking live. All of us went through it, one bad thing that goes wrong between you two and she'll have to answer to them. You know the Agnellos don't just let anyone by and Bailey is going to have to answer to them if things get too far and it's not just her it's everyone she knows." The fucking Agnellos are a bunch of pricks that think they can control everything that goes on because they're the longest-running Italian mafia, next to the Russians but they don't worry about them, it's like we're being treated just as how the Volturi treated the vampires in Twilight.
"I don't think she's ready to know anything about what we've gone through and what we've done now, she can barely handle getting in trouble with her parents so how am I supposed to tell her 'Hey, I'm a part of the Italian mafia and we've killed a bunch of people and now that you know. You have to leave everything you have and join us otherwise you die.' fucking hell dude, our parents think we're off in some boarding school in Europe not here a couple of states away from them, you can't tell me to ruin Bailey's life the same way we ruined our parents. She doesn't deserve that." I grab my helmet and I open up the garage door.
"You're not going to ruin her life, you're giving a warning that if this were to continue then it can definitely escalate." Sage steps in front of my bike and I got on.
"You wanna know something, she said that she hopes to get kidnapped by a hot Italian mafia dude so that she'll become rich and fall in love, that's what she see's our life as. She doesn't know about the sacrifices, the death, the pain, the fucking guilt. She doesn't see our life like that and to dump all of it at once will ruin more than one thing." I don't want her to see what she's read as a lie, a dumb fantasy. She might see me like that.
"That's stupid." Dean huffs and Sage stays silent, "I know you don't see the mafia like that because your love story is exactly like the books she reads, your love story is exactly like what hundreds of people have read, it's what people want when it comes to this life but my story and yours are very different. Mine isn't what people want to read, not like yours the love between two people that are envied and idolized." I huff slipping my helmet over my head.
"You think I don't know that, you know what happened with my so-called envied and idolized love story but right now me telling you everything that's happened to us, to me, to her is something I'm trying to prevent so you don't lose someone you love." He put's his hands on the handle and I put my key in the ignition.
"I don't love her," I mumbled.
"Yeah keep yourself that, keep telling yourself that you don't actually care about what happens to her, that you can go on without her, that once your little deal is over you can move on. But the second you shook on that deal was the moment that you knew you weren't going to be able to drop her. You care for her whether if you realize it or not and I'll prove to you that you do." He dips his head, "I have to go, I don't want to be late." I avoid the rest of the conversation.
He leans up moving out of my way and I look behind me not seeing Dean stand where he was, "Drive safe." Sage pats my back, "I know I know." I tell him and I pull out of the garage.
_______
Bailey's POV:
I watched my mom rush around the kitchen trying to prepare for this dinner with Skylar while my dad sets up the table to look fancy. "Bailey, don't just stand there, help me out here, there's a vase in the pantry get it so it can be the centerpiece with these flowers I just bought." He tells me and I shuffle to the pantry, "What color is it?" I ask but then the doorbell rings. I lean up from my position hitting my head against the shelf, that hurt like a buttcheek on a stick. "I'll get it." I groan stepping out of the confined space and I dust off my dark blue off-the-shoulder dress.
The only reason I have it was because of a dinner party I had to go to but it works for this occasion. I rushed to the front door and I took a look through the peephole seeing Skylar rock back and forth on her heels. I breathed in, "It's going to be okay." I breathed out then I opened the door, "Hi Skylar." I greeted seeing her in black pants and a blue cuffed shirt that has a few top buttons undone, that's hot, and oh my are we matching. WE'RE MATCHING! UNPLANNED MATCHING!
"Hey Beans, these are for you and I hope this kind of wine is okay." She hands me a small bouquet of flowers. A mix of lilacs, roses, and cornflowers. Some of the flowers mentioned in Pride and prejudice, SHE GOT ME FLOWERS! No one has ever gotten me flowers before. My heart is going to explode, I can't believe she got me flowers and not just any flowers but flowers with a meaning. I love her. WAIT! WHAT DID I JUST THINK? HANG ON THAT'S TOO SOON!
"Thank you." I keep them close to my face hiding my ecstatic wide smile, "You're welcome." She smiles back, "Oh, come in my parents are ready to meet you." I move out of the way and she steps inside, "Is there anything I need to know before I meet them?" She whispers and I shake my head, "Let them start the conversation then just follow what they do, that's the best I can give you." I tell her and she nods.
I link my arms in hers pulling her with me towards the kitchen and we both took a deep breath in. "Mom, Dad, this is Skylar Morozan. Skylar these are my parents Elaine and Daniel Skeels." I get the attention of my parents and they look at us, "Good to finally meet you Skylar." Dad comes up to us first and they shake hands, "Good to meet you too Mr. Skeels, here is a bottle of wine that I think will suit your tastes." Skylar offers the bottle and my dad's eyes widen.
"Elaine look hun, a twenty-seventeen Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon. It's one of the best California Red wines, you have taste. I like you already." He graciously takes the bottle walking over to my mom and she takes a glance, "He's right you do have great taste, how are you? I'm Elaine Bailey's mom." The woman comes up and I feel Skylar unlink her arm from mine and go in for a hug.
"I'm doing good, thank you for having me." Skylar lets go after a few seconds and I stand there awkwardly holding the flowers that I want to keep forever because it proves someones cares about me and cares about the things I love. "Of course after going out with our daughter it's only right for us to meet you and I'm sure she's thrilled that you're here so let's enjoy tonight, please sit dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She gives her signature loving smile that I know has a different meaning.
"Come on lets sit." I tug Skyar's sleeve and I lead her to our dining table, everything is going to be okay, tonight is going to go well. Hopefully.