As I rolled through the gates of my giant estate I looked to my sprawling home and saw that as expected, the front lights were on and so was the living room's. As I slowed in the driveway I parked beside all of my other vehicles though they were slowly being moved to the back corner of the property. Shutting off the engine I slid from my car and locked it behind me while making out Aria's face in the window before it disappeared. I knew she'd be at the door waiting for me to walk in and I momentarily forgot that I had just come home from tricking information from a guy I'd ordered killed, and had likely condemned at least another hundred people to death.
But who was going to stop me?
Pushing open the front door I was immediately faced by a beaming Aria who threw herself around me amplifying my feeling of not being a vicious and notorious Mafia Boss, I wasn't the Godfather of Western Europe, I wasn't the monster I'd been made to be, in the small woman who was tightly hugging me's eyes I was just Alessio Salvatorini, I was her fiancé. Staring down at her she eventually tilted her head back and I immediately noticed the French braids that led to a single braid that went around her shoulder as she looked at me with those beautiful hazel eyes.
"Tu m'appartiens Arianna, et moi à toi," I whisper softly as I lifted her up by her waist so that we were level with one another.
"I don't speak French," she says though the bright but coy smile on her lips told me that she knew I had said something that she would like the meaning of.
"You belong to me, and I to you," I translate for her, and she blushes looking down and meeting the spot where I'd been shot.
"Alessio," she gasps going to reach for the piece of fabric I'd still not removed from the bullet wound and stopping to look back at me with concern mottling her face as she considered me, as if wondering if my pain had shown on my face and she'd missed it. The consideration wasn't missed by me either she cared I just would never be able to seem weak in her eyes because I'd been shot and harmed so often I almost didn't notice any of my wounds anymore.
"It's nothing, I've experienced worse pain then being shot," I say dismissively but she glowered at me and I couldn't help but smile lightly at her.
"Fuck that, I'm treating your wound, put me down and go sit on our bed, I'm going to get the med kit," Aria says and without hesitation I set her down and watched her head towards my office where I kept one of three med kits in my house, another was in the garage, and the final one lay under the sink in the bathroom of my bedroom.
Getting to the bedroom I walked around the bed and sat down on Aria's side of the bed near the end. The duvet had been neatly folded at the end of the bed a habit I'd noticed Aria did with blankets and towels once she was done using them to make the room look neat, and tidy. Though I noticed the discrepancy from where our pillows sat. Mine was flipped around from where it should have sat and hers remained still as if she'd swapped hers and mine, and once Aria knew I was coming home had corrected where the pillows were though not the orientation.
She slept with my pillow.
Before I could check anything else Aria walked through the door carrying the med kit and sat down on the bed beside me before wordlessly cleaning the wound with peroxide, and alcohol, before wiping off any gunpowder or brass residue, and then putting a gauze over the spot the bullet penetrated.
"Relax your arm, if it's not relaxed the bandage won't be tight enough on your arm," she says without making eye contact with me. Watching her do this was fascinating, and somewhat relaxing that she was so careful to make sure it was wrapped properly before taking bandage clips and securing them into the fabric.
"I will have to change the gauze every morning and evening, and the bandages every two days to not allow infection," she explains while I watched her face. If she was anyone but my future wife I'd be mildly off-put that she thought I didn't know how this would have to work but she was more conservative with the times then I was and would insist I listen to her for the sake of my health, even if I would've been fine with just bandaging it because I hadn't done anything different then removing the bullet and stitching myself shut with a bandage around it.
"You're not going to stitch it shut?" I ask.
"Not on your bicep, if it was a less used muscle group sure, but it would be better to let your body heal from the bottom of it, until the hole is smaller and has less chance of any infection growing at the base of the bullet hole, also you took it out with a knife like an idiot, you could have left residue that could have given you a serious infection," Aria says calmly though I picked up on the reprimand in her tone.
"I'm sorry nurse Valentino," I say teasingly though I put the note away in my mind so that I wouldn't knife the bullets of future wounds out.
"I'm being serious Alessio, I don't want you to get an infection from a gunshot wound, it scares me enough that you are gone so long, and I'm here in this home waiting for you to get home. I miss you during the day, and there is only so many things to draw in this house," Aria says.
"If something comes up, I'd be willing to let you help with the Familia's business," I say reaching up and cupping the side of her face.
"Actually?" she beams and I nod admiring the optimistic smile on her lips and the bright look in her eyes as she leaned into my touch, something I'd come to enjoy more and more as she did it. Her language of affection was touch, I could tell that much about her, and it was as if she fulfilled a part of me I had buried for the sake of protecting myself from any form of affection or appreciation outside of respect and comradery.
"There are many casinos the Familia owns both official and otherwise, I wouldn't mind instating you as the Manager for one of them, and if things go well maybe I'll make you branch manager for them and the associated hotels," I suggest though I wouldn't do it until after we'd been married for a while.
"I would enjoy having something to do, but don't you already have someone doing that?" Aria asks and I nod.
"I do, but many of them are getting older, or simply have been trying to do things behind my back so I may have to remove them, and because you and I aren't married yet it would be best for us to wait until after we say our vows to let you into the family businesses," I say and she nods.
"You've also been sleeping on my pillow, you changed them around when you found out I was coming home," I point out and she hums while looking down. I liked that she had the confidence to stand up to me, and ask what she wanted from me, but the side of her that was shy and willing to lean into me, to trust me made me want to protect her from all the harms this world could bring to her without question.
"Your pillow smells like your cologne, makes me sleep better, it's stupid, I'm twenty I should be able to sleep normally," she says and I lift her chin so I could look at her.
"Arianna, you have nothing to be ashamed of, I can't tell you what it means to have someone waiting for me when I get home, I've never had it. You've changed my daily life in such a large way while being just one simple change in it. Even if your family never intended it".
She stopped and looked up at me, and slid closer to me before moving to straddle my lap while wrapping her arms around me. If it were known how much she meant to me I'd be dealing with a lot more then just assassination of powerful Underbosses in my major cities. I'd have people questioning my position as Boss of the Family.
"Thank you for trying for our future marriage," she whispers into my ear as she rested her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her before standing and moving around the bed before I lay back on my side of the bed and shifted my hips to get us to both me straight on the bed though I kept looking to make sure I wasn't making her uncomfortable by being pressed up to her.
"I'm going to try every day to be the best husband I can be for you Arianna, and I know what your statement meant about you doing the one thing all Mafia wives are warned not too. I'm just sorry that it has to be me, I kill people and commit fraud, extortion, bribery, racketeering, money laundering, and various other crimes. I could go to Federal prison for the rest of my life if it was known that I was the Boss of the Salvatorini Crime Family," I say looking into her eyes, eyes that held adoration, and if I didn't know she was smart I'd say negligence. But the truth was more terrifying, she knew every dark secret, knew who I was, and what I was capable of doing, and regardless she didn't care in the slightest about who I really was outside of our home.
"I'd go to the depths of hell if you were there. That's my job as your wife to go where you go no matter how horrible things become," Aria says and I take her hand and place it over my heart.
"Do you feel that?" I ask and she nodded.
"Slowly you're worming your way in, it's a risk to care about anything in this world Aria. I could be dead one day, and I'd be leaving you as a widow," I admit while running a hand through her hair slowly undoing the braid until it all fell loosely like a veil over the both of us.
"I couldn't be a widow Alessio, we are all born of sin, besides I've dragged you over the ledge with me," she says laying down on me.
"I hope not, but I will always stay true to my promise to your family, they did get my word that I would protect you," I say and she nods again before leaning down and pressing her lips against mine. The kiss wasn't hungry or filled with passion it was soft and loving even if I didn't want to admit it. I'd been given a woman who was too good for me, and in return I was given the challenge to protect her, to give her the marriage that was required of us, but I didn't know if I'd ever be able to fully give her my heart after what I saw of my parents own marriage.
"I know you will, and I will protect you," Aria says looking into my eyes as she rested her chin on my chest.
"That's not your job but I appreciate you, Arianna, now go to sleep I know you haven't slept," I say sliding off of the bed and undressing before taking the blanket and neatly laying it across the bed, while Aria carried both my clothing and her own that she'd removed to the laundry bins in our closet. When she returned she slid under the blankets and peered at me as I went to make sure the house was locked along with putting all of my knives and two of the guns away before I joined her in bed with the lights off.
"Why do you keep one gun?" she asks from the darkness next to me.
"Because years in this life taught me to be alert at all times, even in my own home," I say reaching out and pulling her to me. "Now go to sleep, I'm not going anywhere until morning".
She didn't protest, and though I'd expected a question to follow she remained quiet and lay as close to me as she could before she drifted off, and I followed after her into the realm of sleep.
So I'm thinking the next chapter will be about the furthered conflict between Vincenzo and Fianntino, which will have an interesting addition in how that chapter goes, after I have the Matteo and Gabriella chapter semi planned in my head. Comment, vote, and share. Anyways
Peace✌