The car slowed in the new driveway for the house. Aria had been asking for certain things while the house had it's addition built and I wasn't in a mental position to deny her from making the house that we lived in together ours even after I had paid millions to make it look how I wanted it too.
Climbing from the car I looked towards the house. The lights were on, and as expected Aria's smiling face was at the door in an instant, pulling it open as I strode up the steps to meet her on the porch.
It was her bright smile that I could lose myself in at the end of each day, that smile that made the monster I was tame and willing to step down from being my chief controller. I hadn't ever understood it, but still a look from those eyes could make me forget that I was looking for traitors, and that I was doing it to ensure no one ever thought of acting out against the Familia again. That was apart of the rules you didn't pursue or harm a woman of the Familia, and especially that of a more powerful position.
"What's going on, Lino and Carmilla said that there was a situation you had to deal with?" Aria says clutching at my coat that for once wasn't covered in the blood of anyone I killed.
Not yet.
"I have traitors that were found to be apart of more then just the attempted assassination of Pietro Fianntino, this whole thing was orchestrated during this time period to cause civil war, and duress in the Salvatorini Familia," I say looking down at her as I pulled her closer to me wrapping my arms around her inexplicably small frame.
"So you have to kill more people because the one interrogation with Romeo blew up?" Aria stated more then asked and I nodded.
"In a world of darkness, you are my light Arianna," I say resting my forehead on the top of her head.
"Don't say that, the world is always going to be dark," she says looking up, her eyes somewhat glassy.
"I know, but I can always enjoy it with you, now let's have dinner, home is no place for the cruelties of our world," I exhale and she follows after me though Aria never took her eyes off of me, not that I blamed her, she knew me, perhaps more then I wanted her too.
"Shall we order in, I don't want to cook," Aria says as we stopped in the kitchen with only the stove light, blanketing the room in a pale glow.
"You not wanting to cook?" I puzzle, my eyebrows raised in shock while I leaned my back on the counter with my arms crossed straining the fabric of my jacket.
Aria then perked up before moving to the fridge and pulling it open to reveal a section of the rather large appliance layered with trays of various pastries.
"I baked, does that count?" she says and I looked over everything she had made. Cupcakes, and cookies, muffins, and even a batch of cinnamon rolls adorned the shelves of my fridge each looking like they had been professionally done, but Aria hated anyone but her being in the kitchen so I knew that she had picked up many habits that she enjoyed in her youth and I could tell that many of them made her incredibly happy. Her paintings and drawings, many I noticed were of places outside of the villa which had me wonder how often throughout the day Aria and Carmilla leave the compound so my wife could do the art that she loved so much.
"Your baking is lovely Aria," I say, "and I will get Lino to go to one of my favourite restaurants to get us dinner," I add and she smiles at me before shaking her head a little.
"No wonder no one knows you live here, you only leave for work," Aria says and I hum knowing that it was true. I had my reclusive habits but I'd also rarely been home before her, something I was certain she'd figured out.
"And no one has ever tried to break into my compound in the history of its existence. Which is why I know you're safe. Even when you take trips out to paint things," I state and she flushed and looked down.
"I've seen your art Arianna, you should get it framed and put through the house, it is your home too, and if we're going to spend the rest of our lives together I'd rather you have that kind of freedom".
"Have I told you, that you're nothing like what I expected?" she says with a bright smile that she seemed to be struggling to keep held down.
"You have, and in just seven weeks you'll be married to me, which I wanted to talk to you about. You've seen what my life is like, I've returned home many times covered in blood, and you've never looked down on me for it," I say choosing that it would be better to be open lipped before anymore of my reservations turn into arguments.
"I can't look down on you, you're a head taller then me," she points out with the humour that I'd grown to appreciate because she could say it without wavering no matter how inconvenient it was for someone else.
"It has it's benefits when you try and suffocate me with your hair," I quip and she purses her lips at me but the smile she wore never slipped.
"I accept who you are because, that's a marriage Alessio, acceptance, and I would one day hope that you would be willing to teach that to any children we may have in the years of our marriage," she says walking to me and holding onto my forearm.
"When we have children, I will be sure to teach them how to treat other people, but not take shit, because this world forces all of us to be strong," I point out and Aria nodded.
"I also have just as much blood on my hands as you in some instances, I was kidnapped you know that, and if I wasn't all those people wouldn't have been killed how they were. You have also killed because of me,".
"Correction, I killed for you, I will kill for my family, I don't do things unnecessarily," I say wrapping my arms around her. "Regardless of how far down into a war things get in Italy, you will always be safe so long as I have the ability to find you, it's why I had you have a bodyguard since day one, and why I was willing to let you learn how to fight," I add looking into Aria's eyes, and finding the trust of a woman who knew she was safe and had no fear. I had never wanted to see fear in her eyes when she looked at me and hopefully I never would.
"I know I'm safe with you Alessio, and I know it will take a lot before you ever love me, but I will love the parts of you that you share with me," she says and I felt a knot form in the middle of my chest at her words.
Made men weren't loved, we were feared. But Aria's eyes only told me she loved me to the truest extent of those words, and I couldn't deny that maybe, just maybe I had a piece of me that was capable of love, and it belonged to Arianna.
I must have had a stung expression on my face because I felt my hands slip off of her as she took a step back with a pained look on her face as I hadn't said anything to her open confession.
"It's okay that you don't, I know I fall easily, I have before and it's hurt me. I'm sorry I said anything," she says, and it fell away, the confidence, all the regality of who she was had slipped away in one single statement and my stoic reaction.
Fuck, this was exactly why I know I don't deserve her.
Aria turned and started walking towards the door, her shoulders sagging slightly and I let out a sigh while clenching my jaw. Something I'd only done when we were first getting used to one another.
"Arianna wait," I say and she stiffens, while I shutter at how calm my voice had been, as if my voice knew more about me then my own mind did in that moment. Turning she stared at me and I could see the glossy look in them as her hazel eyes looked more defined behind the sheen on her eyes, and the knot tightened.
"Come here, please," I say and she did slowly moving back towards me before I pulled her to me and lifted her, only to set her on the counter which was the only place where her and I could be eye level with each other.
"I was taught that love would destroy someone, would make them weak, and vulnerable, that it was something to be exploited. But if there is love it is how I feel about you, I can't put it into words, but if love is sacrificing anything for one person, and being okay with changing, then I love you," I say before leaning forward and pressing my lips softly to hers.
"Alessio I don't want you to say things that you don't mean because you feel guilty," Aria whispers as she allowed barely a centimeter of space between our lips.
"Things about you I'm guilty about are that you have to be mine for the rest of my life. You're my guilty pleasure, but still the one woman I would pick," I reply reconnecting our lips and in response her fingers curled into my hair all while the kiss became more hungry, as if a fire was set to smolder between us until it caught into a whirlwind inferno.
Then there was a loud banging coming from the front door and in an instant, my gun and a knife had found their way into my hands as I crossed the house to the front door. Unlocking it I used my knife to open it and my foot to stop an intruder since if they kicked the door open it would cause me to spin and follow their trajectory so I could gun them down.
Or slit their throat.
Pointing the gun out I stared at Matteo who rose his eyebrows at me.
"I seem to find myself with a gun at my head a lot more now that Aria lives here," he mutters and I glower at him in return.
"Yes well, I'd kill for family, and she is soon going to be my wife, now why are you here Matteo?" I ask exhaling slowly. I didn't have the patience for my brothers chaos tonight.
"I wanted to talk to you and Arianna about the wedding and the guest list, as there is a particular risk with a set of people who may be in attendance," he says a worried look crossing his face.
Well this could be shitty.
"Come in, we've ordered dinner it'll be here in half an hour," I say sending the message off to Lino who a moment later disappeared out a side door towards his car.
This was a longer chapter it also took me a bit so I apologize. Comment, vote, and share. Anyways
Peace✌️