Page 36 of The Breaker
“Well, I want to be your wife on that timetable, not because I’m pregnant.”
He took a breath, like he had a lot to say, but he restrained himself. “We’re getting married before our baby comes, sweetheart. We aren’t doing this any other way.”
I should just be happy that he wanted to commit to me so badly, but I didn’t like the way it had come out. I didn’t like his lack of sensitivity. He was usually thoughtful and open minded, but in this instance, it was as if my feelings didn’t matter at all. “So you’re just going to force me to marry you?”
“That’s not what I said—”
“It sounds like I don’t get a say in this at all. I don’t want to get hitched at a church in two weeks. I don’t want to rush the most special moment of my life because you’re in a hurry—”
“I’m not in a hurry.”
“Don’t interrupt me again.”
“You literally just interrupted me—”
“Because you aren’t listening to me, Constantine. I’m telling you I want a proposal when it’s right for us. I don’t want it to happen before the baby simply out of principle. We have our whole lives together, but one wedding.”
There was a pause, like he deliberately waited to make sure I had nothing else to say before he continued. “Again, that’s not how I feel. I love you, and I want us to be married. That’s it.”
“And what if I lost the baby tomorrow? Would you still want to get married?”
He gave a wince like I’d sliced him with a steak knife. “Let’s not even put that out into the universe, all right? And yes, I’d still want to get married. That wouldn’t change.”
“Well, my answer is still no.”
He released an irritated sigh, like he wanted me to know exactly how frustrated that made him feel.
“I want a ring and a proposal and a wedding—and I’m not sorry for wanting that.”
He looked across the room toward the open window, sitting perfectly straight with a strong spine, and said nothing.
I didn’t want it to be tense between us, not when we were so happy an hour ago. But I had to stand up for what I wanted. I’d dreamed of the moment Constantine would ask me to be his wife—and it was never like that.
After several minutes of silence, he looked at me again. He seemed to release his anger, because there wasn’t a hint of it in his gaze. His hand went to my thigh, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s get to bed. I’ll take care of Medusa.”
“All right.”
He gave my thigh a pat before he stood up and took Medusa out the back door so she could do her business in the garden.
I sat there and watched his silhouette darken as he disappeared from the light. I felt a wad of guilt in my stomach for denying what he wanted, but also a sense of pride for standing up to him. I knew he meant well and his intentions were pure, but a wedding meant a lot more to me than it ever would to him.
Chapter 11
Aurelia
The ceremony was held at a church, with at least five hundred people crowded into the aisles. We sat next to his mom and his sister Beatrice. It seemed to be a child-free wedding, because her two boys weren’t there. Then we all drove to the hotel where the reception took place, on a private terrace with beautiful views of the Ionian Sea.
We sat at a round table with a white tablecloth and a tall centerpiece in the center. So many people were there, and of course a ton of guests came over to say hello to Constantine. He was warm and charming, all smiles and good vibes.
Sometimes it was hard to believe he’d been the emperor of Rome.
If I hadn’t seen his barbarism with my own two eyes, I might not have believed it.
Constantine and I had returned to our normal routine after our little fight about marriage. He didn’t seem to hold any resentment toward me, because his eyes lit up at the sight of me. He kissed me every morning and every night. Still wanted to fuck my brains out constantly. He was always in a good mood, no matter the time of day or the company in his presence.
He introduced me to a lot of people.
The one person I didn’t want to see and hoped wasn’t there was Isabella. She didn’t seem to be in attendance, but with five hundredpeople on that terrace, I couldn’t really be sure. Beatrice stayed at the table with us, so if her friend was there, she seemed to be ignoring her.
