Page 141 of The Don's Secret Heir

“Alright, alright. Just keep your father from pickling me in scotch and we’ll get out of here in an hour, tops.”

I chuckle, knowing it’ll likely be midnight before we leave.

We set up for the garter ceremony with all the bachelors hovering in the back, none of them looking like they want to be there except, strangely, Rocco.

He’s at the front of the crowd, a determined look in his eye.

“Does he even have a girlfriend?’

“No,” Dario says with a laugh. “He’s as bad as I used to be. He’s just competitive. Doesn’t want anyone else to have it.”

I snicker and sit down on the chair after Maria leads me to it.

Maria, Dario’s cousin who I thought was his date, is actually a lovely girl. She’s a lot like Dario, just female, and they are super close.

We’ve become best friends over the past few months while wedding planning, and she flew in from Europe for the ceremony.

Dario grins wickedly as he crouches in front of me, pushing his hands up my thighs to bunch my dress around my hips and reveal the garter.

He trails his lips up my calf and I gasp, my face turning red.

We’re in front of everyone, and he’s kissing up my upper thigh and I’m just trying not to get turned on. My father has averted his eyes, thank God.

Dario catches the garter with his teeth and drags it slowly down my leg, spitting it into his hand.

The crowd goes nuts, loud and raucous. I can’t stop giggling.

Dario stands and tosses the garter behind him andbam, Rocco tackles Giovanni who lunges for it.

“You don’t even want it, you ass!” Giovanni argues as they roll around on the ground.

“Neither do you! You just don’t want me to have it.”

Dario watches with a small smile on his face as they wrestle, finally kicking them to break it up.

Rocco grumbles, but he’s got his prize, the garter, and he heads over to the open bar.

“That guy,” Giovanni mutters.

Next, it’s time to throw the bouquet and my heart clenches as I remember Beth. Maybe if I had just understood her, gotten her some help...

I shake my head to clear it. There’s no point in wondering what could have been. What matters is I’m here now.

I throw the bouquet and the girls are worse than the guys about it, rushing around, pulling hair.

Maria takes hold of it though and grins, hoisting it in victory.

Her boyfriend, Bran, looks at her like she hung the moon and all the stars.

“I think your cousin’s in love,” I point out to Dario, and he frowns.

“He’d better be good to her.”

“I think he knows better than to mess with a Conte girl.”

Dario huffs and I smile, looping my arm through his.

“Ready to get out of here, stud?”