Page 126 of Urgent Vows
Severu makes sure the bedding is covering me up to my chin and then he goes through the sitting room, and I hear the door leading to the hall open. My husband barks something in a furious tone. Carlo comes into the room with Severu a few seconds later. It's the first time one of the security team has come into the inner sanctum of our bedroom.
I'm so confused. And a little embarrassed, but I'm in too much pain to give much concern to the fact he's seeing me in bed. It explains why Severu made sure I was covered to my chin though.
"Get rid of these. All of them."
"No, wait, Severu. I need them."
My husband just glares at Carlo, who immediately starts picking up my shoes. It takes a couple of trips but soon all the heels are gone. While he's doing this, Severu is on his phone.
"The doctor will be here shortly." My husband drops on his knees beside the bed so he can meet my gaze. "I need you to make me a promise."
"What?"
"If something causes you pain, you tell me. No more enduring."
"I didn't want you to know Francesco broke me." I didn't want to give my sperm donor that power, but neither did I want Severu to look at me as less than.
"You are not broken. That is not a word you get to use referring to yourself." He's scary serious.
Only my husband doesn't scare me. Not in any way. Little tendrils of happiness unfurl inside me.
"No more heels," he says, like maybe I didn't get the memo when he had Carlo take them all away.
His mom isn't going to be pleased. "Wearing heels is important. It's what people expect of your wife."
"Fuck what anyone else expects. I expect you not to hurt yourself and that's all that should matter to you. My wife does not put herself in pain to fit some goddamned stereotype of what a mafia wife looks like."
"What about what a mafia wife acts like?"
"Explain."
"Your mom is a very social person."
He nods. "She's an extreme extrovert."
"I'm not."
"Few people crave social interaction as much as my mother."
"I want to be a good don's wife, but I miss having time to study new things and do my syndicate research."
"You are perfect as you are. You are my wife. That makes you a good don's wife."
"You're so arrogant."
"Am I wrong?"
"I hope not because all this people-ing is exhausting me."
"Good, because I would like you to go back to your research as well. And I would like you available to meet with Miceli and I at least once a week."
"You would? For what?"
"Your insight. Catalina, you have an amazing brain."
Despite the ache in my hip, the pleasure of knowing my husband thinks so highly of me washes over me in warm waves.
"I will speak to my mother."
