“I’m not hiding.”
Both her brows went up.“You know, when I was working at Cole’s, I think I saw you more than after I married you.”She moved across the grass and took the steps leading up to where he stood.“Maybe we should divorce and attempt to have children through work?”There was a smirk on her face.
“Not happening.”
“Do you want to tell me why you’re hiding from me?Do I smell?”
He couldn’t believe she actually lifted her arm and inhaled.
“No, you don’t smell.”
“Then, tell me, o husband of mine, what have I done wrong?”She folded her arms.“Because I didn’t realize I signed up for a marriage that meant I was going to be ignored.”
And this is why he was never going to choose a wife among the remaining capos’ daughters.They were all trained to not speak, to not look their husbands in the eye, to be nothing but doormats.Ella was no doormat.
He looked at her, and at first, he thought about lying, telling her that work was getting in the way.He was not going to start his marriage by lying.Honesty—something he was not used to.
“I hurt you,” he said.
She frowned.“No, you didn’t.”
“On our wedding night.I hurt you and I promised I wasn’t going to.I broke our deal.”
Ella folded her arms beneath her breasts and looked at him.“It doesn’t count.”
This made him laugh.“Are you serious right now?”
“Look, you didn’t hit me.You didn’t beat me.You didn’t take your belt off and whip me with it, or yell at me.You certainly didn’t put me in a closet in the freezing cold.Trust me, I knew our wedding night was not going to be easy.”She looked past his shoulder and lowered her voice.“I had never been with a man before.Now, unless you’re having second thoughts, and you want a divorce, I get it.Our wedding night was a one-off occasion.I’m not a virgin anymore.You claimed that.Don’t push me away because of that.I don’t want to continue if you keep doing this.”
“You’re threatening to divorce me?”
“I know we don’t love each other, but we agreed to have a family.I think it goes without saying that being parents when we have children, we won’t be able to ignore each other.I don’t want that.I’m sorry I was a virgin, but I can’t go back and have random sex with another man.”
He cupped her face and smiled into her eyes.“You know you’re incredible, don’t you?”
“No, I’m not, Mateo.I just won’t take any of your crap, and you’re not going to push me aside.If you don’t want this, tell me.”
“I want this.”And then he kissed her hard and pulled her in against him.
There was no backing down, at least not for him.
