7. Alessandro

If the longest day of my life happens to be my wedding day, that should be a cause for celebration. However, this day has been marred with one catastrophe after another. Exhaustion crushes every part of my body, and my mind has a hard time focusing on what our next move is supposed to be. I"m still in my suit, and the food I just ate is settling on my stomach in a way that welcomes sleep.

By the time we get to Bailey Cedar, a private hospital in lower Manhattan, the streets are quieter from the normal hustle and bustle of the city. There"s a discreet entrance our family gets to use from the underground parking garage. Lorenzo takes his time scanning the parking lot, making sure there aren"t any surprises waiting for us as he parks the car.

Evelyn"s flowing, wavy hair is now in a sloppy bun that I want to wrap my hands around as I taste her delectable lips again. The worry in her eyes is endearing, but I"m certain it"s more aligned with how my father"s condition will affect her family"s position. I made her a promise, and I have every intention of keeping it.

Once we take the elevator up to the private wing of the hospital, it doesn"t take long to hear the commotion that got me down here in the first place. My father"s angry voice carries through the halls of the hospital like a bullhorn.

"I told you assholes that you"re not sticking me with nothing else. I"m done. I"m going home! Get off me!"

Those last few words send signals of rage scorching through my body. The exhaustion fades away as both Lorenzo and I break into a run to see what"s going on. There are two burly men dressed in white scrubs, trying to muscle my father into a wheelchair.

I grab one by the back of his shirt, yanking him off my father to slam him against the wall. My forearm presses across his throat like a bar, crushing his windpipe. "You"re fucking with the wrong man."

"Mr. De Luca, are you okay?" Evelyn rushes to my father"s side as Lorenzo takes care of the other guy.

My attention returns to the orderly under my arm as I see his face turning red from the lack of oxygen getting to his brain. I move my arm down in time to throw a left hook, and then a punch to the gut. He drops like a block of cement to the ground, giving me enough leverage to push him onto the ground. He kicks me good as he coughs, trying to catch his breath. I lean over him, pinning him under the weight of my knee and ready to release the fury of my fists over his entire body.

"Mr. De Luca! Let my orderly off the floor right now."

A quick glance over my shoulder lets me see a woman in a mint green pair of scrubs, stethoscope around her neck, and fiery red hair framing her angry, red face. She looks familiar, but I"m more familiar with the staff working in the daytime.

I turn to see Lorenzo holding the other orderly at bay while Evelyn whispers quietly to my father. The brief observation gives the guy under me enough time and leverage to squirrel away. He"s still coughing and grabbing his throat, taking his hospital badge and slamming it on the floor as he storms off.

"Fucking great," the woman murmurs. She looks over at Lorenzo and the orderly. "You okay, Barry?"

Barry, the orderly, shifts his gaze between me and Lorenzo. "I don"t know, fellas. Am I okay?"

"Someone needs to tell me what"s going on," I tell them as I straighten out my sleeves, noticing a loose button.

"Lara Keegan." She keeps talking, noticing I don"t recognize her. "We met about a week ago, Mr. De Luca. What"s going on is your father has to get another X-ray. He"s having some motor issues, and the doctors want an updated scan before we discharge him in the morning."

"I ain"t getting discharged in the morning," Pop states firmly. "I"m leaving this shithole tonight. The last thing I need is for one of those goombahs to come in here while I"m trying to sleep and make me take a permanent dirt nap."

"Pop," I groan. "Mrs. Keegan?—"

"Miss, and you can call me Lara, Mr. De Luca."

"Lara, is there any way we can discharge my father tonight? I"ll hire a nurse or something to work with him at home and bring him to an imaging center or something in a few days."

My father interjects with a trolling smile. "I"m not going anywhere unless that firecracker is going to personally escort me to those imaging appointments. If she ain"t coming, you might as well kiss my ass goodbye. I hate hospitals and yous ain"t never gonna see me in here again."

It takes a moment for my frustration and rage to die down as the adrenaline seeps away. I turn to Lara and make her an offer. "How much to hire you?"

"Excuse me?" she asks.

This time, Evelyn"s by my side. She extends her hand to Lara and speaks softly. "First off, let me apologize for my husband and father-in-law. They can be more than a handful. I also want to apologize for losing one of your guys tonight. Alessandro is very protective of the people he cares about, and seeing someone put their hands on Pop isn"t the most calming way to walk into this hospital ward."

"Thank you." Lara"s clearly taken aback, and so am I. Evelyn"s settling into this wifely role easily.

Evelyn continues. "It"s obvious that Pop isn"t going to let anyone take care of him, and we need him to recover faster. I know that this hospital probably needs you, but if we were to make it worth your while, would you consider taking a leave of absence?"

Evelyn has a way with words that I don"t have the energy to muster at this time of night.

Lara shrugs. "I"ve been per diem for the last year since my contract expired. I think it"s high time I get better working hours. I"m already into three hours of unscheduled overtime. "

This is where I come in. "I"ll pay you time and a half, plus travel and lodging to start. Give it a week, and if you want to stay on board, we can iron out a long-term contract based on my father"s recovery. You"ll get a bonus if he"s able to get back to his regular activities sooner than expected."

"You can"t rush recovery, Alessandro," Evelyn whispers to me.

I understand that, but a part of this treaty between our Families hinges on my father taking the reins back from Oz. I would have taken over, but it makes the De Luca Family appear weak if I have to step down when my father"s feeling like himself.

"I"m okay with that. Can you send it to me in writing?" Lara asks.

I pull out my phone and make a few notes for the contract I"ll draw up in my office. "I"ll have that drafted and sent to you tomorrow. As far as tonight goes, what will it take to get my father discharged and for you to take a drive to see where you"ll be working?"

Lara glances at her watch and looks over her shoulder. She sighs with relief as a nurse and orderly jog into the ward with Barry on their tails.

"Travel expenses and an immediate start bonus of say… a thousand bucks?" She raises an eyebrow, but the price doesn"t make me flinch.

I extend my hand. "You have a deal, Miss Keegan."

With that, she turns on her heels to get my father"s release papers together as well as informing the staff of what they"re walking into.

Lorenzo already has my father in the wheelchair, and Evelyn is speaking softly to him. As we leave, I"m ready to head home.

Evelyn"s voice—fatigue"s setting in for the both of us—is soft as she says, "We should head out to your father"s place and make sure he"s okay for the night."

"I agree."

It doesn"t take long for me to get a private car to the hospital. Getting him home the night before his scheduled release is a great deterrent to anyone looking to make a move on my father. Lara takes the ride with Pop, and we follow closely behind. As we get out of the car, Evelyn holds me back a moment.

"I think we should stay the night in case Lara needs to leave or it"s more than she can handle."

I nod. "You"re right. But if you"d like to go back to the house, I can have Lorenzo take you."

"I agreed to be your wife, Alessandro. I"m not leaving you on our wedding night." Sarcasm with a hint of seduction, and even promise, lies under her tone.

I nod with a slight chuckle and lead her into the family home I grew up in. Evelyn"s eager curiosity makes her chipper as she passes by pictures of me as a kid. There"s one of me and Lorenzo playing stickball on a street I can"t remember. Somberness settles over her as she stares at a picture of me and my mother.

Rosary De Luca, a saint among sinners who loved the men in her life with every breath. I can"t let myself sink into this mood. It"s one of the reasons I don"t come here often. Still, I visit Pop whenever we"re not discussing business. That"s typically reserved for rooms he knows the police haven"t tapped. We press on deeper into the house.

As Lara helps my father settle in for the night, I show Evelyn into my bedroom. There"ve been a few upgrades over the years as I crash here every once in a while. Seeing Evelyn take everything in makes me want to share the more private side of my life with her. She doesn"t have to be here. Yet, she"s standing by me, playing the role to perfection.

After getting her fresh linens and some clothes she can change into, I check in on my father. He"s in the master bedroom, bickering with Lara, who"s standing with her arms folded over her chest.

"Anything I can help with?" I ask from the doorway.

"She"s being bossy about my meds. I"m a horse, dammit, an Italian stallion." Pop curves his arms to flex his muscles.

Lara cuts himself off. "A stallion who won"t gallop right if you don"t take the medication. Now, you hired me to take care of you, so let me do my job and I can come back in the morning. We"ll iron out my schedule and figure out how to make this work for all of us. Capiche?"

Pop grins as he takes his pills and a bottle of water from his new caretaker. Seeing that she has everything under control, I get in the shower after Evelyn finishes up and step into the bedroom where she"s under the blankets already.

My heart races like I"m a fucking teenager who"s never been with a girl, but lying in the bed beside her, I wonder if she"s going to kick me out of the room. The third room in the house is more like a shrine to my mother. No one"s allowed in there except my father, and if Evelyn wants to sleep alone, I"ll make myself comfortable on the couch downstairs. Instead, she turns over, her breaths deep and eyes heavy, with a tiny grin.

"Thank you for today, mio dolce."

She moves her face closer to mine, kissing me softly. "You"re welcome, Alessandro."

The kiss doesn"t end, encouraging me to pull her close to me. Her eyes close, and my hands roam the curves of her body hiding under one of my long T-shirts. The first time I get to feel her soft skin against my hands sends lustful impulses straight to my cock. She moans with every pass of my tongue over hers, and I want to hear those same noises as my mouth explores her body.

"Take this off," I command, helping her out of the shirt and shorts she"s wearing while moving myself on top of her. I have to keep my boxers on or else I"ll lose myself. Right now, I just want to thank her for not fighting this arrangement between us.

The tightness in my chest ripples down every inch of my body, but I ignore my urges to satisfy myself and focus on my wife, mio dolce.

My arms anchor themselves to the mattress as my lips create a trail from her neck to her tits, and down to the mound of flesh between her thighs. I can"t take the time I want as we"re not alone in the house, so I have to make this quick.

My movements are swift, tossing her legs over my shoulders and sliding my tongue between the tender folds of her pussy. My God, she tastes as sweet as she smells. Evelyn"s gasp when she first feels my tongue wrap around her clit is a welcoming sound.

I can"t wait to taste her sweet release, and I don"t have to wait long as it comes after dining on her for a few minutes. My tongue treats her pussy like another mouth to kiss, lapping over it, sliding my tongue in and out of her walls until I bring a hand up to help me release her climax again.

One finger, and then two, stroke in and out of Evelyn. Her hips writhe against my face. When I glance up, she"s holding a pillow over her face to stop herself from making too much noise. My ego won"t let that stand as I snatch the pillow away from her.

"Let me hear you come for me, mio dolce."