Married With Malice: An Arranged Marriage Romance
Married With Malice: Chapter 26

Three days after baby Margaret’s joyous homecoming, the call comes in just after lunch when we’re all in the living room.

Anni sits in a rocking chair with Margaret in her arms. Zeus and Apollo, who have appointed themselves as Margaret’s constant guardians, sit at her feet and keep watch. Sadie slumps tiredly on the sofa beside Cale. Hardly a minute goes by without him asking if there’s anything else he can do for her.

I’ll never stop being bowled over by the sight of the infamously ferocious Cale Connelly doting on his wife and his tiny daughter. Cale has stepped right into fatherhood as if it’s his destiny. Last night I found him slowly pacing the floor at two a.m., holding his baby girl and trying to soothe her back to sleep with a soft lullaby. Actually, I think it was an Elton John song but whatever.

Peggy stops by to evaluate whether anyone requires food or a sweater or indispensable life advice. I’m leaning against the wall and staying out of the way but she comes to a halt in front of me and conducts an appraisal anyway.

“Come to the kitchen before you go back out to work,” she says. “You’re still skin and bones.”

I’m not now, nor have I ever been, ‘skin and bones’, but all I say is, “All right, Peggy.”

She sniffs, finding fault with my tone. “Be more like your brother.”

Since our arrival, Peggy has made it very clear that she regards Cale as the ideal standard that all men need to live up to. For the time being, I’m falling short of this benchmark.

Cale is now rubbing his wife’s shoulders and wears a smug grin. “Peggy’s right. You should be more like me.”

Sadie playfully pokes him with an elbow. “You had to work to win Peggy over.”

“Peggy loved me from the start,” Cale insists.

“Peggy tried to hit you with her broom the day you met.”

“I don’t remember it that way.”

“Well, you’d just been shot so you were a little out of it.”

“Peggy shot you?” I say, knowing this is highly unlikely but wondering why in the hell I’ve never heard anything about this story before.

“Nope,” he says. “I just happened to walk into the path of an anonymously fired bullet.”

The look he throws my way communicates that he won’t be elaborating on the matter at all.

Anni doesn’t seem to have heard any part of the conversation. She just keeps rocking the baby with a smile on her face. Watching her like this, happy and holding a baby, makes all kinds of things happen to me. It’s an excellent look for her. The days we’ve been here have been hopeful and healing. Nothing short of a dream.

There’s just one problem with dreams. They don’t last.

This thought has hardly finished running through my mind when my phone goes off in my pocket. I’m not psychic and yet I know exactly who is calling before I look at the screen.

All the energy in the room changes in an instant. I glance at my brother and know that he can see right through me. He’ll also know that I have no choice but to take the call.

Anni is now staring at me too. She’s stopped rocking in the chair and her forehead creases with worry.

“I’ll be right back,” I say, aware that none of them are fooled by my breezy tone.

The phone keeps bleating in the palm of my hand, signaling my uncle’s impatience.

I don’t answer him until I’m outside with the front door closed behind me. “Hey, Richie.”

“Luca. Damn, it’s good to hear your voice. How’s it going?”

When it comes to Richie Amato, no question is ever innocent. It’s best to sort out your answers with caution.

“Can’t complain. There’s a stretch of mild weather here so we’re kicking back and enjoying it.” I’m very mindful of the fact that this is not the information he’s seeking.

“Ah, nice place your brother’s got. You and Anni left the resort to stay at the ranch, right?”

I didn’t tell him that. Didn’t feel the need. “Yeah, we decided to stick close by to help out.”

“I gave Asher Wingate a call yesterday and was surprised to hear the baby had already arrived.”

Sadie’s father isn’t very involved in her life but it makes sense that she’d still share Margaret’s birth with her family.

“Anyway,” says Richie. “I thought for sure I’d hear the news from you.”

“It’s been busy around here,” I say. “I haven’t really been in touch with anyone.”

“Right. Glad to hear that the child is healthy. My congratulations to the new parents. I’ll drink a toast that the next one is a boy.”

I want to reach through the phone and smash his fucking vocal cords.

“You do that, Richie.”

“And I met Albie for dinner last night. He’s heard enough from Annalisa’s sisters to know that you are keeping up your end of the bargain and making her happy.”

“She makes me happy too.” The only honest words I’ll say to him.

“That’s great. Albie’s sending his plane out to bring you both home tomorrow. I’m sure the vacation was fun but it’s time to get back to work. We’ve missed you, kid. There’s plenty to catch up on.”

“I’m counting on it,” I say. “So I guess I’ll be seeing you soon.”

He chuckles. “Sounds like spending some time with your brother really did you some good. That’s a relief. You owe me for this.”

And there it is. The unspoken threat. Cooperate or else…

“Thanks for thinking of me, Uncle Richie.”

Bad idea. The sarcasm is too heavy. He’s evil but he’s not an idiot.

“Sure,” he replies breezily. “Hey, do me a favor and send your Aunt Donna some pictures of the baby. She’s been driving me crazy. If I can’t get her calmed down we might need to fly out there to see the kid for ourselves.”

“Will do,” I reply while grinding my teeth.

Richie Amato is not getting within a hundred miles of Cale’s baby girl.

“Take care,” he says. “You and Annalisa both.”

He clicks off first and I listen to the broken connection for a moment before shutting my phone off and stuffing it into my pocket.

The scene in front of me is idyllic. A pair of horses are being trotted around their paddock by some of the sanctuary’s volunteers. There’s still a carpet of snow on the ground but it’s rapidly disappearing under the winter sun.

Behind me, the front door creaks open and Anni steps out to join me. She sees my face and sighs.

“We have to go back now, don’t we?”

I pull her into my arms. “We leave tomorrow.”

She hugs me tight and I rest my chin on top of her head while stroking her hair.

“We’ll find a way out,” she whispers. “All of us.”

Her stubborn optimism is admirable. Annalisa understands what we’re up against. But we’re armed with something we didn’t have when we left. We’re a team. There are no more secrets between us.

“I love you,” I tell her and dip my head to kiss her mouth.

With I hold my wife, I do feel like anything is possible, that we’ll win any battle we face as long as we’re fighting together.

I choose to believe that I’m right.