Page 99 of Taming Nikki

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Vitale.”

“You’re taking my last name today. Gonna stop calling me that soon?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Would you prefer I go back to asshole?”

Gio snorted, and Leo yanked me against him, nipping at my neck.

“Alright, lovebirds, we’re going to be late for the appointment with the judge. You can insult each other in the car.”

I laughed, grabbing the one non-black purse I had off the counter. Leo followed me, his hand on the small of my back, and for once I didn’t argue when he opened my door for me. Today, he could play the gentleman because tonight I was getting the mafia boss all to myself.

We crossed town in comfortable silence. Gio drove, letting Leo and I sit in the back together. I teased him about being demoted to chauffeur, and he flipped me off, nearly losing a finger when Leo got pissed and threatened to remove it. I distracted Leo with a kiss, whispering in his ear all the plans I had for the evening if he managed not to get arrested for killing his cousin. It was torture, keeping my hands to myself when I could see his erection straining against his slacks. I was adventurous, but not so adventurous that I’d do anything with Gio in the car.

The courthouse wasn’t supposed to be open on a Saturday, but Leo pulled some strings, or more likely threatened some people, so we didn’t have to wait in any lines. The judge was waiting for us in his office, a tight smile on his face. Either he wasn’t happy about being forced to work on a Saturday or he was terrified of Leo. Or both.

The ceremony was short and sweet, though Leo sealed it with a kiss hot enough to make my toes curl. I was flushed and panting by the time he pulled away with a smirk. We signed the paperwork and went on our way without any fuss, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.

Once we were back in the car, Leo couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He pulled me into his lap, his hand in my hair to keep me where he wanted me. We were probably making Gio uncomfortable, but every time I tried to pull away, Leo yanked me back, keeping me thoroughly distracted. It was how he managed to get me all the way to my papa’s house without me noticing.

When the car pulled to a stop, I looked up and frowned.

“Why are we at my papa’s house?”

“He asked me to come see him about something. It shouldn’t take long.”

I made a face. “Seriously? It couldn’t wait?”

Leo pulled me back down for a kiss before he opened the door and slid out. Since I was in his lap, he dragged me with him, blocking me from escaping back into the car. I hadn’t spoken to my papa in two weeks since I left home. I didn’t really know what to say to him. I left without warning. Marco and Piero moved most of my stuff out for me. I glanced at the house, nervously twisting the ring Leo gave me. He took my hand, interlacing our fingers.

“It’ll be fine. Besides, it’s been a while since you saw your little sisters. Don’t you want to tell them you got married?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why does everyone enjoy using them against me?”

He chuckled, the jerk, pulling me towards the doors. At his knock, it swung open and Papa stood waiting. His eyebrows jumped as he took in my dress, a soft smile flickering across his face before the mask came back up and the mafia don persona fell into place again.

“Vitale, good to see you. Everyone is waiting in the back.”

I frowned, shooting Leo a confused look, but he just shook his head, pulling me forward. We followed Papa through the house, which was oddly quiet, not a servant in sight. I tugged helplessly on Leo’s hand, not comfortable walking into a situation that I had no context for. I figured Papa would still be pissed about me going after Henderson alone and cause trouble with me. I sure as hell wasn’t expecting everyone I cared about waiting for me with glasses of champagne.

They all started cheering at our arrival, smiling at us and raising their glasses. Marco, Piero, Enzo and Tony all stood together, beaming at me. Amara stood with Frankie and Gemma with what I had to assume was sparkling cider in their glasses. Nino and Nonna and even Zoe clapped their hands and smiled. And right smack in the middle of them were Diego and Emma. Diego looked proud, putting a hand on his heart as he gave me a soft smile.

“I don’t understand.” I turned toward Leo, shaking my head. He pulled me into his arms, tipping his head toward the crowd.

“You told Nino that no one would come to your wedding. We decided to prove you wrong. Everyone who loves you showed up here today. Even the people you’ve met along the way.” He pointed to his own family, his cousins, who were luckily injured but not killed the day of the shooting, and his aunt and a few people I didn’t know. “You’re more loved than you think.”

Tears burned my eyes as I glanced back over the crowd. A warm hand on my shoulder caught my focus and Leo released me into the first hug my papa had ever given me. He gave me a sad smile as he pulled away.

“I was so worried about giving you as much freedom as I could muster, I forgot to show you that I cared and for that, I’m sorry. I hope we can do better in the future.” He handed me a manila envelope. “Now that your business is booming, I hope you will consider a contract with me in the future.”

My eyes went wide, and I whipped my head around to look at Leo. He shook his head.

“It wasn’t me.”

Papa chuckled. “You grew more clever with age. Why do you think I tried taking away your computer so often?”

My jaw dropped, and he gripped my shoulder, his eyes dancing. Pulling me close and cupping the back of my head, he pressed his lips to my forehead.

“I’m proud of you, Nikki. You took the world by storm and refused to settle for anything less than you deserve. You really are my daughter.”

We were given our own glasses of champagne, and Leo pulled me into the middle of the group. He slid his arm around my waist, pressing me against his side as he raised his glass. Then the man I fell in love with said the one thing I’d always wanted to hear.

“To my wife, the strongest woman I know. I thought I could tame her, turns out I didn’t need to. She’s perfect, just as she is.”