Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 153 -

Весса.

Italy was beautiful. There was no other way to describe it. History radiated off of every building, the Roman statuary and architecture were exquisite, and the weather was beautiful. From the moment we touched down at the Aeroporto di Firenze-Peretola, when I hadn't been helping Layla mind the children, I'd been glued to my window, staring out at the Tuscan city of Florence.

We took several dark sedans. I was again sitting next to Layla in the back seat of one, a child each in our arms. James was the front passenger, and Tony drove again.

My father and stepmother were in another car.

The windows on all the sedans were heavily tinted, but that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate the view from my side of the glass.

"Having fun?" James asked from the front seat.

I realized then he'd been glancing back from time to time, always seeing me pressing my face to the window like a kid outside a candy shop. "It's okay," I said indifferently.

James chuckled at my answer. Both of us knew I was completely engrossed.

Next to me, Layla was also taking in the sights. However, an air of sadness and worry had settled around her like a shroud of fog.

We'd heard nothing from Neal since that fateful call in New Zealand where he'd confirmed Allegra was in trouble, and he was going after her.

It felt almost... wrong... to be this enthralled by a new place while my friends were in the middle of a catastrophe.

As though reading my mind, James said, "I will let you know if and when I hear from Neal."

I nodded, and Layla choked back a sob.

I put my hand over Layla's. "Don't worry. If anyone can get her back, it's Neal."

"I know," Layla sniffled. "It's just so stupid. If it hadn't been for that necklace..."

"They would have found another way," James interrupted. "They might have even come close enough to threaten the children. If she was going to be taken, trust me, it was best the way it happened." My eyes flew to the back of James's headrest, scowling. "People are dead, James!"

"Yes. But you're alive," James pointed out.

I sighed. It was true. I was alive, and so were Layla, the children, my father, and my stepmother. All things considered, that was a pretty good headcount.

We headed out of Florence proper and a little into the countryside, passing several widespread mega villas. The cars then turned down a drive and made their way through the gates of a tall, thick, whitish wall. I didn't need to look to know the guards at the top of the wall and just inside the gate were armed.

"Welcome home, Becca," James said as the cars stopped in a circular drive with a large fountain in the middle. A long flight of stone stairs led up into a vast mansion, the same color as the walls surrounding it. "Funny, it doesn't look like New Zealand," I replied waspishly.

James looked hurt, and I finally gave in.

"It's beautiful, James," I amended.

James smiled at me. His smile faded when he turned to Tony, all business, and said something in Italian.

Tony nodded and began barking orders, still in Italian, into his cell phone.

Well-dressed people I assumed were servants came hurrying down the stairs. My door was opened, as well as Layla's and James's, and I delicately placed my hand in a valet's? Butler's? In any case, he wore pristine white gloves and helped me out of the car with Dahlia.

When a lady in a smart white apron came over, holding out her hands for my baby, however, I pulled Dahlia tighter into my chest and shook my head. "No. I'll be taking her with me."

The woman bowed slightly. "As you wish, madam."

Madam? Good Lord. I thought I'd been living the life of luxury before, and, traveling in James and Neal's circles, I knew a great deal about it. But now I saw I was looking at a whole different level of wealth. James appeared at my elbow, putting a hand on my lower back to carefully usher me up into the mansion.

Layla, who also had not let go of Alessandro, my father, and my stepmother came up after us.

The inside of the mansion was just as impressive as the outside, if not more so. It was understated, but still very Italian with arched doorways and pieces of art scattered here and there. The curtains were flowy, white, diaphanous material that danced subtly in the breeze, as most of the windows and outer doors were thrown open to the beautiful day.

"It's a lot more-um-modern than I expected," I said.

James smirked at me. "Were you expecting red silk wallpaper and Roman statues?"

I blushed. "Something like that."

James laughed. "Well, glad we can impress."

My father came forward then, that same dangerous expression on his face. I was impressed he was willing to go toe-to-toe with the heir apparent to a high-ranking mafia family for me, but I really wished he wouldn't. "Dad..." "Look, James. I think I've been very patient. I don't know where you disappeared to on the jet, but I think I'm owed an explanation as to what the HELL is going on here and what your intentions are towards my daughter!" my father said. I winced, but James simply nodded solemnly. "Let's go to my office," he replied. "Becca, I'm sure the staff will be more than happy to show you all to your rooms. I shouldn't be long. I... I'd like to spend some time with the children if you don't mind."

My heart squeezed at his soft request. "Of course," I reassured him. "I... I don't want to keep them from you or anything like that. I'm not a monster, James."

James gave me a sad half-smile. "I know. You are the furthest thing from a monster there ever was."

My father tapped his foot impatiently, and James gestured for him to follow. James and my father disappeared down a long hall.

I kissed Dahlia's hair. "That's your daddy," I said softly. "Your daddy's here."

****

James.

"Mr. Woods, do have a seat," I said, sitting behind my desk. The office was a lot more modern than my uncle's, but then, my aunt hadn't decorated it before she died. Jacob Woods sat down, glowering at me.

"I don't know how much my men have told you or how much you've gathered on your own, but Neal's past reared up and came back to bite him, so it became necessary for me to come and get you and your daughter and my children and bring you to safety," I began.

"You're a mobster. How much safer is this? As I recall, YOUR past came to bite you and took your daughter's life. I won't have my daughter going the same way," Jacob seethed.

The mention of Tally caused a sharp pain in my chest, but I tamped down on it and did not lose my serious demeanor. "I am not a mobster. I am in the mafia. There's a difference." "Oh, well, not that you mention it, that is so much better," Jacob replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Jacob, I'd really like it if we could be respectful of each other," I said, spearing him with a look that made mafia enforcers quake in their Ferragamos.

Jacob, however, was a father and a grandfather, and perhaps the most formidable person I'd ever had to negotiate with. He was completely unaffected by my bravado.

"I don't know where you people get off smacking my daughter around like some ping-pong ball while it's YOUR lives and YOUR decisions that are causing problems. My daughter was happy in New Zealand. She was building a life there..." "Yes, and I am very sorry about that, but it just wasn't safe there anymore," I interrupted him, trying to get him to stop beating the same drum Becca had been the whole trip here.

It was a mistake. Jacob's features darkened. "I'm going to politely pretend you didn't just try to fob off my concerns because I'm a guest in your home. But do it again, and you'll regret it."

I recalled when I had a gun under my desk back in Miami. I'd gripped it for a sense of security during dangerous dealings many a time. I almost wished I had one here. Not that I had any intention of shooting Jacob Woods. On the contrary. More than any man I'd ever met, he scared the shit out of me. He had more power to destroy my life than anyone in the universe.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I realize "

"If you realized sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation," Jacob growled. "Now, I am very concerned about my daughter's happiness. Very concerned. And it keeps getting ripped apart by you."

I sighed and steepled my fingers on the desktop. In some ways, it was a fair assessment. "Jacob, I'm trying very hard to do the right thing."

"You mean by dying, leaving my little girl alone to raise two kids, letting her mourn you, leaving her a bunch of money from businesses you liquidated so you could turn over a new leaf, and digging yourself deeper into the criminal world anyway? Any of that sound like the right thing to you?" Jacob gritted out.

Jacob Woods was surprisingly well-informed. "None of that was what I intended. Well, except liquidating the businesses and leaving the money to Becca..."

"How about accusing my daughter of lying to you when she told you she was pregnant with your child? That ring a bell?" Jacob continued, spearing me with an ugly look of hatred.

"I'll admit, that was not one of my finest moments..." I said.

He cut me off. "I'm waiting to see some of your finest moments. Because you've treated my daughter like crap, but made it impossible to escape you by baby-trapping her. My Becca's going to want you involved in the kids' lives. And you, you snake, are going to try to use that to slither your way back into my Becca's heart."

My jaw worked. "Jacob, I thought we were going to agree to be civil."

"Civil? CIVIL?! You treat my daughter like a toy you can pick up and play with whenever you want and ruin her life over and over again, only to come crawling back into it, and you want me to be CIVIL?!" Jacob bellowed.

"Jacob, I have every intention of spending the rest of my life making that up to Becca. I won't be leaving her ever again," I said.

Jacob snorted. "Yeah? How do you intend to do that?"

"I intend to marry her," I replied.

Jacob's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "MARRY her?!"

I nodded solemnly. "Yes. With or without your blessing. Though I was hoping for 'with.""

Shooting to his feet, Jacob gave me the most dangerous look I'd ever seen on a man. "Over my dead body," he hissed.

Before I could say anything, Jacob stormed out of my office. Perhaps to tell Becca my intentions. Perhaps to forbid her from accepting any overtures from me.

It didn't matter.

Becca Woods was mine, and I was going to put a ring on her finger with a diamond that could be seen from space to make sure the whole world knew it.

I didn't care how long it took, or how many people I had to piss off.

I was going to marry Becca Woods.