Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 156 -

Весса.

The compound should have felt stifling, but that wasn't the case. It was large, and airy, with beautiful gardens and many walking paths. Men with guns nodded to me politely as they did their perimeter patrols while I explored my gilded cage. Layla was taking the children down other paths on the other side of the compound. I'd offered to go with her, but she'd insisted I get some alone time. Between James and the kids, I hadn't gotten a lot of that since I'd been at the mansion. Over the past week, James had been trying to reason with me every day. Every day. I saw his point, of course, but I was over men lying to me "for my own good." OVER it.

Surely there must be some solution he wasn't thinking of, something that could be done where Alessandro, Dahlia, Layla, and I could live somewhere quietly. Just a normal life. A life where Alessandro would go to school and make friends and perhaps play American football or international football and lead his team to victory. Join a debate team. Squish pizza in his friends' faces.

None of this Don nonsense.

I turned a corner and saw a beautiful rose garden. Deep crimson, vibrant pink, glowing white, they were gorgeous and smelled divine. I found a patch of grass between the bushes and laid down with a sigh, staring at the sky. What was I going to do?

I wracked my brain, but couldn't replace an answer. I sighed and closed my eyes, tears of frustration leaking out the sides.

D*mn James Valentino anyway!

After a while, I must have fallen asleep, because the sun's position in the sky had changed. A shadow fell over me, and I tilted my head to see James. "What do you want?" I grumbled.

"Just taking in the air," James said, but I knew that was a lie. He was looking for me.

"You want to lie to me again? Really?" I asked archly.

James sighed and sank onto the grass, tailored suit and all. "No. I don't want to lie to you."

"Then I'd start with 'I came to replace you' not 'I'm just taking in the air,"" I said.

"I came to replace you," James amended, stroking my cheek.

I slapped his hand away. "I'm still pissed off at you."

"I know."

"You tricked me into coming here!" I continued.

"I know."

I thumped him in the chest. "You can't do things like that, James!"

James shrugged. "I can."

"WHAT?!" I screeched.

"You told me not to lie to you," James smirked.

I took a deep breath, tamping down on my temper. "Just because you can do something, James, doesn't mean you should."

"I should protect my family. That includes you, Becca," James said.

"How so?" I asked.

"We're getting married," James stated.

I blinked at him. "Have you... lost... your... f*cking... mind?!"

"Your dad will come around eventually," James said, playing his fingertips up and down my arm. "So will you. I know you love me. I love you. We can make a real life together, Becca."

I didn't even know where to begin with him. I rubbed my temples. "James. I'm so mad at you I could scream for days. DAYS. Plus that wasn't exactly the most romantic marriage proposal..."

"I'm going to give you a real one when we agree you won't turn me down," James replied, his lips quirking at the corners. "I just thought I'd get the idea marinating in your head." "THAT'S why you've come to replace me? So I can marinate on marrying you?" I asked, incredulous.

"That and my uncle wants to bring Alessandro to his favorite restaurant. I said we should really check with you first," James said.

I just stared. "We're allowed to go outside this place?"

"Yes, of course. With the proper escort," James responded.

I gripped James by his tie and scowled at him. "I've been here a week, and this is the first time you're telling me I can leave?"

"Leave' would be a strong word," James choked out as his tie tightened around his throat.

"Go out with babysitters. Whatever. You told me Giana would be shopping for the items we needed. I assumed that meant we weren't supposed to go outside the compound," I said.

"I was still getting the men back from New Zealand and making sure the compound was still well-fortified. You couldn't have gone then," James replied, tugging his tie out of my grip and running his finger around his collar to loosen it. "But I can go now," I inferred.

"Yes, Becca. I'd love to show you Florence," James offered.

It was a tempting offer. "Alessandro is not going to that restaurant without either me or Layla," I warned James.

James held up his hands. "I will make sure my uncle understands that."

"Good." I chewed my lip, then gave in with a sigh. "I'd like to see Florence. With you."

James's expression brightened, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'm glad. You won't regret it, Becca. There are so many places to see."

"I'm sure there are," I replied, unable to help getting caught up in James's enthusiasm.

"So, what's your brand of fun? Gardens? Vistas? Museums? Shopping?" James asked.

"I'd like to go somewhere with a nice view of the city, first," I said. "Then you can point out what all we should see."

James snapped his fingers. "The Piazzale Michelangiolo. You can see all the city from there. I mean, you also can from Brunelleschi's Dome in the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, but the Piazzale Michelangiolo has lovely gardens and the San Miniato al Monte church..."

He was so excited, like a kid who was going to get to show off his favorite toy. I smiled at him as he stood and offered me his hand.

I took it and let James pull me to my feet. "I'll let Tony know we're going out. Oh, and Giana. She'll make sure Layla knows. We'll have to go with a few of the boys, but they're pretty good at being discreet," he explained.

"Okay." I tried to keep up my excitement after his statement about "the boys." I was going to have to go out under guard now. All the time. I would be under guard now. All the time. It was an unwelcome change. James kissed my forehead. "You'll love it. Don't worry."

I nodded and let him go off to make his arrangements.

Within the hour, James and I were sitting in the back of a black sedan with two hulking bodyguards in the front. There was another sedan ahead of us with another four men inside it.

We drove up to the Piazzale Michelangiolo behind Bus 12, the car ahead of us angrily honking at the bus's insufficient speed.

"I think they might be a little too uptight," I said to James.

James chuckled. "It's an Italian thing. You'll get used to it."

Once we got up to the Piazzale Michelangiolo, I found that I was indeed in a breathtaking location. Not only were the flowers in the gardens beautiful, but it was possible to see everything for miles.

"That's the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, of course," James said, beginning to point out landmarks. "And the Ponte Vecchio. There are a lot of jewelry shops there. Traditionally, goldsmiths have sold their creations in shops on the Ponte Vecchio."

I looked at the bridge that seemed to be completely lined on both sides by buildings, except for three arches in the middle.

"The Medici family had it built so they could cross the Arno River easily from home to work and back again," James explained.

"It's beautiful," I observed. "And so is the cathedral."

"Everything about Florence is beautiful," James said. "I mean, it's not Miami...." He gave me a long look. "You're not the only one who is giving up a life they loved in order to keep their family safe."

I looked up at James. I had to agree he had a point.

But I was still bitter over the lies and losing New Zealand, so I looked away and pointed in another direction instead. "What's that?"

"That's Santa Croce church," James replied, going along with my change of subject. "It's filled with Renaissance art, like many places in Florence. Michelangelo, Rossini, Galileo, and Machiavelli are entombed there. Among others." "Oh," I said. "Nice. We'll have to go take a look at that."

"Do you like art, Becca?" James asked me. Strange we'd never discussed it before.

I had to give that some thought. "Well, I like culture. And it seems like Florence's culture is built on art, so I'd like to see what all the fuss is about." I gave James a grin.

James pointed to the far side of the Ponte Vecchio. "That is the Uffizi Palace and Gallery. Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus' is there."

"Wow," I said. "There's a bronze statue of David up here, I saw. Are you going to tell me now that the original is somewhere in Florence, too?"

"I am, actually." James pointed. "It's in the Galleria dell'Accademia. It was outside, actually, for four hundred years before it was moved inside to protect it from damage. It used to be in the Piazza della Signoria. There's a replica there now." "I'm impressed." I took in the general splendor of arches, towers, and terracotta roofs. "It is very beautiful here, James. I'm not going to lie."

James smiled softly and gave me his arm. I placed my hand in the crook of his arm and let him escort me away from the viewpoint.

He had a completely opposite look for the men who had discreetly spread out around us. His sharp look would have put me on my toes, too, if I didn't know the side of James he showed to me.

"Where to now?" I asked, walking beside him.

"Dinner," James grinned. "We're going to watch the sunset from La Loggia."

"Where's that?" I kept walking along the stone path with him.

"Right here in the Piazzale Michelangiolo," James said. "The food is great, the views are spectacular, and it's a nice, historic place with some pretty features of its own."

"Is this going to be one of those places where the food is too pretty to touch?" I asked.

James arched an eyebrow at me. "Is that going to be a problem?"

My jaw went slack. "Oh, my God, it is!"

James patted my hand. "Don't worry. It's delicious food that's too pretty to touch."

"You really are spoiling me today," I said.

"I like spoiling you. I'd like to spoil you every day if you'll let me," James replied, looking at me with his soft brown eyes.

I bit my lip. "I'll think about it," I decided.