Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 396 -

*Olivia*

I was bouncing in my seat with excitement as the limo pulled up to the front of the compound, but Gio kept a tight hold on my hand. The hand with my engagement ring on it.

I bounced a little harder, and he smiled at me indulgently.

"Carina, a more jealous man than I might think you were more excited to show Dahlia the ring than to receive it," he chided softly.

I laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm probably not going to have sex with her about this."

He squeezed my hand and chuckled. "I suppose I'll have to content myself with the scant comfort of 'probably.""

I leaned my head against his shoulder and stared into his deep, dark eyes, burning with love for me. "And you'll have to content yourself with it forever."

He smiled and dropped a kiss on my forehead, but I grabbed the collar of his suit shirt and pulled him in for a proper kiss. It was long and slow, like we had all the time in the world. I felt that familiar wet heat begin to build between my legs, and I leaned into him, moaning softly into his mouth. He fisted a hand in my hair and—

A knock sounded on the window of the limo. I jumped, and Gio whirled. It was too dark to see through the tinted windows, but the muffled sound of giggles on the other side of the glass began to filter in.

"It seems nobody much wanted to wait," Gio said ruefully.

I swept my gaze across his body. "I don't want to wait either."

His eyes darkened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but the knock came again, more insistent this time.

He huffed an aggrieved sigh. "Later."

I fixed his collar where I had rumpled it and nodded. "Later."

Then, Gio took my hand-my engagement ring hand and opened the door to the limo.

Our family descended on us like a pack of rabid wolves, if rabid wolves were ever really trying to get a look at your hand before they attacked. Tallon dodged, Alessandro weaved, but Dahlia finally captured our clasped hands. "She said yes!" Dahlia bellowed.

Tallon and Alessandro began hollering, and I was scooped into a flurry of hugs. At some point in the pile-up, I was released from somebody's arms to replace a heavy hand had landed on my shoulder. I looked up, half-expecting to see Gio, only to replace Gabriele's craggy face staring down at me.

"Felicitazioni," he said, his voice much the same as when he discussed raids and torture. "You make him very happy."

I stared up at the severe mafioso, unable to drop the brilliant grin that had taken up residence on my face since Gio asked me to marry him. A moment passed between us. Gabriele would always be Gio's number one at work, and he would always be his best friend, but I understood the man would try to make space for me in the Don's life. He might not celebrate like the rest of the wild animals around us, but he was pleased Gio found someone.

Gabriele nodded sharply and turned on his heel to go inside. Somebody else grabbed me, and I found myself face-to-face once more with a squealing Dahlia.

"Okay, I have to see the ring better." She grabbed my hand once more and held it up, twisting my wrist so the glimmering gems caught the sunset light. "Ohhh, Olive, it's beautiful."

She turned to Gio, surrounded by Alessandro and Tallon, and nodded. "Good choice. She's always loved emeralds."

When she turned back to me, her eyes were bright with tears. "I'm so happy for you. We have to celebrate." She clapped her hands, and the rest of the group turned to look. "Big dinner with buckets of booze as fast as the kitchen can make it. I had them on stand-by for just this occasion. Dress up! I want this engagement to go down in history."

I laughed and squeezed her hand. "How did you read my mind?"

She shook her head, tears still glimmering in her eyes. "I've known you too long."

I began to step away toward Gio so we could go to our room and dress-and maybe pick up what we started in the limo-but Dahlia held tight to my hand.

"Uh-uh, lovebirds. If you go off together, we won't see you until next week. Come change with me."

I looked at Gio helplessly.

He laughed and shrugged. "I wouldn't mind not seeing any of these people until next week."

My mind began to imagine what we could do with a whole week in the room to ourselves, which sent me wandering down the honeymoon path. Some of my thoughts must have shown on my face because Dahlia laughed and tucked my arm into the crook of hers.

"Exactly," she said. "So you're coming with me."

Tallon and Alessandro laughed uproariously as I was led into the house with blush staining my cheeks. Dahlia covered the distance to her room quickly, with only a quick pit stop in the kitchen that she made me wait outside of, and as soon as the door closed behind us, she enfolded me into another crushing hug.

"I am so thrilled you said yes!"

I pulled back. "Did you know?"

She shrugged. "Surprise trip after Dmitri? The way Gio kept checking his pockets before you left? I suspected."

I swatted her on the arm. "Why didn't you warn me?"

She opened her mouth in mock horror. "And ruin the surprise?"

I remember the rush of adrenaline in the balloon as I realized where Gio's speech was leading. I wouldn't give that up for anything. "Fair enough."

I flopped down onto the bed, and Dahlia joined me.

"Aren't we supposed to be getting ready? What happened to your big dinner?" I asked.

"Won't be ready for another hour, and I already know exactly what we're both wearing."

I leaned up on my elbow. "What?"

She nodded. "I've got this new blue dress I've been dying for an opportunity to take out, and I swiped that little black one from your closet already, as well as a set of bright red lingerie I didn't even know you owned to match my red heels." I blushed. A few weeks back, before the first note, I'd wanted to celebrate my first month of school with something special, so I'd decided to step a little out of my comfort zone. I'd purchased the lingerie Dahlia was talking about both because Gio had said something about me looking good in red, and because it was barely more than a few bits of string and lace.

"That's a little... risqué for a family dinner."

Dahlia laughed. "Only you and I will know. Unless one of us tells." She waggled her eyebrows.

I threw a pillow at her. "You never change."

She leaned up on her elbow. "Do you ever get the sense that you have changed... a lot?"

I thought for a moment. When I first arrived in Italy, I had been the wallflower to Dahlia's center of attention, the worrywart to her, "Just try it!" Now, I was engaged to a mafia Don, his engagement ring glittering on my finger, and I couldn't be happier.

"I think Italy's been good for me," I said finally.

Dahlia laughed. "You can say that again. God, and to think you guys were sneaking around until all our noses just a few months ago."

I collapsed back onto the bed in helpless giggles. "I don't miss that."

Alessandro had stalked us through the house, forced Gio to make reckless choices, and really frightened me. But, if I was being totally honest, I missed a little of the clandestine thrill of Gio slipping into my room in the middle of the night, the electric charge of knowing any noise could get me caught.

I wriggled, and the bed bounced underneath me.

"And now you're not just gonna be public, you're gonna be his wife. You guys have come so far," she continued, musing almost to herself.

She was right, of course. From the first moment of attraction to the stolen kisses to the room we shared, everything had been spinning around Gio and me for the last several months. We'd fought and fucked and struggled to survive, but now, no matter what else came, we would be united.

I sat up in bed suddenly. "Oh, my god. I have to tell my mom."

Dahlia sat up. "You haven't told her yet?"

I shrugged. "It's only been a day... or so."

Dahlia swatted me and reached for the landline in her room. "Call her right now. Then, I'll get you all sexy for your engagement dinner."

I picked up the receiver and dialed with shaking fingers. My mom had been receptive when I told her I was dating Gio, but I knew she always worried about people having kids or getting married young. After her experience with Dad, I couldn't blame her, but I really wanted her to be excited for me.

The phone rang once, twice, and then she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom," I said. "It's Olivia."

"Olivia! Just give me one second." A rustling sound came across the line, like she'd covered the mouthpiece, but I could still hear a little of the voices on the other end. It sounded like she was telling someone she had to step away from a game to talk to me.

I stood and began pacing. Dahlia watched me from the bed.

After a moment, she said, "Hi, baby. It's bridge night with James and Becca, so I just had to step away. What's up?"

I exhaled. "Oh, that sounds fun. Um, I have news."

Her voice instantly became serious. "What's going on? Are you okay? Do you want to come home?"

I laughed, but the sound came out wetter than I was anticipating. Nervous tears had sprung up. Dahlia looked at me with worried eyes, but I shook my head.

"I'm okay, Mom. I'm really, really good actually." I took a deep breath. "Gio proposed."

A beat of silence passed. "What did you say?"

I bit my lip and looked at the ring on my hand. "I said yes."

"And that makes you happy? He makes you happy?" she asked carefully.

My heart sank.

"He does. I've never felt safer or more loved. I just want to spend forever with him," I said.

"Well then." She took a deep breath. "Congratulations!"

Her voice crackled over the line so loudly that I dropped the phone and had to scramble for it on the carpet. She was still talking when I picked it up.

"-All I've ever wanted is to see you happy, and if this makes you happy, I'm all in."

The tears gathered at the backs of my eyes welled over, now more happy than nervous. "I'm so glad. I was worried you were going to think I was too young, or this was reckless, or "

"Baby, I raised you to make smart decisions. If I didn't think I could trust you to do that, I never would have let you go to Italy."

I laughed and spun around in a circle. Dahlia hopped off the bed to join me, crowding her mouth close to the phone.

"And the ring is so gorgeous. You're going to absolutely adore it."

"You've gotta see it, Mom! You gotta come out!"

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away." She leaned away from the phone and her voice became quieter. "James! Becca! We've got news!"

Dimly, I heard the sound of clattering footsteps as the audio transitioned to speaker. I could picture the three of them, standing in Dahlia's drawing room like old times, and the words caught in my throat. Dahlia was right. We had come so far, all of us.

Of course, Dahlia saw the emotion overwhelming me and stepped in. "Olivia and Gio are getting married!" she bellowed into the phone.

I winced at her volume, then broke into laughter as the other side of the call dissolved into cheers and congratulations.

"When's the wedding?" James asked.

"Don't pester the girl," Becca responded before I could. "We'll be there as soon as possible to help plan."

"Yes!" Mom agreed. "How does next week sound? I'm sure my employers will give me the time off."

We all laughed, and I wound an arm around Dahlia's waist and squeezed. I was going to marry the love of my life, with my whole family around me. What more could a girl ask for?

"Alright, alright, we've got a dinner to get to, and bridge waits for no engagement. We'll talk!" Dahlia grabbed the phone out of my hands and hung up. Then, she looked at me. "Happy?" she asked.

I nodded, and an impish smile took over my face. The only other thing I wanted in this world was not to wait.

"Think we can plan a wedding in a month?" I asked.