Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 460 -

*Giovani*

I stood at the foot of the stairs, nearly vibrating with worry. I had to keep my arms crossed to be certain Olivia wouldn't see me shaking.

She frowned. "Is this about me going out? I'm my own person, I should be able to—"

I shook my head. "Please, can we talk in the room?"

She bit her lower lip but nodded. I breathed a small sigh of relief and led the way.

As soon as the door closed behind us, I put my arms out for Elio. She let me take him, still hesitant, and I buried my nose in his hair.

The brief burst of terror that raced through me when Tino texted that they were at Salvatore's house finally abated as I inhaled his scent. He still smelled like my boy, like the soap Olivia picked out for him and the diaper lotion we used when he got rashes. Sure, there was a little bit of cigarette smoke clinging to his curls from the rathole he'd been dragged to, but above all else, he was my son, and he was safe.

I would've swept Olivia into the same sort of hug if I thought she would tolerate it. Instead, she stared at me, concern and frustration warring in her features as she tapped her foot and waited for me to explain.

I savored Elio's warm weight for another moment in place of checking his mother to see if she was equally okay.

"What, Gio?" she snapped. "Did you just pull me in here for Elio? Because he's getting there, but he's not much of a conversationalist yet."

I sighed. I knew I should have handled the approach differently, but with fear vibrating in my veins, I couldn't come up with anything smoother.

"I've irritated you. I'm sorry," I said. I didn't want to fight with her. In fact, I needed her to listen to me. I finally had my first bit of proof.

Her brow smoothed a little. "So you're not just going to yell at me for going to my-Sal's?"

I shook my head, and she took a deep breath.

"Okay." She uncrossed her arms and moved to the couch. "I maybe wouldn't wait in the front room with your arms crossed next time. It screams with a 'you-missed-your-curfew' vibe."

I chuckled, trying to feel at ease. I needed her to listen, I reminded myself. She was too independent. I couldn't protect her if I couldn't make her understand why I needed to.

"I do want to talk about Sal, though," I said slowly, bracing for her reaction.

A bit of the ease left her posture, and she eyed me a bit suspiciously. "What?"

"Tino texted me when you got there," I admitted.

She scowled, and I felt a little bad for the man. Being the target of Olivia's anger was never pleasant.

"I had Gabriele run the address, just in case," I continued. "And something came up."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Something came up about his address?"

The worry threatened to overwhelm me again. If Tino's text had been upsetting, Gabriele's discovery had driven me over the edge.

"He lives in Russian territory," I blurted out. "Or at least, the territory the Russians held when they were here. It seems like he might be using you to get to me for them."

A storm cloud gathered on her brow. She looked at Elio, who was fussing slightly in my arms.

"He needs his nap," she said carefully. "Do you want to put him down or should I?"

I offered him to her silently. I didn't like how even her voice had gotten, and I didn't like how she looked at Elio like a piece of glassware that needed to be removed before one of the siblings' riskier games.

She whisked him into the nursery, crooned a few songs, and he fell asleep easily. She shut the door behind him and jerked her head toward our bedroom. I got up and trudged into the room. Olivia followed icily and closed that door between us and Elio as well.

"I'm going to say this quietly, because he was already late for his nap," she said. "But understand that I am not thrilled. Are you looking for reasons to dislike my dad?"

I took a step back as though her words were a blow. How could she think that, when all I wanted was to protect her, and our son? Worse, she'd never called him her dad before, not seriously like this, at least not where I could hear. Real hurt blazed in her eyes, and I realized with sinking terror that something had happened this afternoon to make her really, genuinely accept him into her life.

I'd missed my opportunity, and everything from here on would be an uphill battle.

"No, Olivia." I scrubbed my hand across my face. "I'm not trying to dislike him. It might seem like nothing to you, but it might be the only warning sign we get before things go south."

"Go south?" she hissed. "Just what do you think is going to happen?"

I threw my hands in the air. I'd blown it. She was already mad.

"I don't know! Maybe he'll try to kiss me and run away with our baby."

Her mouth settled into a hard line, and I knew I'd made a mistake. Fuck.

I took a step closer, and she stepped back. I winced.

"I only mean to say I thought you should know," I murmured.

She did not look appeased. "Christ, Gio, if you'd seen the place, you wouldn't be saying half of this. He complained about the way it looked half the time I was there. He's renting where he can afford. Maybe the neighborhood went to shit after you took the Russians down."

I felt my temper begin to boil in my veins. I wanted to be kind, wanted to be gracious, but that sounded very like she was defending the Russian mafia.

"I'm only trying to protect you and our son, like a husband and father should. Why do you always have to think the worst of me? You freaked out when I first said I didn't trust Elena, and now this. Look who was right about Elena?" "Me!" she yelled.

We both glanced at the door, waiting for the telltale cry of our sleepless son. Nothing came.

"I was right," she hissed. "Because you backed down as soon as she started showing."

I ran a hand through my hair. Of course, I shouldn't have brought up the Elena thing.

"Fine, alright, you have me there," I said. "But that doesn't change the fact that you always freak out when I tell you I'm looking into someone."

She narrowed her eyes. "What exactly does 'looking into' mean in this context?"

I looked at the floor. "Background checks."

"And?" she prompted.

"And a little more. He admitted to mafia connections, but he won't tell us what family. That's enough to get my hackles up."

She threw her hands in the air and stormed toward the French doors. "You and your hackles. You just can't trust anybody, can you?"

I followed her, caught her about the waist. Maybe I could still get this back on track.

"I trust you," I murmured into her ear.

She whirled in my arms, eyes still blazing. "Do you, Gio? Because it really doesn't seem like it right now. I tell you I want to see whether this man is worth getting to know, decide that he is, and as soon as I start really liking him, suddenly you're the dad police!"

I released her quickly. "When have I done anything but try to protect you? You always jump to these worst cases when I suggest someone might have bad intentions or be using you to get to me."

She scoffed and stormed away again. "You always suggest that about anyone new I started to like. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you got jealous when I started giving other people my attention. Is that why you have people following me around all the time?"

I blanched, and she froze. Olivia turned back slowly, guilt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean that. I know the world is dangerous, and I know you're not just trying to be controlling."

I kept my distance, even though her rage seemed to have banked. I'd spent all this time worrying about overstepping her boundaries to protect her. I didn't think she was right. I loved the way her eyes lit up after spending time with Elena now. But I knew all sorts of stories about controlling Dons ruining the lives of their wives and girlfriends, all in the name of keeping them safe. I swore I'd never be them.

She took a tentative step closer. "I mean it, Gio. I don't think that about you. Something Sal said got in my head, and I was just mad."

I swallowed against my fear as alarm bells started going off in my head. Something Sal said? Was he trying to drive us apart?

If I knew anything at all about my wife, I knew I couldn't say that now if I ever wanted her to listen to me.

"I just wanted you to have all the information," I said slowly. "So you could make your own decision."

She sighed and closed the distance between us a little further. "I should have let you say that. I just know how you get when you think safety's on the line, and I really believe he just wants to have a relationship with me. I don't know what happened before, and to some extent, I don't care." This close, I could see tears filling her eyes. "All I wanted as a kid was a parent who was around, and he seems intent on staying wherever we are. I have to give him a chance."

My heart squeezed, but the suspicion didn't abate. It couldn't, not really, not knowing his past.

I took the final step and enfolded her in my arms. "I understand that, carina. I don't know what I'd do to have parents in my life anymore, and I'm thrilled you might get to have yours."

"That's why it hurts so much when you say he just wants to get to you." She buried her face in my chest and wrapped her arms around me. "It makes me feel like you think I don't matter to my own dad."

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and closed my eyes. Of course, it would feel like that. My beautiful wife wore her heart on her sleeve, and that meant every emotion flared up at the slightest provocation. I stored the information away for the next time I needed to approach her about Salvatore.

Because whatever she believed, whatever she wanted, I knew deep in my gut that there would be another time.

"I will keep that in mind for the future," I murmured into her hair. "I never want you to feel less than important."

We stood like that for a long time, until Elio stirred in the other room.

I broke the hold first.

"I'll leave you two. I have a little more work to do."

She smiled up at me and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Don't be out too late."

I left the room, wondering how much proof I would need before she listened to me now.