Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 597 -

*Two Months Later* *Natalia*

Mia helped me lay a white tablecloth over my bed so that we could eat in it without getting crumbs everywhere. We set our pizza in the middle of the tablecloth, then organized chips and candies all around it so that we could easily grab a variety of foods.

Alessandro and Tallon were gone for the evening, so we had planned a girls' night in to enjoy ourselves. First up on the agenda: consume the mountain of junk food that we had piled onto my bed.

I had ordered the pizza and Mia had been in charge of chips and candy. I stared down at the colorful wrappings and marveled at the selection she had brought. We had everything from Italian chocolates to American sour candies, with plenty of chip options as well.

Once we were satisfied that everything was laid out nicely, we settled ourselves into the bed and dug in. I went straight for a slice of pizza; a classic Italian margherita with the perfect amount of mozzarella. Mia picked up a bag of gummy worms and popped one into her mouth. We both moaned at the same time, then made eye contact, and burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, we are ridiculous," Mia giggled.

"Our men leave for like ten minutes and we lose all control," I laughed.

It was so nice to have her around. Tallon would indulge me if I said I wanted to have a picnic in our room, but he wouldn't get it the way Mia did. Some things women just inherently understood, like the simple pleasure of eating junk food while snuggled up in bed.

I had never really had many friends growing up, let alone female friends. It had made me nervous when Alessandro first started bringing Mia around, but now I couldn't imagine not knowing her. She had quickly become my closest friend. "Look, I love all the five-star hotels and fancy dinners as much as the next woman, but sometimes I just crave this kind of food. I don't think Alessandro or Tallon gets it, to be honest. They were raised in such a different world," Mia said. I nodded my agreement as I took another bite of my pizza. It was the perfect blend of gooey from the cheese and crispy from the crust.

"Speaking of Alessandro, how are you two doing now that you've moved in together?" I asked after finishing my bite.

One of my favorite things about Mia was the fact that we could talk openly about our men with each other. I couldn't imagine having a best friend whom I had to keep Tallon's job from. It was perfect that Mia knew everything about the family business.

"I mean, there are growing pains for sure," she said, grabbing another gummy worm and taking a bite out of it.

I was surprised to hear anything but excitement from her. I knew that she'd wanted to move in with Alessandro for a long time. As far as I knew, he was over the moon now that they lived together. "What's been the hardest part?" I asked, genuinely curious to know.

The circumstances that had led to Tallon and I moving in together had been less than ideal, but I supposed the outside stress of dealing with my psychotic family had helped alleviate any internal stress that we might have felt. It was impossible to get worked up over the small things at home when we had such big stuff going on outside the home.

"Honestly, just getting used to checking in with someone has been tough for me. I've spent so much of my life being an independent woman that I'm not used to having someone who really cares where I'm at and what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love having someone who wants to watch over me. It's just an adjustment. The other day he got pretty upset because I didn't get home when I said I would." She shrugged, but I could tell there was more to the story. "Well what time did you get home?" I asked, knowing that Alessandro wasn't the type to worry unnecessarily.

"It was a little after ten," she admitted. "I went out for a walk, but I got distracted and ended up doing some window shopping."

"And what time were you supposed to get home?" I pressed, just barely able to keep the smile off my face.

"A little before eight."

"Mia!" I scolded. "I would have been worried too! You didn't even check in with him?"

"Well, my phone died. And I might have been struggling to replace my way back."

I smacked my forehead in disbelief. No wonder Alessandro had been upset. She'd been missing for over two hours, and he hadn't known where she was.

And it sounded like she hadn't known where she was either. Hell, when I ran away from Tallon after our fight, he'd sent the whole damn mafia to replace me. She was lucky Alessandro hadn't alerted his men. "You know that's ridiculous," I told her.

"Blah blah blah, I promise I heard it all from him already," she muttered. Her words came out annoyed, but a smile played at her lips. "He made me start carrying around a phone charger in my purse. Do you know how annoying that is?" "You love that he worries about you," I said.

It wasn't a question. I could tell by how she was acting. She hadn't meant to worry him, but she loved that he cared enough to worry. I got it, especially after growing up in a family that didn't really give a shit about me one way or the other, it was intoxicating to have someone love me enough to worry about me.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

I laughed and nodded vigorously. She smacked my arm, then reached for a slice of pizza.

"Alright fine, I'm a lovesick fool and I can't get enough. I live with the man, and I still can't get enough of him," she said before taking a dramatic bite.

"I know the feeling," I reassured her.

Although it was amazing to be cared for the way Tallon cared for me and Alessandro cared for Mia, it was also intimidating. It made you constantly wonder if you were good enough for that kind of love, and it made you terrified of what might happen if you ever lost it.

"Have you guys talked about marriage at all?" I probed.

I had a feeling Alessandro would be asking her soon, but I hadn't heard anything from him. I hoped Tallon would keep me in the loop, but it wouldn't surprise me if the two men had decided to keep everything from me just in case I spoiled the surprise for Mia.

"No, but he's the type who would want it to be a total surprise. I know he won't say a word to me until he's down on one knee." She rolled her eyes, her grin making it obvious that that was exactly the way she wanted it to be. "Aw, he's such a romantic at heart," I gushed.

Suddenly she turned to me, her eyes narrowed. "Do you know anything? Has he told you and Tallon about any plans?"

"No! I swear, he hasn't told us a word. I wish he would, I want to know what his plan is!" I exclaimed.

She sat the pizza slice back down and settled back against the headboard. "I'll be honest. I hope he asks soon. I really want to be his wife. Even when he's upset with me, even when I have to carry a damn phone charger just to ensure he can reach me, even when he leaves his beard trimmings in the sink because he left in a rush... it doesn't matter. I still love him and want to call him my husband." She stared dreamily into space, no doubt imagining her wedding. "That was ridiculously adorable," I told her.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Well, that's what love does to you, I guess. I've officially become adorable." "Well, I want you two to get married for my own reasons. Then you and I would finally be family," I told her shyly.

Revealing to Mia just how much I loved her made me feel vulnerable, but in the best way. I truly saw her as a sister, and I wanted her to know that. Thankfully, she reached out and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "I would love that," she said, her arms still squeezing me.

When she pulled away, we both dabbed at our eyes, wiping away the few tears that had gathered there. We laughed at ourselves, but I knew we both felt incredibly lucky to be in each other's lives.

"And here I thought I'd end up with in-laws as crazy as my own family," I joked. "Instead, I'm afraid I might be the craziest of the bunch."

She looked at me pointedly. "Trust me, it's not you. It's Alessandro. Did you not hear the part where he's making me carry a phone charger in my purse? I was only late the one time!"

I laughed at her exasperation. "No, you don't get sympathy from me. I'm in favor of the phone charger thing," I teased. "I don't want you lost in the city either."

"Oh my god, I was not lost! I knew exactly where I was!"

"Somehow, I don't think Alessandro quite bought that argument. And I'm not buying it either. You got lost. In the city, at night!"

"Fine, when you put it that way, I guess the phone charger makes sense," she admitted, crossing her arms and pouting dramatically.

Her theatrics had me cracking up. She was such a perfect match for Alessandro. It was ridiculous. I was certain the two of them would be married soon, and I had a feeling that the four of us would grow old together, close friends for the rest of our lives.

When I'd first fallen in love with Tallon, it had been terrifying. I had been so certain that my heart would be broken as I tried to balance my growing love for him with my loyalty to my family. I'd had no clue just how lucky I was about to become.

Not only had he managed to help my family and create a peace treaty that had never existed between his family and mine, but he'd also given me the first real home I'd ever had. Not just a place to live, but a place where people loved me, and I loved them.

I reached out and grabbed the bag of gummy worms, handing one to Mia and taking one for myself. "Cheers," I said, holding out my gummy worm and tapping it against hers, "to us and to friendship."

"Cheers," she responded before taking a bite from her worm.

We settled into a comfortable silence, just enjoying the pleasant feeling of eating good food while in good company.

I hoped that this feeling of contentment would carry through the rest of my life.