Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 598 -

*Tallon*

"Jesus Christ, if I'd known this was going to be such a fucking ordeal, I would have started this project months ago!" Alessandro cursed under his breath.

I couldn't stop the chuckle from erupting from my chest. My brother jabbed his elbow back, striking me in the arm in response. Unfortunately, this only made me laugh even louder. "It's not funny, Tallon," he gritted through his teeth.

Good God. It felt like ages since I'd seen the guy become so worked up over something. Normally this sort of reaction was geared toward an outside threat. But lately, my brother had become his own worst enemy... well, more or less, his anxiety had.

Ever since he told me that he was thinking about finally popping the question to Mia, the man was coming apart at the seams due to excessive worrying. I wasn't entirely sure if he was worried that Mia would say no or if he was just concerned about screwing up the proposal all on his own.

Regardless, I gave him my full sympathy.

Looking back nearly a whole year, I could still recall the night I'd proposed to Natalia. I'd been a nervous wreck nearly the entire night until the waiters finally brought the dessert out and I pulled out the black velvet box from my pocket. Once it was all over, my nerves were finally able to rest, and I could move forward with little worry. Now it was Alessandro's turn to go through the motions.

This morning, before I left the house, Natalia told me that she and Mia would be out spending the afternoon together. The timing couldn't have been any more perfect, because within the same hour, Alessandro reached out and texted me about going out to search for the perfect engagement ring.

I hadn't breathed a single word of this to Natalia. Although, a part of me felt that Natalia may have already suspected that this proposal was going to happen. If my wife could be considered anything, it was perceptive.

After we returned from our honeymoon, the Natalia and Mia became even more inseparable than before. I was so glad she'd found someone to whom she could confide in other than myself. I loved my Natalia without any doubt, but I wanted her to have friends she could trust and spend time with. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her to grow up without any siblings.

As annoying as Alessandro and Dahlia were at times, I wouldn't have wished for anything different.

When it came to Natalia spending a good portion of her time with Mia, I had zero complaints and to think that soon we'd all be connected as family.

"Come on, man. This wasn't meant to be a stressful event," I told him.

"Well, it is."

"That's because you're making it out to be that way," I commented dryly.

To think, this was the same man who had once blackmailed Olivia and was now losing his sanity over something as domestic as picking out an engagement ring. He let out a disgruntled noise while peering down at the dozens of designer rings the store attendant had placed out for us.

Thanks to the owner's easy acceptance of the large sum of cash we presented to him upon our arrival, they closed the place down just for us. With no one else around and no other possible distractions, this should have been an easy-going venture without a doubt.

But I could sense that my brother's nerves were straining more and more the longer his eyes wavered over the various velvet-lined trays.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. Fucking hell, at the rate he was moving, we weren't going to return back home till sundown.

"For the love of God, you're overthinking this," I told him. "When I was picking out my ring for Natalia, I tried to imagine that she was there with me. You know?"

Alessandro slowly nodded his head. Of course, being placed in front of several dozens of ring designs was intimidating. I was pretty sure that the guy would have rather walked straight into an ambush defenseless than be standing where he

was.

"Yeah, you mean try to envision what she would pick out for herself."

I nodded my head with hope. "Exactly!"

"Alright, well-"

He looked down. "How about this one?"

I glanced at where Alessandro was pointing. It was a trillion-styled cut ring embedded between two smaller diamonds. It was nice, but it didn't really seem like a ring that Mia would wear.

I narrowed my eyes and gently shook my head. Much to my surprise, he agreed with me, and we moved on to the next set.

"How about these?"

My gaze roamed over the various similar round cut diamond bands. They were all stunningly crafted, but once more, none of them seemed like the right fit.

Before we went any further, I reached out my hand to rest on my brother's shoulder. I snagged his attention and calmly spoke up.

"Here, let me ask you this. Because while I'm more than happy to help you with this project, I'm not the one who knows Mia best here."

Alessandro nodded his head in agreement. He scratched the back of his neck and let out a long breath.

"You're right," he said.

"Alright then. Tell me, do you believe she would gravitate more toward a traditional type of style, or is Mia a woman that is moved more by a unique-less common sort of style?"

I gestured toward the display of rings that were all either oval and princess cut to then pointed to another display that showcased Asscher and marquise cut rings.

A long bout of silence passed before I turned my head back to Alessandro. The man didn't necessarily look frustrated, but more so lost in thought.

"Mia... she's everything," he said. His voice grew low in his throat. "The day I met her at that concert, I knew right then and there that everything had changed. I knew that I couldn't see myself with anyone else. I don't want to see myself with anyone else. She's a constant breath of fresh air that always keeps me grounded as well as on my toes. She makes me forget about the past and makes me actually want to look toward the future."

My brows lifted into my hair in complete shock. I didn't think I'd ever heard my brother speak like this about anyone. It was beautiful and incredibly unexpected. I believed I'd just reached a whole new level of respect for my brother.

Alessandro raked a rough hand through his hair. "So, the fact that I'm only meant to pick out one ring that's meant to encapsulate all of that is what's making this whole situation so goddamn difficult!"

I offered a supportive smile and clapped a hand on his back.

"All the more reason to take your time and really put some thought behind this ring then," I said.

***

After another hour of constant encouragement and careful searching, Alessandro had finally settled on an engagement ring for Mia.

He'd decided on a three-stone accented round cut ring.

"It's perfect," he said.

And I completely agreed with him.

The attendant happily placed the ring in a dark velvet box and handed it over to him with a wistful smile. Based on the grin that marked my brother's face, I could tell that he was satisfied with his choice. I snagged a quick glance at my watch and realized that I had a bit of time to burn before Natalia was expected to be home.

"How about we go grab a drink?" I suggested.

Alessandro let out a hearty chuckle and jutted his chin forward. We thanked the jewelers again for giving us the privacy we needed and made off toward one of the nearby bars we used to frequent.

The bar was evenly packed for a Thursday early evening. A good share of the people inside were locals that were too busy keeping to themselves to notice that the two us had stepped inside. One of the owners who stood behind the bar top recognized my brother and me immediately.

"Hey, look what the wind blew in," Quinton exclaimed. A wide smile lightened the man's features. "My, haven't seen you boys around here in ages."

We approached the bar and greeted Quinton with a respectful nod.

"How've you been, Quinton?" I asked.

The older man shrugged and tossed a faded rag over his shoulder. "Same old, same old. Cannot complain, eh?" he remarked. "So, what brings you over to my neck of the woods?" I patted Alessandro on the back and turned my head.

"Well, this guy here just came from picking out an engagement ring for his girlfriend," I said smugly.

"Hey! That's wonderful! Come, come sit down here," Quinton waved his hand over to the two empty spots that had just opened up. "How's a couple glasses of our house bourbon sound?" "Sounds perfect," Aless said.

We both sat down and waited for Quinton to return with our drinks. For the first time in the past several hours, my brother appeared relaxed. But I knew that beneath that chilled exterior, there was a whole new feeling of nervousness. At least from what I'd experienced, I knew that such a feeling would surely pass once he'd finally ask Mia to marry him.

"So, when are you thinking of actually popping the question?" I asked.

Quinton placed two glass tumbles in front of us and turned back to greet another patron. I clicked our glasses together and took a tentative sip.

Alessandro spoke over the rim of his glass. "I'm going to do it tomorrow night. I know this really nice restaurant just outside of the city... small place, family owned. I think it's perfect because it overlooks the countryside, and it will be nice and private."

He took another sip of his bourbon and glanced passively around the room.

"I'm fairly certain that Mia has no idea that this is coming," he said. "Then again, who knows? That woman can be unknowingly sneaky when she wants to be."

I snorted under my breath, earning myself a side-eyed glance from him.

"I know the feeling."

I took another large sip of my drink and allowed the cool liquid to burn on the back of my tongue. Thoughts of my brother's soon-to-be engagement as well as my wife played in my head. It was incredible how far we've both come from where it all started. I was so happy for him, for both of us.

My mind wandered back to the very night Gio had named me the new Don. It felt like a lifetime ago when the grand decision was made all those shocked expressions and deathly glares. I was almost certain that I was going to lose my brother that same night.

We'd had our fair share of fights. There had been multiple moments when we couldn't see eye to eye with one another. Oftentimes, I would remain calm and collected when in the face of turmoil or danger, whereas Alessandro possessed a more aggressive approach and had a tendency to be rash when making certain decisions.

Taking a much-needed break from the family was exactly what we both needed. Alessandro was able to focus on himself, and I was able to give my attention to the role of Don without the constant worry of my brother's hatred toward me. Thankfully, that hatred had dispersed, and he was able to come back so that we could peacefully work together. The hot-tempered Alessandro that I grew up with had been replaced with a matured, level-headed man that was on the verge of finally getting what he deserved a loving wife and hopefully a family of his own.

The man had come a long way.

'I can't wait,' I thought happily to myself.