Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 623 -

*Caterina*

"Hey, honey. Can you help me in the kitchen for a second?" my mom called from the bottom of the staircase. Her voice echoed down the hall and into my bedroom, where I'd just about finished getting ready for the evening. I slipped my earnings on and stuck my head out of the bedroom door.

"I'll be right there!"

A quiet, private night in with just my mom and Elio was exactly what I needed after the unexpected drama that had taken place a few nights ago.

Aside from the unwanted visit of a certain someone, Anna and I thought that our dinner party was a great success. After Paul made the wise choice to leave without causing any further trouble, when the three of us entered the house, only a few of the guests turned their heads in question about Elio's sudden appearance. But no one made any real fuss about it.

Elio, on the other hand, proceeded to stick closely by my side for the remainder of the night. I could tell from the worrisome, aggravated look in his eyes that he wanted answers. I couldn't blame him for wanting to know what was going on between Paul and me. And in all honesty, I had no objection to talking about it-well, most of it.

In any case, I shoved Paul and our unfortunate past to the back of my mind. I gave myself one last look in the mirror above my dresser. Unlike the dinner party, I purposely dressed down my attire significantly by opting for a soft sweater and dark jeans. I let my hair remain down and went with just a simple palette of makeup.

As part of my small family's holiday tradition, it was Christmas Eve and my mother, Elio, and I would all exchange gifts among ourselves before our big family Christmas the following day. It was probably one of the few times growing up when Elio and I didn't go at each other's throats. It was as though we would call a silent truce and we'd act civil.

Only this year, I knew things were going to feel different... much different.

I made my way down to the kitchen, where I saw Mother looming over a large roasting pan. My body instinctively glanced around to see if Elio had already shown up. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd slipped through the doors and stuck to the shadows of the house without my notice. But when I truly couldn't replace any sign of him, I found myself feeling a bit peeved.

My mother glanced over her shoulder and gave me a questionable look.

"Is something the matter, dear?" she asked.

I gave a reassuring smile and gently shook my head. "No, it's nothing," I told her. "I'm just surprised to not replace Elio here already."

She laughed under her breath. "Funny you should mention that. He called me not too long ago. He said he'd get here as soon as he could. Work must really be piling up for him at the office."

I nodded my head and went to take out a few plates and silverware. I began setting the table while my mind wandered back over to the night of the dinner party.

I couldn't have been more thankful at the fact that my mother hadn't witnessed the scene that took place on our front porch. She must have been stuck somewhere toward the back of the house. Regardless, she was still able to remain ignorant to the situation I'd gotten myself into.

My mother would have tried to handle the situation, but God only knew what would have happened then. My stomach coiled at the mere thought, although a sudden disturbing notion came to mind that made my blood run cold-would Elio try to bring up the encounter with Paul tonight while we were all together?

'Jesus Christ, I hope not,' I thought uneasily to myself.

Elio and I hadn't spoken or seen each other since the dinner party. So, I never really got a chance to tell him to keep the whole issue on the down-low. Considering it was Christmas, maybe there was a chance that he'd completely overlook it and we could pretend that it never happened.

'Yeah, fat chance of that happening, Cat,' I scolded myself.

If anyone was going to beat the hell out of the situation, it was going to be Elio. This was no one else's business to deal with except me. While my mother focused on her cooking behind me, I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a long breath.

Granted, I was thankful for Elio's presence at the time, but I wanted to handle my own battles. I needed people to realize that I wasn't just some weak, defenseless woman who needed to be saved. But I wasn't going to lie to myself either. The way Elio stood up for me against Paul's harassment made me buzz with excitement. The man looked too hot for his own good as his features darkened and his muscles flexed under his clothes.

Chances were that had I not had a house full of people, I would've immediately hauled him upstairs into my bedroom and spent the rest of the night worshiping his body. Even now, the thought was still very tempting.

But what I think really stuck to me was how willing Elio was to jump to my defense. I'd never been protected like that before, least of all by Paul. When he and I were together, there were moments back in school where some of his friends would make a few suggestive remarks about me. Whether it was just for laughs or they were told with complete serious intent, Paul never said nor did anything to keep them from recurring.

Paul's vicious words echoed painfully in my head. "So, what are you, like her uncle or something? Is he the one who you're trying to replace me with? He's a bit old for you, isn't he?"

His pompous, sleazy expression made my skin crawl. I wished I possessed the courage to knock him off his feet at that very moment. How badly I wanted to snap at him and openly admit that Elio was, in fact, my boyfriend.

At that moment, there was a loud knock on the front door followed by heavy footsteps. I turned to glance behind me to replace Elio walking through the living room. He happily greeted my mom with a cheerful smile and slowly came to stand in front of me.

"It's good to see you, Cat."

My heart skipped a few beats in my chest as I fought the horrible urge to fling my arms around him and pull him into a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too," I said quietly.

He secretly flashed me a devilish, heart-stopping smile and turned away to offer my mother any needed help.

***

Dinner was finished and all three of us moved into the living room and sat comfortably around the tree. The warm lights offered a beautiful ambiance while my mom offered to turn on some light music for background noise.

I felt genuinely at peace with the loving scene around me. There was no point in trying to think otherwise; Elio was a big part of my life, and something in the back of my mind told me that he always would be.

I was happy we had this moment of quiet with my mom before the rest of his family showed up. At times, it really felt like a lot to deal with.

We exchanged our small gifts with one another and easily slid into a gentle conversation about my transfer to UCLA.

"Oh, Cat, I'm just excited that I'll get to see you more often than before," my mother beamed. "You know that I never cared where you went to school. As long as you're happy and you feel confident where you are, that's all that matters to me." While I offered a supportive smile, I felt Elio's eyes pour into me.

My chest seized up with sudden anxiety as I made the fatal mistake of glancing in his direction. His once tranquil expression shifted to something dark and possessive. It was as if he'd pieced together the real reason as to why I chosen to switch schools.

"I know, Mom." I let myself sink back into the couch. "And I really am excited to start somewhere new again."

A few hours flew by before my mother stood up from her chair. With a slight stretch, she declared that she would be turning in for the night. Before leaving, she turned to Elio and spoke.

"Just so you know, Elio, you're free to spend the night here if you'd like so you're here first thing when the family arrives. We have plenty of room."

He returned her comment with a gracious smile. "I may just have to take you up on that offer," he told her. Elio turned his head and gave me a pointed look, causing a million goosebumps to break out over my skin.

As soon as my mother retired to her room, the air thickened between us. My heart practically leaped into my throat as I watched Elio get up from his seat to steal the open spot next to me on the couch. He sank into the cushions and turned to

me.

"The other night... tell me exactly what that guy is to you," he demanded softly.

I took my lip between my teeth and slowly nodded my head. Deep down, I knew this sort of talk was coming.

"Paul. He and I briefly dated back when I was at school," I stated. I could see Elio visibly tensing over this bit of information, but he never interrupted me. "We met at some party a while back and we hit off. Things were good until they weren't. I made it clear on numerous occasions that I wanted to break up, but-"

"But he had other plans in mind," Elio finished for me. "So, he's a big part of the reason why you've decided to come back home."

I nodded my head and sighed. There was no way I was going to tell him the rest of the gruesome details. Knowing Elio, he would've jumped up from the couch and stormed out the door with the intent of hunting Paul down.

"I honestly didn't think he'd stoop so low as to show up here and disrupt everything."

"Well, I'm just glad that I stepped in when I did," he said. "Believe me, I had no real intention of crashing your night. But when I saw him begin to crowd you, I couldn't stop myself."

While my body continued to heat up from the honesty behind his words, I needed him to know where I stood on the matter completely.

"Look, I appreciate you getting Paul to leave. But you need to know that I can handle myself in these sorts of situations, okay?"

The corner of his mouth pulled back into a smirk. "Cat, I have absolutely no doubt that you can take care of yourself. Like I said before, I couldn't stop myself. Shit, I'm just happy that I didn't end up punching the asshole out," he muttered.

I giggled under my breath and thoughtlessly leaned into his warm side. Elio wrapped a strong arm around me and pulled me in closer. I closed my eyes and took in the moment. For now, we let the conversation over Paul drop, even though my feelings of bitterness were still lingering.

I felt Elio brush my hair out of my face and speak against my cheek.

"So, your mom said I could stay tonight." His deep, honeyed voice caused my breathing to hitch. "I'd like to, if that's okay with you?"

'Oh, God... how can I say no?'