Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 674 -

*Caterina*

"Hey, Mom, what do you think about this one?" I asked as I pointed to the picture of a light purple sundress.

My mom leaned over from her own magazine to get a better look at the catalog. She narrowed her eyes in contemplation. "Hmm, it's cute," she commented. "But don't you have one similar to it at home?"

I glanced back at the picture and smiled. "Yeah, I think you're right," I laughed. "It's probably why I picked it up in the first place."

I'd decided to spend the day with her to ease the tension between us. I knew that openly admitting my involvement with the whole Antonio business was bound to upset her. But I wasn't going to lie. I was tired of all the lies and secrets within my family, which was why I chose to be honest.

But it was that same honesty that was causing a tear in our relationship. I knew she was upset, and I couldn't say that I blamed her. No parent would want to know that their child was purposely getting involved in something as dangerous and life-threatening as the mafia.

I was desperate to mend things between us. My initial thought was for us to spend a good part of the day out shopping, but I didn't want to push her. Her physical therapy has been going well, and I wasn't about to jeopardize that. So, I decided to hang out with her at her place. She agreed, and I swiftly grabbed a few clothing catalogs and made my way down to meet her in her new place. I switched on the coffee maker and went straight to making a few simple omelets with bacon..

The morning led on like nothing had gone down between us, and I was grateful for the moment of normality. I inquired about how she was feeling, and she returned the interest with wanting to know how Elio and I were doing.

I could tell that she was still somewhat bemused about the two of us getting together even after all this time. I told her bits and pieces of what it was like living together and how easy everything came for us.

Although I was a little disappointed to not have caught Elio before he went off to work this morning, I was glad for the quiet morning, nonetheless.

My body needed the rest after our previous night's events. Parts of me were still buzzing from the intense feel of his touch and the sweet sound of his voice against my skin.

But my dampened feelings were quickly resolved when I received a sudden text from him around mid-afternoon. At first my stomach flipped with unknown anticipation. My mind went immediately to thinking about Antonio and Junior. Had they gotten new information? Had Antonio been spotted over in Italy? Did they have his location? Could this entire issue finally come to an end?

I expected something to be said. But no. Elio had said something about a surprise. Suddenly, my feelings of worry and dread were replaced with excitement. Of course, he merely added that he'd be home later after work and failed to tell me anything regarding this so-called 'surprise.'

So, I was left to my own devices, wondering what it could possibly be. And knowing Elio... the possibilities were practically limitless.

From that point on, the day seemed to drag on.

I left my mom's place right around the time she was expecting her physical therapist to stop by. As I headed back toward my apartment, I stopped and smiled as a happy idea popped into my head.

'I'm going to create a little surprise of my own for when Elio comes home,' I thought mischievously.

***

It was just a little after four and I'd just returned from the grocery store. I headed straight for the kitchen and placed all my bags down and got to organizing.

I started by pulling out one of the larger saucepans and breaking up some chopped meat in olive oil and minced onions. I added my species and continued to turn the mixture until it browned in the pan.

Thanks to Elio's mysterious mention of a surprise, it inspired me to want to give him a surprise of my own. I wanted to make a special dinner for us-spaghetti Bolognese. Although not as complicated as some other Italian dishes, it always held a special place in my memory growing up. And it also happened to be something that I knew Elio loved.

While the meat was continuing to cook down a little, I grabbed a large cutting board and sliced open a freshly baked baguette that I got from the bakery section. Garlic bread and a freshly tossed salad were the perfect sides to have with the dish.

A small smile played on my lips. I tried to get everything done at the same time so that we could sit down and eat as soon as Elio got home.

As I waited for the water to bowl, my mind started to filter through all the possible ideas as to what the 'surprise' could possibly be.

Surely it wasn't another dress. The last one he gave me was so beautiful, and I couldn't believe that he'd gone to the trouble of picking one out for me.

"A surprise," I muttered under my breath.

The very thought gave me goosebumps of both excitement and trepidation, knowing Elio... his surprises were never considered small. They were always endearing and never unforgettable. But there were times when he'd truly shocked me with the amount of money and power that he kept hidden behind him.

Even though I cherished everything he'd given me thus far, I didn't want him to shower me in over extravagance. I hoped that this so-called surprise wasn't a brand-new car when I already had a fairly new one. I hoped that he wasn't intending on showering me in dozens of jewels because the jewelry I already have was beautiful enough.

Then again, maybe this surprise wasn't some sort of material object. Maybe it was some sort of an activity, an experience that we could share together. Now my mind felt like it was expanding even further.

A feeling of warmth spread through my chest at the thought of the two of us creating new memories with each other.

I quickly glanced at the digital clock above the oven and wished for Elio to come home sooner. My nerves couldn't take much more of the suspense.

I gave the pasta one final stir before lifting the pot over to the sink to drain the water out. A muffled noise came from the front hallway.

"Hello? Cat?" Elio called out.

"Hey! I'm in the kitchen."

I heard Elio's heavy footsteps carry him toward me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him leaning in the doorway of the kitchen with a smug looking expression on his face as he watched me move about. My cheeks flushed. "And how was your day?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Boring," he muttered and stepped further into the kitchen. "It smells amazing."

"Well, you're not the only one who can pull off a surprise," I said with a knowing smile.

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I melted into his embrace and leaned my head back.

"You know you didn't have to do all this," he said lightly as he bent down and placed a kiss on my head. "If you wanted, we could have always gone out somewhere. I wish I'd known that this was your plan all along, I would have tried to come home much sooner."

My heart slammed in my chest. "Elio, it's just spaghetti Bolognese," I giggled. "I know that you love it, and I wanted to have something waiting for you when you got home."

His eyes grew hooded. "I love you."

"Mm, I love you too," I said back. "Now tell me what the surprise is."

Elio chuckled and nodded his head. "I know that you're done with your classes for about a month, which is good because now you're given a proper break of time," he said.

I raised a brow.

"Well, I thought that with everything going on that we deserve to get away for a little bit," he said.

My voice filled with tantalizing amusement. "Oh? Get away? As in, go on a trip?"

Elio turned me in his arms and tucked a tick lock of my hair behind my ear.

"I met with Alessandro today. He wants us to fly to Italy so that we can meet a few people," he explained. "And then we can vacation a bit while we're there."

My breath caught in my lungs. My eyes grew wide at the unexpected opportunity that I hadn't ever considered. Among all the random possibilities my mind had cooked up, a trip to Italy was never on the list.

I hadn't been to Italy since I was still a child. I had to admit to having thought about going back once or twice in the past, but something always seemed to stop me from pursuing the idea.

But maybe with Elio with me, I'd finally be able to do so.

I wanted to feel excited about this. "Elio, that sounds amazing. But-"

He glanced down at me with a curious expression.

"But what?"

I bit the inside of my cheek and pressed through the jumbling nerves that fluttered in my stomach.

"It's just that... well, I feel a little scared about going back."

The look on his face forced me to explain myself better.

"The last time I was there, I ended up losing the most important man in my life," I said solemnly.

I couldn't even bring myself to think that it could happen again, this time with Elio. The very thought caused me to shiver and my stomach to churn in knots.

No, I wasn't about to let fear rule my life like this and keep me from having any memorable moments going forward. I shoved what nervous feelings I had down and tried to think on a more positive note. "Maybe we can take a trip to the Uffizi Gallery and maybe the Accademia Gallery," I said.

Elio's worried expression shifted. He smiled and nodded his head in support.

"Yes, we will go to all the great art galleries you want to," he insisted.

I hugged him tightly and felt him rest his chin on top of my head. I felt so secure-so anchored.

"We'll leave tomorrow afternoon so that we'll get there in time to sleep a bit before starting our day in Florence."

There was no mistaking Elio's excitement for this trip, and I don't want to be the one to drag the mood down. But as much as I wanted to be excited about it, I just couldn't shake my nervous feeling.