Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 710 -

*Caterina*

I was mentally prepared for battle as we walked up to Olivia and Gio's house, and it was a good thing that I was. Giovanni answered the door for us looking like someone had died, but I knew he was only upset because of Elio.

His face was pinched, and the wrinkles around his eyes were deep with stress. It struck me how similar Elio and Giovanni looked when they were stressed out. It was sweet that they both got most upset about not being able to keep their loved ones safe, even though it was frustrating to deal with for the ones they were trying to protect.

"Hey, Dad. How are you?" Elio asked.

Giovanni simply grunted out, "Fine," before turning to me and pulling me in to kiss each cheek. "Hello, Caterina, I hope you've been doing well."

His obvious snub of Elio left both of us feeling off kilter. Gio had always been someone who liked to get his way, but I had never seen him be so openly distant to Elio. He really was angry about this whole mafia thing, angrier than I had realized.

I was starting to regret agreeing to come to this dinner, and I hoped that Olivia would rescue us all soon from the angry silence that Giovanni had plunged us into. It was difficult for me to know exactly what to say when I agreed with Elio but had no desire to replace myself in a fight with Elio's parents.

Thankfully, Olivia walked in from the kitchen and smiled warmly. "Caterina, Elio, welcome!" she said as she enveloped us both into hugs.

She was always so wonderful at maintaining a calm demeanor. I had no idea how she managed it, especially with how often she had to deal with these cranky Italian men.

Giovanni and Elio were both wonderful, but they sure hated it when they didn't get their way. Seeing them on opposite sides of an argument for the first time showed me just how stubborn they both could be.

"Please, come into the dining room. I made us carbonara to eat and tiramisu for dessert! It's been a while since I got to spend some time cooking for guests, I'm so glad you agreed to come for dinner," Olivia said as she ushered the three of us to the dining room.

She had set the table with tapered white candles in brass candle holders, giving the whole room a lovely ambiance that was at odds with the tension in the air. I couldn't help but smile at her efforts. She really was good at this. A bowl piled high with carbonara sat in the middle of the table, with a salad bowl on one side and a plate of bread on the other.

We all sat down and Gio passed around the dishes so we could get our food. I smiled as I saw that Elio avoided the salad, no doubt feeling that his vegetarian lunch warranted it.

"So, Caterina, how are your classes going?" Olivia asked once we were all settled in and enjoying our meals.

"Really well," I said pleasantly, aware of the fact that the conversation would likely have to be carried by the two of us. "I have been pretty tired, but I like having something that's just for me."

"I keep telling her she doesn't need to work so hard," Elio interjected. "She knows I can support her."

Olivia smiled indulgently at her son, then turned to me. "But where's the fun in that, am I right?" she said conspiratorially.

I giggled and nodded. "Exactly! I keep telling Elio I have to challenge myself or I won't be satisfied."

"Well, one thing about my boys, they love to spoil their women," Olivia said with a smile in Gio's direction. "Sometimes we have to remind them that we don't just want to lay around and eat chocolate all day." Giovanni chuckled and said, "It would be easier if you didn't look so adorable sitting around and eating chocolate."

Olivia rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, but it was obvious she loved the compliment. It made me smile to watch them. I wondered if my own parents would have ever been able to have times like this if my father hadn't been so brutally taken from us. I hoped that Elio and I could grow old together too.

I glanced over to see if Elio was feeling the same emotions as me, but he was glaring down at his plate, his jaw twitching. I wished I could take away his frustration so he could just relax and enjoy the evening.

After we had all stuffed ourselves on carbonara, Olivia stood up to get the tiramisu out of the refrigerator. I had no idea where I was going to manage to fit it, but there was no way I was going to miss out on her tiramisu.

"Sorry, Caterina. I'm going to just pull Elio out for a moment before dessert so we can speak privately," Giovanni said once Olivia was in the kitchen.

"No, Dad. Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Caterina," Elio said coldly.

I glanced between them, feeling like I was caught in the middle and completely unsure of what I should do to ease the tension. Before either of them could say a word, Olivia walked back in with a stack of dessert plates and the tray of tiramisu. She took one look at their matching set jaws and pulled down eyebrows and rolled her eyes.

"Boys, let's not fight over dessert," she said as she handed out the plates and began cutting into the tiramisu. "It makes it taste bad."

"I'd love to discuss things without fighting," Elio said tersely, "but Dad seems incapable of understanding that my life is my own to live. He can't control me."

"Elio, your father understands that. It doesn't stop him from worrying," Olivia said in a soothing voice.

"I'm more than worried. I'm pissed," Giovanni said.

I flinched at his harsh words. It was unusual to see him lose control of his temper. I couldn't remember ever seeing him truly angry in all the time I'd known him. "At what, Dad, the fact that I want to follow in your footsteps?" Elio spat.

"I'm pissed at the fact that you're throwing your entire goddamn life away for nothing!" Giovanni yelled. "You don't even need to do it! We've given you everything, Elio, fucking everything! And you're spitting in our faces by ignoring the sacrifices we've made!"

My mouth popped open in shock. I didn't even bother to hide my emotions.

"The life never fucking leaves, Dad!" Elio yelled right back. "Just look at what's happened to Cat! Vinny did everything to keep her out of the life. None of us even knew about her for years! But it didn't matter. The life found her anyway, and she was put in danger. I'm not going to spend my life running away from who I am, and I'm definitely not going to tuck my tail between my legs and act like a fucking coward."

"That's what you think this is, cowardice?" Gio's voice was dangerously low, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.

I knew that if Elio wasn't careful about what he said next, this argument might escalate into something that could never be resolved.

"No, Dad. I don't think you're a coward." Elio sighed, exhaustion in his voice. "But I do think I would be a coward if I ignored the fact that my girlfriend is constantly being threatened because of our family. I can't just sit by and watch. I have to do something. I have to be prepared."

Giovanni stormed out, not bothering to touch the slice of tiramisu that Olivia had put on his plate. She looked at the dessert sadly, as though it could've somehow stopped the argument between the two men.

"I just wish you'd be more understanding, honey," she said to Elio.

"Mom, you can't seriously be taking his side right now!" Elio said indignantly.

"I'm not taking sides. Maybe you're right about the life replaceing you anyway, but that doesn't mean it's easy for us to watch you go down this path. We worked so hard to give you more options than this."

Tears welled in her eyes, and my heart broke for her, but I still agreed with Elio that we were doing the right thing. I knew it was hard for them to watch us join the mafia life. It had been hard for my mom too. But pretending like we would never be in danger if we didn't get involved wasn't just naïve. It was dangerous. Me not knowing any of this was what had made it possible for Junior to worm his way into my life.

"Thanks for dinner, Mom. I think we need to go now," Elio said quietly.

Neither of us had touched our dessert either.

"I understand. Call me in a few days, okay?" Olivia said quietly, her voice wavering.

Back in the car, Elio was so angry he had completely forgotten about our own earlier disagreement over Elijah. All he wanted to do was rant about his parents.

"It's just fucking ridiculous that they think they can control me like this! This is exactly why I tried to keep it from them in the first place. I can't believe they think they can lecture me like I'm some kind of child."

It was slightly gratifying to hear him repeat some of the same frustrations that I'd had with him, but I understood exactly where he was coming from as well.

"I know," I soothed. "They just don't get it. They'll come around. My mom was against it too, at first, but now look at her. She's more than supportive."

Elio nodded, and it was a relief to be back on the same page with him. I hated it when he and I fought, and I hoped that uniting against this argument with his parents would help him to start opening back up to me about what had been bothering him lately.

When we parked the car at home, Elio leaned over and pulled me in for a deep kiss.

"I am so grateful to have you with me," he said in a gravelly voice that sent a bolt of longing through me.

"I just love being here with you," I whispered against his mouth, reminded once again of that electricity that had so drawn me to him from the beginning.

Our connection was so strong that I was sure it could overcome anything.

"Come on, let's get you inside," he said after another long kiss. "I want to get you out of that pretty little dress."