Don Vidal

12 - A sisters concern

Marnie

“Please, don’t do this, Marnie.” I sigh while folding another shirt and putting it in my suitcase. “You don’t need to do this. You can stay here for as long as you need.”

“Brooke,” I turn to face her. I know she’s worried about me, and maybe I’m naïve where the Don is concerned, but I’m trying to do right by my baby. “Everything will be fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“How can I not? You’ve agreed to move in with my boss! A damn Mafia Don!”

“I slept with him, and now I’m having his baby. I want that baby to know its father, and Draven wants to take care of us...” I scrub my hands over my tired face.

I am exhausted from all the worry this past month. Not only money worries but Paul and Draven. Everything is becoming too much, and last night was the craziest night I’ve ever had. Draven pushed on me that I’d be moving in with him, marrying him, and giving up work because I wouldn’t need to go anymore.

I will not be told what to do even if Draven did have a point about the baby and his wanting to take care of us. I agreed to live with him because it’s the right thing to do for my child. That and I know I’ll be safe there. Paul wouldn’t dare come near Draven’s place or me while I’m with him. I need that peace of mind. I need to feel safe. I need to be relaxed so my baby can thrive. I won’t risk losing the baby I would die for.

I came to a compromise with Draven over the job thing. I’ll give up the restaurant job but not the pet store. However, I will cut back on my hours and work part-time. I also told him that I wouldn’t be sharing a room with him, nor would I be sleeping with him.

However, Draven still demanded that I not sleep with any other man. He had a damn cheek to demand such a thing from me, but I guessed he meant while I’m pregnant with his baby. It won’t be a problem. I may be horny as hell lately, but I’m not the kind of girl who would lie down with just anybody, and never while I’m carrying another man's baby.

Ugh, but I did lie down with someone I didn’t know. That’s exactly what I did with Draven. But I would never do that with anyone else.

Of course, I told Draven that if I couldn’t be with anyone else, it meant he couldn’t sleep with anyone else either. I threw it out there as a joke – kind of – I had no idea he’d actually agree to it!

Regardless of that fact, Draven wanted me to move in then and there. I asked him to take me back to Brooke’s just for the night. I needed to prepare myself for what I’d say to my sister. Everyone was asleep when I got home, and I spent the next hour packing up what little amount of stuff I have, and then I spent the next hour cleaning up my room. I would never leave the place a mess. I then showered and slept until just after nine this morning.

I’m still tired, but I dragged myself off to the laundry room to find the last of my things. I wanted to pack before I found Brooke and explained things, but she found me. I explained everything to her, but she’s not taking this well at all.

Brooke strokes my arm gently. “I know you want what’s best for your baby, and I’m proud of you for doing everything you can to ensure they have two parents and a safe home. However, I know Draven, Marnie, and he isn’t the kind of man who will bring you roses on your birthday or massage your feet after a long day at work. He’s a killer, Marnie.”

“And what is Hawk, exactly?”

She blinks, taken aback by the sharpness of my tone. I don’t want to hurt her, but what she just said was like the pot calling the kettle black.

“Yes, Hawk has killed Marnie, but only to protect those he loves. He’s never done the things Draven has. Hawk has only ever protected his family. Draven is a very dangerous man. All those stories people speak of regarding Draven and the things he’s done...”

“They’re just stories, Brooke. I’m not saying Draven is a saint; I’m not stupid. I’m not saying he hasn’t done the things people accuse him of, but have you never thought most of it is made up to scare people? The man I know is not the man I’ve heard about.”

“But you don’t know him, Marnie, not really.”

I clutch my stomach and sigh. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get through to Brooke. I understand her fears, of course, I do, but I have to do this. I don’t know why, but it feels right.

“I’m not trying to hurt you or put doubts in your head, Marnie. Draven is my friend as much as he’s my boss. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You just got away from one violent bastard, and I don’t want you to fall in with another one. Draven is forcing you to do this when you don’t have to, Marnie.”

Don't judge a man on what he had to do; judge him only by what he wanted to do. Draven’s words echo in my mind, and I smile to myself.

I smile and hug my sister. Brooke means the world to me; she’s always there when I need her, and right now, all she’s doing is trying to protect me. I love her so much for it, but I want to do this.

“Thank you for being here for me. I really appreciate it, Brooke. But Draven wants to take care of us. I know this might seem like he’s bullying me into something I don’t want to do, but it’s not as bad as you think. I don’t hate the man; he won’t hit me or cheat on me. He’ll love our baby, and that’s why I'm doing this, for my baby. He or she deserves the father we never had. The father your children have.”

Brooke looks at me with tears in her eyes. “You really believe Draven is that man?”

I smile. “Yes, I really believe he's that man.”

“But what about your happiness, Marnie? I’m all for you doing the right thing for your baby. But you deserve to be happy, too.”

“As long as my child is happy, then I will be, too.”

She rolls her eyes and smiles. “Fine, but if he hurts you...”

I laugh loudly and hug her again.

Brooke makes breakfast for us, and we talk while we eat. She’s happy to listen to my plans for the nursery I want to prepare for the baby while she feeds Gabe. He squeals and claps his hands each time he looks at me, and I laugh and kiss his head. I’ll miss spending my mornings with him. He brightens my day.

Brooke and I talk about the wedding, which she isn’t too keen on. She even tries to talk me out of it for half an hour, telling me that living with Draven is good enough and that we don’t need to be married to raise a child together.

Why would I want to marry anyone so soon after getting out of an abusive relationship?

She thinks I’m insane when I tell her I want to marry Draven. After I thought about what Draven said last night, I realized marrying him wouldn’t be so bad. We may never fall in love, but there will be some love between us. We’ll be joined by a bond that links us, our baby, and I will do whatever it takes for my child to have the happy, stable life it deserves.

As stupid as that may sound, I’m not looking for anything for myself. I know what I’m doing. Paul didn’t beat me down so far that I don’t know my own mind.

On the ride over to Brooke’s last night, Draven promised me that he would never hurt me. I told him that if he does want to sleep with someone, to just tell me so that I don’t have to find out from one of his whore.s. Not that it would bother me, him sleeping with someone else, looking the fool in front of my friends would.

Draven told me, with a laugh, I might add, that he will never need anyone else, and I can fight him all I want, but one day soon, I’ll want him as much as he wants me. I didn’t know whether to believe him or not, but it made my puss.y throb like crazy!

Have I lost my mind?

Should I really be putting all my faith and trust in a man I don’t even know?

It’s too late now. I’m in too deep to get out. I cannot hide from a man like Draven Vidal; no matter where I run, he will find us.

Brooke tells me that as long as I know what I’m doing and I’m happy, she won’t stand in my way. Not that she could stop me from doing what I wanted to do, but it’s nice to know that she cares so much about me.

Draven arrives at Brooke’s at 10.53 AM. Seven minutes early. Brooke then makes Draven swear on his niece’s life that he’ll take care of me, that he won’t stop us from seeing each other, and that if I need her, he’ll call her right away.

That’s when he hands me a brand-new cell phone, top of the range, and tells Brooke that her number is already programmed in. I’m pissed off, but I don’t say anything, and I hope that my face doesn’t give that anger away. But I told Draven I didn’t want to be a kept woman!

I hug my sister hard, thank her for everything she’s done for me, and then we leave.

As soon as we got back to Draven’s, he showed me how the alarm systems work. He doesn’t want me to come home and set one off without knowing how to disable them. Then he shows me how to open doors, turn on lights, etc., just with my voice or the click of my fingers. It amazes me.

Tony takes my belongings to my new room. I smile and thank him. Draven then took me to his study and copied my thumb and forefingerprint into his computer system before scanning my eyeball. It all seems so spy-like to me, but Draven tells me that now I’ll be able to open the doors to the house with my fingerprint or eyeball with ease, along with my voice. It boggles my mind, but I nod like I understand, even though I don’t.

Panels on walls. Touch doors that slide open when you press your finger on the panel next to it. Lights that turn on by the clap of your hand or the sound of your voice, etc. Yeah, the whole house is like that, digital and computerized. It’s all crazy!

Once we’ve got the tour of the house and how to work everything out of the way, Draven shows me to my room. It’s such a beautiful room. The bed is literally huge! I’ve never seen a bed that big in my whole life, but then, I grew up on a farm with five siblings and just three bedrooms. Everything was small and cramped. Here, everything is so big and open.

The covers on my bed are the softest cream silk I’ve ever felt in my life. The canopy above matches, and the mattress is comfortable yet firm enough to support my back. There are white lamps on either side of the bed on small cabinets and a dresser to the left that looks like it was carved by Egyptians of old. Beneath the window is a cushioned seat that runs from one end to the other — a pretty light lilac color with cushions everywhere. I’ll enjoy sitting there reading. I love to read. I devour books like wine.

There’s a beautiful light wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room, ready for when I’m nursing my baby, so Draven told me. That was so thoughtful of him. The carpet is so beautiful, creamy, soft, and thick, but I’m not sure it’s necessary in the Tennessee heat.

Once I’ve unpacked, Draven spends more time showing me around the rest of the house, basement, attic, and even the yard. It’s so beautiful. Everything about the place is gorgeous. It’s modern and bright. I thought a Mob Boss would have a home fit for a film star, not royalty, but hey, I like it.

I’m allowed in every room except Draven’s office. Not that I’m bothered about that. I know what kind of man he is, what he must get up to, and what he must hide in that room. I know it’s ignorant, but I figure what I don’t know about won’t hurt me. All I want to think about right now is the baby growing inside of me.

Draven makes dinner for us later in the evening, but I didn’t even know he could cook! The Caesar salad he prepared to go with the lasagna is just delicious; the whole meal is delicious, and the conversation is easy. I offer to do the dishes, but Draven laughs and tells me that’s what a dishwasher is for. I wouldn’t know, as I’ve never had one. I thanked him for a lovely evening and retired to my room.

I take a nice, long, hot bubble bath, and I just lie here relaxing with my hands on my stomach and a smile on my face.

Yes, I think I’m going to like it here.