Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83677 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83677 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Durante chuckled. “Isn’t there always?”
“Your daughter. She doesn’t want to get married. She wants to go to school. She wants to learn to teach.”
“And you’re here to fight for her cause?”
“I’m here to suggest that if Belle’s pregnant, I wouldn’t mind her being around to help teach my kids. It could be good in the long term. It’s something to consider.”
“You’re just all full of the ideas today,” Durante said.
“I’m fighting for my future, so I’m willing to take as many risks as I can.” Especially if it meant being with his woman at the end of the day.
****
“Do I make you nervous?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know.”
Charlotte chuckled.
“It’s not a bad thing, you know, but this is kind of strange.”
“I know. When I was told about you, I felt nothing. I know my mom and the women who were around were going crazy and saying some pretty mean things.” They were walking the garden. Charlotte had her arm through hers, and she knew there was also a guard close to them as well. Belle listened to the other woman, who had loosened up around her as the time passed. “They kept looking at me and gossiping about you. Saying all these things.”
“Let me guess, whore, slut, bitch, that kind of thing?”
“A lot more as well.”
“Fun times.”
“Anyway, I’m not trying to insult you.”
Belle laughed. “Totally not insulted. I may even agree with them.”
“As I was listening and they were getting angry for me, and I just thought, this woman is doing me a favor. I’ve got a chance to get out of this arrangement. Planning my wedding has been exhausting, not to mention boring. We had to go on this cake test thing, and oh my, I think if I was to even look at cake right now, I’d vomit.”
“What cake did you decide on?” Belle asked.
“There was lemon, chocolate, strawberry, orange, and a fruit one. Those were our options with different buttercreams.”
“Chocolate with salted caramel buttercream is my favorite,” Belle said.
Charlotte stopped walking, causing Belle to jolt back.
“What?” she asked.
“That’s the same cake Diego enjoyed. He wanted that one, but I couldn’t stand it. I loved the orange one. He hated it.”
“Liking the same cake doesn’t mean anything.”
“You’re just being stubborn. This means you are both supposed to be together. You and Diego. See, it’s fate.”
“I didn’t think you’d be the kind of girl who believed in that?” Belle asked.
“I don’t usually, but seeing as my future is kind of hanging in the balance on all of this, I’m taking anything.”
“What’s it like with the other women?” If she was to end up marrying Diego and having a child with him, she needed to be prepared for what was to come.
“You don’t want to know.”
“That bad?”
“Worse. I’m considered a social outcast.”
“Why?”
“My mom is not part of the family. My dad went against his family and married my mother. Something happened that still made him capo. Since then, my mother has never been accepted, and neither have I.”
“So being an outcast is what I’ve got to look forward to.” She shrugged. “I’ve never needed the approval of anyone else anyway.”
“See, that is the way to totally see it. To ignore all those haters. Besides, you’re going to have me. We’re going to be best friends.”
“Why?”
“I like you, Belle. You need to have a little faith.”
“You don’t know me.”
“You’re sleeping with my ex-fiancé and I love you for it. How about we go from there?”
Belle wanted to argue, but instead, she didn’t see a reason to do it. Spending time with Charlotte was a lot of fun. They walked for hours in the garden before having dinner together. Diego’s father was nowhere to be found, and for Belle, she was welcome to him not being around.
After dinner, Charlotte helped her up to Diego’s room, letting her shower. Charlotte didn’t leave even when she had gotten dressed.
Sitting on the bed, she waited for the other woman to finish in the shower and Charlotte helped her downstairs so they could go and watch a movie.
“I don’t have to put it on.”
“It’s fine. I like to listen anyway.”
She snuggled behind a pillow as Charlotte put on some shark movie. It sounded rather good, and Belle was able to imagine what was going on. If she was on her own, she would have clicked for extra description, but that could irritate others and she really liked being with Charlotte.
The night wore on, and she closed her eyes, feeling sleep finally claim her after a really long day.
Chapter Seventeen
Diego entered the movie room to see Belle and Charlotte curled up on the sofa together. They looked like the best of friends. He didn’t want to wake them, but it was also nine in the morning and he had news.
When he clapped his hands, both women let out a scream. Charlotte ended up on the floor while Belle scrambled to her feet.