“You won’t…” She stops and I turn to face her, she’s sitting on the sofa, “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t worry, Ma, your secret is safe with me. I’m not stupid. If I tell them what happened, what do you think is going to happen?”
She glances down at her hands, wringing them together.
“It’ll mean war. Something I don’t want, nor does Da, hence why this farce of a marriage is happening.”
She sighs, her body slumping forward with relief, but she frowns, “You don’t like your fiancé?”
I shrug, “I don’t know him to make that assessment.”
She lets out a little laugh and it grates on me. “You’re so clinical. You’ve been around your uncle too long.”
I take a step toward her, her eyes flash with fear before she masks it. “Why do you think that is, Ma? Hmm? If this comes out, what do you think is going to happen to you?”
She folds her arms over her chest and leans back against the sofa. “I’m married to your father, Makenna, you know just as well as I do that the Irish Mafia don’t harm women.”
I roll my eyes, she’s fucking naïve. “You really believe that if Da finds out what happened, he’ll let you live? That if Killian finds out he will?”
She gasps, “Makenna, you can’t tell them.”
A knock at the door gives her the reprieve she needs. “Get out, Ma, and leave me the hell alone. Today I’m getting married and then I don’t want to fucking see you again.”
“Watch your language, Makenna, I’m still your mother.”
“You gave that right up, you’re my mother in blood only…” I shake my head, she’s a fucking bitch. “Get out. I have to get ready.”
She huffs but does as she’s told. She opens the door and finds Kinsley standing on the other side glaring at her, her silver purple bridesmaid dress hugging her curves in all the right places. She looks gorgeous. Once mom’s gone, Kinsley closes the door and locks it. “What the hell did she want?”
I sit down and grab the champagne glass that’s on the table. “She wanted to make sure I’d keep my mouth shut.”
Kinsley’s eyes flash, she’s the only person that knows what happened and I trust her more than I trust anyone in this world. Kinsley will take my secret to the grave, just as I will hers. “She’s a bitch, Kenna. I wish you’d change your mind and tell your dad what happened.”
I raise my brow, “Take your own advice and tell Ace.”
She shakes her head, her long brown hair cascading down her back. “I can’t, you know that.”
I nod, “I do, and you know I can’t tell my da, it’ll cause a fucking war.”
She looks at me and I see the sorrow deep in her eyes. It’s the worst thing about her knowing what happened, the look in her eyes whenever she thinks about it. I feel like I’m twelve and lying in a pool of my own blood, again.
“Shall we get you dressed?” Her voice is soft but full of support. I take another sip of champagne and get to my feet. My hair and makeup are done, all that’s left is to put on my dress. “Your dress is beautiful, Kenna; you’re going to look stunning.”
I give her a smile, beauty is something I don’t consider, not with the scar that I have. Growing up, boys would always say I was pretty, shame about the scar. Girls would make fun of it; laugh and point. I got a thick skin fast, but the shit they said, it stuck. The words Makenna and beauty don’t belong in the same sentence.
She helps me get into my dress, it’s tight fitting but as soon as I tried it on, I knew it was the one for me. It’s got lace covering my neck so it hides my scar, it’s backless and sleeveless. It hugs my hips and flows down to the ground. Beauty isn’t me, but this is as close as I’ll ever get. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as sexy as I do right now wearing this dress.
Kinsley lets out a low whistle. “Damn, Kenna, Dante is going to lose his damn mind when he sees you.”
At the mention of Dante my heart beats faster, there’s something about that man that makes my knees go weak. I’ve never been one to swoon over a guy, until Dante. Whenever he touches me, my body trembles in ways that it shouldn’t. I should be afraid of him. I’ve heard the stories about the Famiglia made men and the way they treat their wives and daughters, and yet whenever I look into Dante’s eyes, I find a sense of peace I haven’t had in a long time. To me, that’s the ultimate danger. I learned that trust isn’t something I should give, with the exception of Kinsley, I don’t even trust my brothers. To them, the family comes first and I’ll always be second. I understand that, I’ve known that my entire life. It’s our way of life and that’s the reason I can’t trust them. I know if they ever knew that, they’d be hurt.
“Kenna?” Kinsley asks softly, pulling me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I reply, not sure what else I can say. I’m marrying a man I know very little about, his father is someone I hate, and I’m leaving my family behind to live with said husband.
She pulls me into her arms and I go willingly, “Promise me that you’ll still come visit. That we’ll still be the same. Promise me.” She chokes on her words.
“Oh, Kins, of course I will. Me and you, we’re not changing.” If Dante thinks he can forbid me from seeing her, he’s sorely mistaken.
She gasps for air and I lead her to the sofa; I should have realized she was worried. For Kinsley and I, we’re practically sisters. Even when I went to live with Killian, Kinsley was there, always at my side. Hell she even came to Ireland to stay with me during the summers. If Dante doesn’t allow Kinsley and I to be friends, I’ll run away. For Kinsley, it would be her worst nightmare. For me, it would be the ultimate heartbreak, I’d be giving up everything I love, for her.
“It’s going to be okay, Kinsley.”
She shakes her head unable to breathe. Shit.
There’s a knock at the door and I quickly open it knowing I need to help Kins. I see Finn standing there with a huge smile on his face. “Finn,” I whisper and his smile drops, he peers past me to see Kinsley in the midst of a panic attack. “I need your help.”
He looks at me, his eyes soft. “What do you need?”
I take a deep breath, “I need you to get Dante to come here.” He opens his mouth to protest but I stop him. “Please, Finn.”
He nods once and turns, I close the door and go back to Kinsley; her face is red and her eyes glassy as she tries to suck in air but she’s panicking too much.
I kneel down beside her, pulling her head to mine so that our foreheads are touching. “Kins, please,” I say softly, hoping that she’ll hear me. I need to try and get through to her. “You’re meant to be the strong one. You’re the one that keeps us together remember?” I bite my lip hoping to stop the onslaught of tears that’s threatening to spill over. “Kinsley, you are the strongest woman I know. You are my sister.”
“I’m…” she sucks in a deep breath, “scared.”
I nod, my thumbs caressing her cheeks. “I know, but don’t be.”