“If everything was resolved all those years ago, why the fight now?”
“Because Janna Ramsay thinks they got the shit end of the deal. She’s not wrong, either. The Orso family has been doing a lot more business since the treaty was formed, and the Ramsays have sunk into oblivion. The other families have no use for them, see them as a potential competitor for the heroin and cocaine, and don’t see them as an asset.”
“But they do see your family as useful because you provide the forged documentation they need.”
“Exactly. It puts us in a better light, and sometimes that makes all the difference. Janna knows that and sees us as a threat.”
“All the difference in what? I mean, if you aren’t in the same business, why does she care what you do?”
“Because if it ever comes down to it, and there is another conflict, the Chicago and Seattle families would side with us. They know we produce a good product and would come to our aid if we needed it. Even the Irish, Russians, and Japanese would help us out if we asked, though we never have. We also don’t get pulled into the larger competitions.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, let’s just say that sometimes wars are decided in a rather brutal manner of competition and leave it at that.”
“I probably don’t want the details.”
“No, you don’t.”
We sit quietly for a minute, and Nate lets me take it all in. Strangely enough, this part is easier to tolerate than the rest of it. It’s even easier for me to accept that I am likely a member of a family in direct opposition to Nate’s than it is to realize my boyfriend has been influenced by delusions of his dead father.
“There’s something else,” Nate says quietly.
“I’m not sure I can take anymore.”
“I need to say it.”
I sigh and nod.
“We have a tradition,” he says slowly. “For us, family is everything, and numbers matter. Family means people you can trust, and the bigger the better. When we lose someone like we lost Micha…well, we have to replenish the numbers. That means marriage, marriage and children. If someone in the family dies, someone has to get married so we aren’t weakened.”
He reaches out to me with one hand. His fingers rest lightly on top of mine, but I don’t move to entwine them.
“Nora is older than I am, so when Micha died, she was supposed to get married right away. She didn’t, and that…well, it’s like a curse or something. If no one marries, you risk losing someone else. And we…we lost Pops. I remember it now. Nora married right after that.”
“And then her husband…died.”
“Yeah, he did.” He can’t look me in the face when he says this, and pauses for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “So I had to get married next. It had to be soon, or we’d risk another loss. That’s when I met you.” He looks up at me with those pleading eyes again. “You were so different from anyone else I’d known. That first night at Big O was one of the best times I’d ever had with someone. You seemed perfect, so I decided…well, I decided you were the person I needed to marry, and I’ve been planning it ever since.”
“You what?”
“I’ve been manipulating you.” He looks down at the glass on the table but doesn’t pick it up. “I needed you to fall in love with me. I did everything I could think of—bringing you breakfast, getting you a job, helping you research your parentage—to seduce you. I delayed going to bed with you because I thought it would make you want me more. It was all a ploy. I figured you were used to a modest life, so I stopped myself from doing things in an extravagant or expensive way because I knew you’d appreciate simple, thoughtful gestures over lavish ones. I knew I could win your heart just by treating you nicely and appearing devoted to you.”
Nate reaches over for the bourbon, drains the glass, and sets it back down on the table as my heart goes cold and my body stills. As I take in what he’s said, I think back to all the times we have been together. I see his sweet texts before bedtime, the gentle touches to the side of my face, and the multitude of romantic gestures in another light.
“It was all a lie.”
“Cherry, wait—”
“No!” I yank my hand away. “You used me! You didn’t care about me at all. You just wanted to…to up your numbers? Seriously? I could have been anyone! You didn’t care who I was!”
“That’s not true!” He reaches for my hand again.
I pull away, stand, and head for the door.
“Don’t leave! Please!” Nate jumps up to follow me.
“Just give me a fucking minute!” I turn and yell back at him. “I just need a minute.”
“You can have one, but please hear me out first. Maybe I was manipulating you in the beginning but not anymore.” He quickly walks over to the desk, opening one of the drawers. “During all of this…I don’t know how it happened, but I fell in love with you for real. After that, I wasn’t trying to manipulate you. I really wanted you, Cherry. I still want you.”
He pulls a small black box from the drawer and sets it on the desk. He opens it to reveal a beautiful diamond solitaire.
“I was going to give this to you at the end of the festival,” he says quietly. “At first, I bought it because I needed a wife, but now…now I can’t imagine it belonging to anyone other than you. I love you, Cherry. I love you, and I want you to marry me.”
I stand there, staring at the sparkling gem
