“I changed my mind,” I tell him. “I want to be yours, Emilio Lopez, so sign the damn papers.”
“No. I’m not doing this to you.”
“Yes. I made this choice, not anyone else. I made your dad get the papers. I signed them already. I want this, Emilio.”
“Why?”
“Because I won’t be used against you. Please,” I beg. “You’re only there because of me. If I can take out their one witness, if that’s the only thing I can do to help your case, then I want to do it.”
“You really want me to make you my wife?” Emilio asks.
“I want you to let me make you my husband,” I tell him.
“Okay.”
“You’ll sign them?”
“Frankie Lopez, you are now mine. Forever,” he says. I can hear the scribble of a pen across paper.
“I was already yours forever. We didn’t need a piece of paper to tell us that,” I reply. “How are you? Are you okay? Are they treating you all right? Wait… Mr. Valentino?”
“Yes, Mrs. Lopez?” the lawyer answers.
“Yeah, that’s going to take a while to get used to.” I smile. “I’m his wife. I can come and see him now, right? Don’t they allow special visits for wives?”
“That’s in prison. He’s not there yet, Mrs. Lopez. We’re waiting on a bail hearing date. You can see him at the courthouse,” Mr. Valentino says.
“I would prefer if you stayed home, Frankie. I don’t want you there if it doesn’t go our way,” Emilio says.
“And you aren’t the boss of me, Mr. Lopez. Just because you’re my husband, don’t think I’m going to blindly follow your orders. I’ll see you in the courtroom. Te amo.”
“Te amo,” Emilio repeats, and the phone cuts off.
Chapter Thirty-One
I’m married. Not how I pictured marrying Frankie. I had an image of her in a white dress being walked down the aisle by her reluctant andverypissed-off father. I’d pictured usdeclaring our love for each other in front of all of our friends and family.
I never thought it would happen, not after she was so adamant about never getting married and what she refers to as beingowned. I was shocked and then angry when I saw the papers. I didn’t believe for a second that this could have been Frankie’s idea. I had pictured my father forcing her, or one of my brothers coming up with the suggestion.
When she said it was hers, I think I almost fell out of my chair. She wanted to marry me. I couldn’t be fucking happier.
“Most people facing murder charges don’t smile like that.” Matteo points at my face.
“I just got the girl,” I tell him. “What’s not to be happy about?”
He shakes his head. “When we go to court, you need to sit there and only speak when I give the okay.”
“You think I’ll get bail?”
“Yes. It won’t be cheap, but I happen to know they’re revenue raising in this state right now. I also have friends in high places and those friends owe me a favor or two.” He shrugs. “You will have to hand over your passport and agree to not leave the country.”
“Easy,” I say. “What are the actual chances of me getting out of this without doing time?” If I have to take my wife and disappear with new identities to some country that doesn’t have extradition agreements, I will. I don’t need a passport to leave the country. We both know that.
“I’ve heard they’re having trouble locating the murder weapon,” Matteo says.
“Really? Someone doesn’t know how to file evidence away.”
“Something like that.” He grins. “There’s also no CCTV from that lecture room, and the witness is your wife.”