DANTE'S POV
I've been out of New York city for exactly seven days now and I've been messaging and calling Adeline from time to time to assure her that I'll make it to her dinner party tonight.
I would have come back immediately after I got what I wanted from that middle man but I needed to give my body some rest before flying back. The bullet wound on my shoulder still aches but I'm just going to have to ignore the pain tonight. For Adeline. I had it stitched up so I'm pretty certain the wound is not going to open up again.
I just landed back in the city and I'm currently in my car, speeding as I try to make it in time to her place. I've missed her so much that even though it's only been a week since I last saw her, I feel like it's been centuries. Like I'm about to meet her for the first time all over again and I'm honestly excited. I'm already thirty minutes late and I'm certain she thinks I'm going to let her down again, but I'm making it to that dinner party no matter what.
After about an hour of driving, I finally pull up on her in front of her house and I thank the heavens silently for the fact there was little to no traffic this evening. I can see three cars parked outside her house. One must belong to her parents, the other to Liam but there's a third car and I can see about three guards at her front door.
As I reach her doorstep, the guards give me a questionable look, but before anything awkward can happen, Adeline bursts through her door and wraps her arms around me in a tight and choking hug. My wound aches but I would go through any type of pain the world to have her wrapped around my arms forever.
God, I've missed her so much. The softness of her hair grazing my skin, the feel of her soft skin on mine. Her smell, her smile. I've missed everything about her.
"You're here. I thought you weren't going to make it." She says as she sinks her face into my neck. I wrap my arms tighter around her and breathe her in.
"I'm here." I say.
She pulls back from me and looks towards the guards with a nod of her head and I furrow my brows in confusion. She looks tense and I want to know why.
"What's wrong Adeline?"
"Um Dante. I thought only my parents were going to be here tonight, but, they came with an unexpected guest." She says and right on cue, three people step out of her house, all of them having frowns on their faces.
"What is the meaning of this Adeline?" A man with a deep voice I guess to be her father asks and I feel irritation creep up my spine already. He looks like he's in his late forties. He's a big man and I'm only a few inches taller than he is. But he looks fit and authoritative, with a face that means business. I don't like him.
A woman who looks to be in her mid-thirties looks at me with a twitch of her lips. Her eyes scanning me from head to toe. Her hair is perfectly tied in a low bun at the back of her head and I realize how similar Adeline looks to her. To the right of the woman is the man I suppose her parents want her to marry.
Well he has a pretty face but all I want to do is connect my fist with his nose because I don't like the way he's looking at me. He's glaring at me like I'm his competition and I have this sudden urge to show him that Adeline is mine.
"Adrian, why don't you take Adeline back inside so we can tell our unexpected guest goodbye." Her mother speaks in a condescending manner and the Adrian guy continues glaring at me as he takes a step forward. I wrap my arms around Adeline's waist and pull her close to me as I raise my brows at him, challenging him to take another step towards Adeline.
Adeline tenses beside me ad she looks from me to Adrian. Right at that moment, Liam and Naomi step out of the house, their eyes and mouths wide open but Liam look like he's trying to bite back a smile. As if all of this were amusing to him. They stand at the side, watching the show in front of them in silence.
"Mother please. If Dante has to leave, then Adrian has to leave too. I didn't invite him but I did invite Dante and if anyone here is an unexpected guest, then it's Adrian." Adeline speaks but with a shaky voice and as I hold her close to me, I can feel her body trembling next to mine.
Her parents really put her in a box because the Adeline I know is braver than this and it makes me so angry that her parents didn't create an environment for her to be comfortable around them.
"What has gotten into you Adeline? This is what we get for letting you live far away from us. You've turned into a rebel." Her father states keeping his eyes planted on me. Why the fuck are the talking to her like she's still seventeen. She's twenty-four years old and a grown woman! I don't know how much longer I can take this joke.
"I told both you that I was seeing someone else but then you ignored my decisions and came here anyways with Adrian anyways. A guest that I wasn't even expecting!" Her voice starts to rise.
"We do not care for this relationship you're in Adeline. It's just another attempt at disobeying us that will lead to failure. Have you forgotten what happened with that lowlife ex of yours, Dain Mathews? We warned you about him and what did he do? He cheated on you." Her mother's voice resounds in Adeline's yard.
"Now you've settled for someone I reckon is even worse. He even has a tattoo on his neck. For all we know he's a criminal. I will not let you disgrace this family Adeline. Adrian Wellington is a fine young man and he is intentional about you so stop this right now! Send this man away and come back inside." Her mother orders but Adeline doesn't budge. She stays planted at my side and Liam looks at her with a soft smile, as if he were proud of her for standing up to her parents even though he doesn't trust me yet.
"Listen to your parents Adeline." Adrian starts talking and my head snaps towards his in irritation. Who asked him to speak?
"I can take care of you. Give you a life that you've only dreamed of. I will make you the happiest woman in the world. I know this entire marriage may seem like a contract, but I fell in love with the girl you parents can't stop talking about. I can love you, Adeline. More than this man ever will."
Adrian looks to me with pure hatred and anger in his eyes. If he thinks I'm scared of him, he'll have to think again, but I can't deny his eyes have a certain emptiness to them and I can sense an unsettling feeling as he gazes into my eyes. I'll have to look into him immediately I'm next to my computer.
"I'm certain you mean well Mr. Wellington, but I can't marry you. Dante and I are together." Adeline says, pushing her body even closer to mine as she looks up at me and places her hand on my chest. Nothing else matters in this moment. She's choosing me, and it's making me the happiest man in the world right now.
I can't even begin to explain the anger I can see on Adrian's and on her parents faces, but I don't even care. All I feel right now is pride. I'm so proud of her because she stood up for herself.
"Adeline has had a lot to drink tonight, Adrian." Her father starts speaking. "Let's give her time to think through her decisions." Her father spares me one last glance and the looks over to the guards.
"I hope you change your mind, Adeline." Adrian smiles at her and I want to punch him in the face. They're deliberately ignoring the fact that my hand is literally around her waist.
Her parents and Adrian get into their cars, each of the having a driver. Once they drive away, Adeline let's out a deep breath and starts fanning herself as she paces back and forth.
"That was literally badass Addie!" Liam runs towards her and picks her up in joy. "I'm so proud of you."
"Don't laugh Liam. What happened wasn't funny, it was scandalous. No one wants to be in that type of situation with their parents." Naomi says.
I walk over to her and cup both her cheeks, searching her eyes for any kind of emotion. "Are you okay?"
As soon as I ask her that question, she bursts into tears and Liam's face falls. She starts shaking her head aggressively as she speaks. "They're not going to let it go. The only reason they left is because they had already introduced me to Adrian. But they won't let it go. They won't leave alone until I do what they want and I'm just so tired Dante. I'm so tired of always trying to please them."
I immediately pull her into my arms and run my hands softly up and down her back, and just let her cry.
"You can take Naomi home Liam. I'll stay with her." I say and Liam hesitates before he finally nods and leaves with Naomi. I pick up Adeline bridal style, ignoring the pain on my shoulder and carry her into her house. I want to stay with her all night and take her pain away. Her parents seem like they're going to give me a hard time.
I can't believe they compared me to her ex who cheated on her. As if I would ever let anything happen to Adeline. As if I would ever let her. She chose me and I'll show her that she didn't choose wrong. I'll be everything she needs me to be.