Promise me, p.22
Promise Me, page 22
“All right.” Her hands were clammy and there were butterflies in her stomach. Joe was usually a serious person. It wasn’t until recently that he’d opened up enough to show her his dry sense of humor. But the old Joe was back, the serious-minded Joe, and it made her anxious.
“You said the other day that your father can take you away against your will.”
“It’s possible, yes. If he gets the right people to agree with him and provides enough evidence that I’m crazy.”
“And if you had someone else to take care of you? Like a husband?”
She looked at him for a long time. “That would definitely ruin his plans.”
“What if…” He looked down at their entwined fingers and drew in a long breath, then said quickly on an exhale, “What if we married?”
He looked up at her after a few heartbeats of silence.
When she’d told Michael she would never marry him, she also meant she would never marry anyone. She liked being a single woman, answerable only to herself.
“Lillian? Are you going to faint? Should I get you back to bed?”
She focused on Joe, who looked worried and a bit panicky. “I’m just shocked.”
“I’m shocked myself,” he admitted. “But it’s the only solution I could come up with to get you out of your father’s clutches for good.”
Ah. So that was what this was about? Just an easy way to help poor Lillian? “That seems…” Drastic was what she wanted to say. “Is this what you want?”
His eyes softened. “Before I answer that, I have a few things I want to say first.”
“Do you love me, Joe?” The words came unbidden and as soon as she said them, she wanted to reach into the air and grab them back.
He looked startled. Lillian’s heart was fluttering, and she found herself holding her breath, not because it hurt to breathe, but because she was afraid to breathe, afraid of what he would say.
“About a year ago,” he began, hesitantly, “we ran into each other for the first time. I’d heard about you, of course. You were all the talk when you opened your office. First female private investigator, and all.”
She’d been aware. Most of the male PIs weren’t exactly receptive of her arrival.
“As soon as I saw you, I was intrigued.” He looked past her, remembering. “But you didn’t seem to like me much.”
“It had less to do with you, and everything to do with me,” she said. “All of the men in my life have either tried to control me or abandon me. By the time I came to Cincinnati, I was finished with that. But I was also warned about you and told to stay away. You have a reputation for not quite legal dealings.”
He grimaced. “I’d been afraid of that and assumed that’s why you were so cool. I’m a member of Brawley’s organization, you know that. My cover has always been as a PI. Brawley thought that would get me into places, specifically the police departments. But mostly I oversee the logistics of his operation. That comes with a certain reputation. Does it bother you?”
She took her time to absorb this information. Did it bother her? It should, but strangely it didn’t. As a trained attorney she should be appalled that he worked for an illegal operation. As a woman she simply loved the man he was. The two were at war within her.
“I’m concerned that you’ve chosen such a dangerous career. I don’t want to lose you after finding you. I’m worried because this dangerous career is also illegal. I’ve studied the law extensively and I’ve always believed there are legal ways to make changes. Being with you makes me question my ideals and yet walking away isn’t an option. This dichotomy inside me is something I have to work on and something I might struggle with for some time. I hope someday prohibition will end and all this—Brawley’s business and speakeasies and raids—will lead to a safer world for you and for us.”
“Are you asking me to leave Brawley? To find a safer, legal, career?”
“I would never ask that of you because I know the underlying reason for your choices has always been Maria. But, Joe, your promise to your mother has been fulfilled. She’s happy and she’s loved. That’s all your mother wanted for both of you. Isn’t it time for you to be happy and loved as well?”
He pulled her toward him to press his forehead against hers. “Thank you for understanding.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she said. “We’ll make it work.”
He moved away. “Anything else you want to know?”
“Even before Rose’s case you seemed to be underfoot. Why?”
“Your cases were the last thing I wanted. It was you I was interested in. There’s never been a woman who has completely consumed my thoughts until you. I will admit I used Rose’s case to get close to you, not only because Brawley wanted to make sure the scandal didn’t touch him, but because it was a reason to talk to you.”
He went quiet for a moment, staring at their linked hands. “When they told me you might not make it after you were shot, I realized you are my reason for everything. If that’s what love is, then yes, I love you.”
She let the words hang between them, afraid to move lest she shatter this one perfect moment. Never had anyone said anything so beautiful to her.
“H-how is it,” she whispered, “that you always say just the right thing.”
“I feel like I’ve been a bumbling fool most of the time.”
“No. Not a fool. Perfect. You’re perfect, Joseph Rossi.”
“Hardly perfect.” He paused. “I’m scared of my feelings for you, Lillian.”
She turned her hand over in his and squeezed. “If it helps, I’m scared too. I don’t think either of us expected this when we sat next to each other on the streetcar.”
“Expected, no. Hoped? Maybe.”
She’d had no idea what a romantic heart this man had, and she feared it would be her undoing.
“I love you,” she whispered. A memory drifted to her of those same words, urgently whispered through fear and pain. “This isn’t the first time I’ve told you that, is it?”
He shook his head. “But I didn’t want to hold you to the first time. You were a bit preoccupied, and I didn’t know if you said it because you were afraid.”
“I was terrified,” she said. “Scared I was going to die without you knowing.”
“Ah, Lily-love. What am I going to do with you?”
“This is the third time you’ve said that to me.”
“Because you make my world tilt in a way that makes me dizzy with wanting you forever and I don’t know what to do with that feeling.”
She grinned. “Get married?”
“I have a few more things to say before we discuss that.”
She sighed. “For someone who spoke so little at the beginning of our relationship you sure have a lot to say now.”
She almost got him to laugh. She could see the amusement in his eyes.
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Humor me.”
“For the moment.”
He took a deep breath, held it, and let it out in one gust. “I struggle with the differences between us.”
And there it was. The one thing that always separated her from true friendships and relationships. The one thing she’d thought was different about Joe.
“If it’s about money,” she said slowly. “I’m sure my father is going to disown me after this. However, because I always want to be completely honest with you, my mother left me a substantial trust that my father can’t touch.”
“It’s not the money,” he said. “Brawley pays me well. I just have nothing to spend the money on, so I save it. I don’t know how much your trust is, but my savings are substantial as well.”
She laughed with such relief that she didn’t care about the sharp pain that made her clutch her ribs. “This night just gets more and more strange,” she said almost to herself.
He frowned. “It’s the other thing I struggle with.”
Her mirth disappeared. “What other thing?”
He hesitated and looked down at their hands. “I dropped out of school when I was young. I know the basics, like reading and writing and numbers. But the rest…” He shrugged. “I didn’t bother because I figured it wouldn’t serve me to learn things I’d never use.”
She had to take a moment to think about what he said. “Are you worried because I have a law degree?”
He looked sheepish and shrugged.
She touched his chin to turn his head toward her. “Joseph Rossi, you are the smartest man I know. You’ve clawed your way up from nothing to a ‘substantial’ savings. You worked your way into Brawley’s organization and seem to be doing quite well with that. People go to school for years and never learn what they’re really good at..” She leaned forward and kissed his lips. “You are far smarter than you give yourself credit for.”
“I don’t know which forks to use at fancy functions.” He blurted this out, causing her to bite back a smile.
“Good thing I do, but I promise I won’t make you go anywhere that has more than one fork.”
He searched her face, and she stared right back at him, willing him to see how proud she was of him.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “That you want to tie yourself to me? Because if you don’t, I will carry you out of here and hide you somewhere your father can’t find you. But, Lillian, I can’t be with you as just a friend.”
“I’m old enough to know that marriage isn’t easy and we’ll have to work at it. I know we’re both independent people who’ve not had to rely on anyone for a long time and that’s going to take some getting used to. But I’ve never been more sure of anything,” she whispered. “And don’t you dare leave me now, after you’ve turned my insides into mush. But I have one more thing to say.”
Joe leaned his head back. “You’re killing me, Miss Byrne.”
“This is important. You have to promise to limit the street brawling.” She was half serious about this. She didn’t want him coming home beaten up or worse.
“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Probably not.”
“I make no apologies. I protect what’s mine.” He moved away from her. “Are you ready to get married, Miss Byrne?”
“How do we go about this, Mr. Rossi?”
“As it happens, I have a justice of the peace waiting in the wings.”
“Were you that sure of my answer?”
“Lord no! I was terrified you’d laugh in my face, but I also wanted to be prepared.” He sobered. “Soon your father will realize his train car was sabotaged, and he’ll be back. I want us to be legally wed before we face him.”
Some of the happiness seeped out of her at the thought of facing her father. “We can’t get married then sneak away?”
He stood and gently tugged her up with him. “We’re going to do this right, so we won’t have to look over our shoulders the rest of our lives. And to do that, we have to face your father together.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“What if my father scares the justice of the peace into rescinding the marriage vows?” Lillian asked.
“Is that possible?”
She shrugged. “He could bribe him into ‘forgetting’ the marriage happened.”
“Won’t happen,” Joe said confidently. “The man is in Brawley’s pocket. Whatever your father offers, Brawley will offer more.”
“Every person has their price,” she murmured.
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
He handed her a package that she hadn’t noticed had been sitting just inside the door. His neck was turning an interesting shade of pink.
“I know this is an unusual wedding and I’m sorry for that, but I hope this makes up for some of the things you’ll be missing.”
Curious and touched, Lillian opened the package to find a beautiful white silk and lace gown of the finest fabric. It was a loose-fitting sheath, and wouldn’t be too tight against her battered torso and bandages.
“Obviously a formal wedding dress is out of the question,” Joe said quickly. “But you deserve something bride-like. I hope it will do.”
She looked up at him, clutching the gown to her breasts, tears in her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”
The red was now climbing into his cheeks, and he shooed her away. “Go get ready. I’ll bring the justice of the peace in.”
Suzanne entered the room and took Lillian’s arm. “Come now, let’s get you all prettied up for your big moment.”
“Did you know about this all along?”
Suzanne just smiled and helped Lillian into the bathroom. The woman was a wonder. She could nurse and she could dress a bride. The demure dress was perfectly suited for this strange wedding. Her entire relationship with Joe had been unique, why not the wedding as well?
“Do you want your hair up? We could do a nice chignon,” Suzanne said.
Lillian shook her head. “Joe likes it down.”
Suzanne worked with Lillian’s frizz of hair and coaxed gorgeous, loose curls out of it. “You must stop brushing it to death,” Suzanne said. “Let it do its own thing.”
Lillian vowed to remember that.
From somewhere Suzanne found a bunch of white roses—probably nicked from a vase in the entryway of the hotel—and Lillian left the bathroom under her own power for once, on legs that were shaking, not with weakness or pain, but excitement, wearing her silk and lace wedding gown and clutching her flowers.
Joe had also changed clothes. His hair was combed back, and he wore a dark gray, pinstriped suit with a white rose in his lapel. He was standing nervously next to a man Lillian assumed was the justice of the peace.
Jimmy of all people stepped up next to Lillian and held out his arm. He smiled down at her and patted her hand. “Ready, lass?”
She could only nod because suddenly tears were clogging her throat and blurring her vision. This was it. She was getting married. To a man she never thought she could love as much as she did. It was so strange, the twists and turns life took.
She and Jimmy walked to Joe, then Suzanne and Jimmy stood as their witnesses while they recited wedding vows to the justice of the peace, who looked like he could hold his own in an alley brawl, and probably had a few times. But he was a jovial man, with dancing eyes, and seemed to enjoy this strange adventure he found himself in the middle of.
Before he could pronounce them man and wife, Joe held up his hand.
“I’d like to say one more thing, please.”
He turned to face her and took her hand to stare into her eyes. “I know I just promised to love and protect you, but there is one more thing I want to say in front of witnesses. I promise you, Lillian Rossi, that I will always be on your side, that I will always be your champion and your partner. But most of all, I promise that I will allow you to be the woman you want to be.”
He dragged in a shuddering breath, then nodded.
Lillian squeezed his hand, hardly believing it had come to this, that she was marrying a man she truly loved to get away from her father, but also to start a new life with, full of what she just knew were going to be tremendous adventures.
“Joseph Rossi,” she said, “I promise I will always endeavor to try to make you laugh and to comfort you when you are feeling down. I will never stand in the way of what you truly wish for. And I will help you create a new family that will never take the place of your own family, but only add to it.”
He furiously blinked tears away. Lillian squeezed his hands and leaned forward. “I promise you that we will never forget Maria or your parents.”
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the justice of the peace said. “Kiss your bride, Rossi.”
Joe cupped her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her so thoroughly and completely she had to clutch his shoulders to keep from sliding to the floor and even Jimmy began to squirm.
Joe pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and sighing softly. “I love you, Lillian Rossi.”
“And I love you, Joseph Rossi.”
Their trio of witnesses clapped.
“You’re as white as your wedding gown,” Joe said. “Come sit down before you collapse.”
She couldn’t deny that the past hour had taken its toll on her. Her knees were buckling, and her ribs ached. With a sigh she sat while Joe talked in low tones with the justice of the peace, who Lillian was beginning to suspect did more than marry people.
A marriage license was produced and they all signed it, Jimmy and Suzanne standing as witnesses. The justice of the peace folded it carefully and stashed it in his inner coat pocket, patting it protectively and nodding to Joe.
Suzanne bent down to hug Lillian carefully. “You did well,” the nurse whispered. “I have to go now, before Mr. Harrington returns.”
Lillian nodded, understanding that Suzanne didn’t want to be in the crossfire of Henry Harrington’s fury.
“Thank you for everything,” Lillian said, choking up at having to say goodbye to her newfound friend.
Suzanne squeezed Lillian’s hand. “Trust Joe. He’ll protect you. But mostly just have a happy, peaceful life.”
Suzanne smiled and Jimmy led her out. The justice of the peace, whose name she’d seen on the marriage license and then promptly forgot again, left shortly after and it was just Joe and Lillian.
The calm before the storm.
Jimmy stuck his head in the door. “On his way up, boss.”
Joe drew in a deep breath. “Everything ready?” he asked.
“Sure is, boss.” Jimmy dipped back out and shut the door.
Joe and Lillian looked at each other. “Are you ready for this?”
“No.”
He grinned briefly. “Me either.” He stood and offered his hand down to her. “Would you rather sit or stand?”
“Stand.” She took his hand and let him gently pull her up.
