Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 799 : The Next -

*Cat*

When Elio got home, there was a relieved smile on his face as soon as he saw me. I knew immediately that everything was over.

I opened my arms, and he rushed over to scoop me up from the couch, lifting me easily so I could wrap my arms and legs around him. I clung to him happily, burying my face in his shoulder as he held me up like he would never let me go again.

I didn’t mind that either.

He held me tightly, moving us to the couch so he could plop me straight down onto his lap. I smiled at him as he curled his hand across my cheek, kissing my forehead then my nose and cheeks, and every inch of my face he could get at.

I laughed, a bit choked up as relieved tears welled in my eyes but didn’t spill over. I took a shuddering breath as Elio pressed our foreheads together, our hearts beating together in a slow rhythm as we relished in one another’s presence.

It was finally over.

Our breath melted together and we stayed there for a while, just breathing and clinging to one another until finally, Elio felt secure enough to release his tight grip on me, leaning back against the couch.

“What happened?” I asked quietly, not expecting an answer right away but trusting that he would tell me everything.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping like he was still recovering from the toll the night had taken on him.

I was still in his lap, my legs slung over his thighs. I waited patiently, fiddling with his large hands in mine as he got his thoughts together. I traced the grooves on his palm, wondering what a palm reader would see.

Would Emilia and I be visible through the long lifeline? Would his ambitions to become the full-time Don show up?

I looked up, holding his hand in mine as Elio heaved a deep sigh and then gazed at me with a small smile as he launched into his story.

He told me about finding Ignacio and the little hot springs spa run by the nice old couple who didn’t seem to care one bit that they had many mafia men in their business, and how kind they had been, even in betraying their most loyal customer.

He even told me to remind him that he still needed to send them gift baskets, even after he’d left them enough money to renovate their entire property and more.

He told me about kidnapping Ignacio, how easy it all had been, and how Leo had gotten a good shot to knock Ignacio out before they dragged his half-naked body out of the back building.

Then he told me they’d had a nice chat in the warehouse, how Ignacio had taunted him and then begged to make a deal as Elio walked out on him, then how Elio had rushed home to be with me after it all.

He was really vague about the details surrounding Ignacio’s fate, and I knew he’d rather I didn’t know, but I could see in his eyes that despite his reluctance to tell me, he would if I asked.

“So what’s going to happen to Ignacio?” I took the chance anyway.

Elio sighed, a wry smile on his lips like he knew I’d ask even though his expression had been begging me to let it go. Still, he told me anyway.

“I let the men get their revenge on him,” Elio said emotionlessly. “We weren’t the only ones he hurt, after all. They were all too happy to deal with him. After they’re done, he’ll disappear. Leo and Franky will make sure he’ll never be found again.”

I had no confusion about what Elio really meant.

It was a sobering thought, that my fiance had so much power he could make a figurehead like Ignacio just disappear. But it was also a reassuring one.

I nodded in agreement, humming as I leaned over to wrap my arms around Elio’s shoulders, not needing any more answers.

“Thank you for being honest with me,” I whispered in his ear, a little happy because Elio had trusted me enough to tell me the truth, even though he would have rather kept it in. He’d grown and so had I from all our previous fights.

It made me hopeful that this wouldn’t come up again.

I was also glad to hear that Ignacio had come face-to-face with the consequences of what it meant to mess with my fiance, me, and our daughter.

Elio and I talked deeper and cuddled closer together even as time passed and dinner was served. We had the servants bring it into the living room for us as we watched a movie. Luckily, my mom was taking care of Emilia today, so we had time for ourselves.

After that, Elio told me all about the future plans they’d set in motion, about how Franky had arranged for the Fed they’d bought out to start hitting Ignacio’s men ruthlessly. More than half his guys had been arrested and taken in for questioning.

“We don’t expect to find the rest of them,” Elio said uncaringly. “They were all small fry anyway, only following orders. The most important thing is that anyone with real power is now gone. Without a leader, their presence will fade away and soon, MS13 will be driven out completely and forgotten. It’s a fitting end for a man so arrogant.”

It was too bad he’d never live to see what became of his organization, I thought briefly. Then I shrugged, putting Ignacio out of my mind for good.

I dug my spoon into the carton of cookie dough ice cream we shared, taking a good spoonful before putting it into my mouth. The icy sweetness was just what was needed after the long day.

“You’re really stepping back from the real estate development scene, huh?” I asked once he told me he had no plans to return. “Are you sure you’ll be happy with that decision?”

“Yes,” Elio said confidently. “I’d never wanted to get into real estate anyway. That was always more of my father and Tallon’s thing. I want to lead our section of the family. That is how I can make the most difference.”

I smiled. “Well, you’ll certainly be making a difference–good or bad, I’m not quite sure yet. I mean, you do realize that leading the American sect of the mafia is still illegal, right?”

“What?” Elio let out a fake scandalized gasp. “How did you possibly find out? Now you must be silenced!”

I laughed as he dove on top of me, pressing me down into the couch as he dug his fingers into my belly, tickling me with abandon. I shrieked, squirming but unable to get away from his dexterous hands... not that I wanted to.

At the same time, he dove on my neck and cheeks with his lips, pretending to eat me with little “nom-noms” slipping out of his lips playfully.

“You’re so weird!” I hit my shoulder and he finally stopped, laughing just as hard as I was.

He grinned, finally taking my lips with his own. I leaned up to kiss him back, just happy to be here with him like this.

Just us against the world.

We pulled back, breathing hard and I leaned up, giving Elio a beaming smile as I cupped his cheek, rubbing my thumb under his eye gently.

“I’m proud of you. You know that, right?” I told him quietly.

It was a big step moving away from his legit job to be the Don full-time, one that he wouldn’t have made in the beginning, but I was proud of him anyway.

“I do now.” Elio chuckled, his eyes shining.

I could tell how much my words affected him, like my words had permitted him to feel proud of himself. Change was scary, but this was a good one, I thought.

Elio’s smile faltered through, a distant look in his eye as he said, “They’ll be others, Cat. Ignacio won’t be the last.”

“I know,” I said quietly in return. But I gave him a bright, hopeful smile. “But we handled this threat and we can handle anything else they throw at us, so long as we do this together from now on.”

“Deal.” Elio chuckled, giving me one more intimate kiss.

Mom came back with Emilia soon after, sending me a pointed look at our disheveled clothes and my swollen lips, but she said nothing as she handed over our daughter, heading home to let us have some time with her.

Elio was distraught to notice Emilia’s little purple-colored fingernails, a light lilac color I had personally chosen from my collection. At first, I thought he was scared it might be toxic or that he just hated having our daughter’s nails colored, so I tried to explain how her nails were getting too long and she had long scratches across her face, so it was time to cut them.

Only her little fingernails had been so small I just couldn’t get them without fearing I was going to hurt her. I’d called Mom for help and we’d just decided to do a whole nail day for us. I showed him my own clear glossy coat and how we’d painted Emilia’s in a baby-safe paint, one that meant it was okay for them to go into her mouth.

“I get all that,” Elio said sadly, staring at her little purple nails. He gave him a whimpering look, not unlike a dog who didn’t get a treat you’d promised him. “But why wouldn’t you wait until I came home? I wanted to be the first to paint her nails.”

Hearing that come out of the mouth of Elio Valentino, a man who many swore could break anyone’s will with a single glare, was the most useful blackmail bait I’d ever received.

And it was one I would keep to myself.

Once I’d finished laughing and Emilia had gone to sleep in her daddy’s arms, all tuckered out from her day with Grandma, I beamed, softly brushing her hair as we sat together as a family. The nightmare was over.

But our lives together were still just beginning.

“So I was thinking,” I said, giving Elio a nervous but hopeful smile. I didn’t know how he’d take this, but I was hoping it would be positive. “I was wondering if you’d be okay if I started working closer with you and the guys. Mom loves being with Emilia, and she has more free time now that she’d decided to retire, so she’d been wanting more time to spend with her only grandchild. And you know, I love Emilia and I love being her mother, but that’s not all I wanted to be for the rest of my life. I want to be a team with you so I thought–”

Elio cut off my rambling with a kiss on my lips, giving me a melting look full of love. “Of course, Cat. We’re a team. We’ll run things together. Franky and Leo have been saying they like it when you’re involved more since you keep me level-headed. I tend to be rash when you’re not there.”

“You’re... you’re okay with it? I thought you’d put up more of a fight, you know, what with your tendency to over-protect me,” I said, surprised.

Elio chuckled, glancing down at Emilia with a soft but proud look. “Well, as someone recently reminded me, you’re no longer a little girl and you don’t need me to protect you anymore. I trust you and I know you can handle yourself. Besides, I have someone knew to over-protect.”

I laughed, melting at the sweet look he sent our daughter, and already fearing that she would never be able to leave the house once she grew up. God forbid she wanted a boyfriend, though I’d probably support Elio on that front.

Nobody was good enough for our little girl.

“You’re an amazing father, Elio,” I beamed, launching into his arms without crushing Emilia. “And you’ll be an even better husband.”

Elio grinned, looking as emotional as I was as we held our daughter together, our little family more than ready for the next Chapter of our lives.