Free Rome for Always (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) by Judy Angelo

to look bad so she straightened her back and put on her game face. No way
was she going to let anyone be able to call her a wimp, even if she felt like
she was being led to the gallows.
    The Alfa Romeo ate up the road too fast for her liking
and long before she felt ready they were pulling onto the grounds of an elegant
estate in the middle of which sat a majestic home that had her mouth falling
open. She’d expected a home worthy of the Milano name but what she saw far
exceeded her expectations. It wasn’t a home. It was a freakin' castle.
    “Wow,” she breathed. “You grew up here?” Arie couldn’t
even begin to imagine what it must have been like, growing up in the midst of
all that wealth. The house – if you could call it a house – looked big enough
to accommodate ten families. You could easily live in one wing and not run into
the rest of your family for a week.
    “Yeah,” Rome said with a shrug. “Boring.” Then he hopped
out of the car and went to open her door. “Come on, let’s go in.”
    “What about our bags?” Arie asked, fishing around for an
excuse to delay their entry.
    “Don’t worry about it. One of the staff will bring those
in. Now, come on.”
    At that point there was nothing to be done but leave the
refuge of the car and head on in. “All right,” she said on a sigh. “I’m right
behind you.”
    When Rome gave her his hand she clung to it like it was
a lifeline. As they walked toward the main entrance she was holding on so tight
that he looked down at her. “You okay?”
    Arie nodded and gave him a pseudo-brave smile, wondering
why he had to look so darned eager. But then she dismissed the thought. This
was his family he was going to see. Of course he’d be looking forward to it.
    She, on the other hand, had no experience with family
gatherings. How could she when all she’d known was the life of a lowly card in
a deck, shuffled from foster home to foster home till she’d been shoved out on
her own the day she turned eighteen.
    She was used to being on her own. In fact, she’d grown
to like it – except, of course, when the holidays came around. That was the
only time she found herself wishing she had a family.  And soon she would have
one, the perfect one, when she had Maya in her arms and Rome by her side as her
husband. That was all the family she would ever need.
    But when she married Rome she’d be marrying his family,
too. They would be hers, like it or not. Assuming they even accepted her…
    But those were the thoughts of a defeatist and Arie was
no loser. She would face this family head on and they’d better love her or else.
“Hurry up, slow poke,” she said as she tugged on Rome’s arm. His smile told her
he was surprised and pleased at her change in demeanor. “Let’s go show your
family what a gem of a woman you’ve found.”
    “Now you’re talking my language. I can’t wait to show
you off.”
    His words giving her a shot of confidence, Arie was
smiling as they approached the main entrance. The door was opened by a
diminutive woman in glasses that looked too big for her face.
    “Signora Luca.” Rome gave the woman a hug then turned to
pull Arie forward. “Please meet my fiancée. This is her first visit to Italy.”
    “Benvenuto, signorina.” Signora Luca gave Arie a
deferent bow but her smile was warm and her dark eyes twinkled in her softly
wrinkled face. “I hope you will enjoy Italy.”
    Arie smiled back, glad for the pleasant welcome. “I’m
sure I will.”
    The signora nodded then turned her attention back to
Rome. “Your mother and sisters are in the green room. They are anxious to see
you.”
    “We’re on our way,” Rome said and took Arie’s hand then
he was leading her down a hallway that could only be described as palatial.
    “The green room?” she asked, curiosity getting the
better of her.
    “My mother absolutely loves gardening. The room was
designed to remind her of the gardens she used to have back in Sicily when