Chapter IV: Middle Ground

Throughout the weekend, Nicole had been avoiding her mother, afraid of what she would have to say regarding her fiancé. She never left her room, even went so far as to locking herself in with food being brought to her, and sleep had become a vice. She couldn't manage to get a wink of sleep, anxiety, and a racing heart having her stay up, and when she finally managed to close her eyes she was awoken by knocking, her white Husky standing up on her bed and barking at the door.

"Percy, shut up!" She slurred at the dog, placing a hand on its snout as she snuggled into her comforter. "The door is open!" Nicole resumed calling over her shoulder.

She waited for her best friend's exasperation as she couldn't bring herself to care much for his irritation, groaning into her pillow and she cocooned herself into her blanket.

"It appears you didn't receive my message,"

Nicole's heart jumped in her throat as her eyes snapped open in an instant.

"Oh God, please let me be dreaming," She muttered under her breath, slowly turning around, surprised to find him, standing at the edge of her bed, stroking her white Husky dressed in a dark grey button-up and khaki pants. "Salvatore,"

"We can do this some other time if you're feeling unwell," He told her playing with her dog as it wagged its tail in excitement.

"No, no..." She shook her head, jumping out in an overly large sleeping shirt. "Just give me 10 minutes, I'll meet you downstairs."

Giving her a nod, he scratched the husky behind the ear as it barked at him when he was walking away.

"Down," He instructed firmly, the dog resting its head on her paws, her ears flat against her head and whimpering; the action causing Nicole to look at them in surprise. "Good girl."

With that he walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. Getting freshened up; Nicole tossed her hair into a messy bun before pulling on an off-shoulder white crop top with a high-waisted maxi blue and white polka-dotted skirt, paired it with her favorite gladiator sandals. Quickly pulling on a long chain necklace and her engagement ring, she grabbed her bag and rushed down the stairs.

The sound of chatter led her into their dining room, the sight of her parents having breakfast with Salvatore standing by their window greeting her.

"Good morning, pumpkin," Her father loving voice called out to her as she smiled at him, walking towards him and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Salvatore was just telling us how you two will be going out for breakfast and having a wedding planning discussion,"

Looking towards Salvatore for confirmation, her eyebrows rose in surprise when he beckoned her towards him. Her initial hesitation disappeared at the sight of her mother's scrutinizing gaze. Swallowing, she made her way over to him, holding back a gasp when she felt him wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side as he intertwined their fingers together, and brought her left hand up to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of her skin.

"Your mother is watching," He murmured into her hair, his actions suddenly making crystal clear sense. "She thinks we've been dating for 2 years, act like it."

"That's the plan," Nicole smiled back at her father, "We'll have breakfast and then we'll start on wedding planning," She placed a kiss on her fiancé’s cheek.

"You two seem to be quite eager to get married," Her mother spoke over her coffee mug, Nicole tensing in Salvatore's hold as he whispered for her to relax.

"Well you know, we've been looking forward to getting married for almost 5 months now." Salvatore released her hand to make her stand before him so that he was hugging her from behind, Nicole's breath catching in her throat as she put on a confirmation smile.

"I see..."

"Now if you'll excuse us," He interlinked their hands, leading her out the dining room as she waved farewell to her parents, her father chuckling behind her as they left.

After they left the vicinity of her mother, Salvatore was very quick to release her hand, a tense and uncomfortable silence falling between the two as it felt suffocating in the confined space of his grey BMW.

"Can I turn on music?" Nicole gestured to the radio as he gave it a moment's glance before nodding in confirmation.

The music did nothing to ease the tension between them and Nicole wanted to jump out of the moving car to spare herself from the torture of the silence. She wasn't one who enjoyed sitting in quiet nor did she enjoy long lapse in conversations, and even the background music did nothing to ease her tension. Salvatore, on the other hand, did not mind the quiet.

"Do you know of any nice places for breakfast?" He rubbed his neck to alleviate the pain since he couldn't remember any at the moment.

"Uh...well..." Nicole's eyes widened as her gaze was redirected from the view, instant panic welling in her chest of having been asked a question out of the blue. "There is this one restaurant, but - oh that opens up around lunchtime. But there is this other – no that has better dinner than breakfast. Uh...breakfast, breakfast, breakfast...we could, well we could...what do you want for breakfast?"

Salvatore tore his gaze away from the road at her rambling, momentarily concerned and wondering if he caught her off guard.

"Uh..." He turned his gaze back to the road, saying the first thing at the top of his head. "Cannoli pancakes?"

"Oh! There is a lovely little café which has the best cannoli pancakes I've ever had and their coffee is to die for!"

"Alright, we go there then."

Nicole gave a nod before turning her gaze away from him, her face burning with her embarrassment as she just wanted the ground to eat her whole and save her from any more of these confrontations.

The little café Nicole had suggested had a beautiful outdoor view of the mountains and was very spacious, to begin with. Roundtable with plush seating and friendly staff along with an out of this world amazing fragrance wafting through the air. Once they had given their orders, both of them sat in silence, once more.

"I have been meaning to talk to you over the weekend, tried calling you but you didn't pick up." Salvatore scrolled through his phone, catering to the messages he had received.

"You have my number?"

"Of course,"

"What...why did you want to talk?"

"Well, for a start, because we're getting married, fiancé," He rested his elbows on the table. "And second, because I wanted to ask if you're alright with getting married by 3rd June?"

"June!?" Nicole spluttered incoherently, staring at him with wide eyes. "I-we-that's less than 2 weeks away! I can't do everything within 2 weeks! Dress fitting and décor! The venue, best man, braid's maids, catering, guest, reception, minister! There is so much and this is just from the top of my head."

"Regarding that," Salvatore leaned back as the waitresses put down their breakfast before them. "I was hoping you'd be alright with a small private reception."

"A...private...reception?" Nicole asked in a small voice, staring at him eat his breakfast as if though he hadn't just asked her to throw away the dream she had been developing since she was 6-years-old.

"Yes, just close family preferably."

"Close family..." Nicole squeezed her hands in her lap, hoping for this to be some dream. "That's just...10 people..."

"The smaller the better," He nodded. "That way, we don't have to do a lot and it can be done within 2 weeks,"

"Oh."

Salvatore looked up from his food momentarily, a little taken aback by the look of despair across her face and the fact that she hadn't even touched her breakfast.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Nicole grabbed her coffee, putting her sugar into it before stirring.

"Excuse me," Salvatore stood up, making his way out the café and dialing his sister's number.

"I'm a pregnant woman, getting sleep equivalent for three people; you better have some damn good reason to waking me," Her voice greeted on the other line after a couple of rings.

"Is a small reception a bad idea?"

"Did you..." Serafina trailed. "Fuck, Salvatore, please tell me you didn't tell your fiancé that you guys are having a small reception?"

"Well, I told her just family,"

"10 people. Nice." She bit back sarcastically. "God Salvatore, despite being a suave little fucker, you really don't know shit, do you?"

"What's wrong with 10 people?"

"What wrong-? Salvatore! That girl has been dreaming about her wedding since she was 5! She would dress up in white and make her hair as pretty as possible and make her playmate her groom! She probably has a whole box of little trinkets which she has been collecting since she was 8 so that she can use them at her wedding! She's imagined the gown she'll wear as she walks down to the man she loves with all her friends and family and others there to watch the broad smile on her face when she seals her life to the one she chose to accept from 8 billion people!" Serafina yelled in his ear as he distanced the phone a little. "You're the man she said yes to out of 8 billion people, and you want to be that fucking asshole to take her dream away from her? Really? Did mom raise us to be like this?"

"I don't want a big wedding," Salvatore stated plainly.

"Then you compromise!" Serafina groaned. "Both of you reach a middle ground – can you two stop kicking for one second! I'm giving your uncle his ass here – Middle ground, Salvatore, this is just like any other negotiation-"

"-In my negotiations I get my way,"

"Now try a middle ground, asshole." She sighed. "That girl isn't marrying the man she fell in love with, she still said yes for some unknown reason, she is your responsibility now, Salvatore, and she will be your wife. You'll be married to her, try and expand your idea for the wedding and ask her to reduce her size a little. Reach a common ground you two can agree on, or I can assure you, she will blame you for the rest of her life and make you regret it every second of every day."

"Fine." He hung up before going back inside, seeing her food still untouched as she had finished her coffee, Salvatore's food the exact way he had left it. Clearing his throat he retook his seat as Nicole's gaze was out the window, Serafina's words swimming through his head.

"Why?" He asked as she jumped back at his voice, seemingly not having realized that he had returned. "Why did you say yes?"

"Why did I say yes to-?"

"-To the political merger," Salvatore rested his elbows on the table, stapling his fingers before his lips. "The reason for having asked you was so that you knew what you were in for and could easily back out. Did your father pressure you into it?"

"My da-No! He didn't pressure me!"

"Then why would you agree to marry me of all people?" Salvatore raised an eyebrow as he watched her open and closes her mouth like a gaping fish. "Is there something in it for you?"

"No! No! No." Nicole shook her head, trying to get her thoughts together. "I...my dad-we both – Can you look away? I can't think straight with you looking at me. I'm not socially awkward, I'm not! But I can't talk with you looking at me like that! Put a book in front of your face if you have to! Just stop making me nervous!"

Salvatore was taken aback by her sudden outburst, noticing how she had covered her face to hide her blush. Heaving a sigh, he picked up a newspaper from a nearby table, flipping it open and lowering his gaze down to it.

Nicole inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself as she fidgeted with her fingers under the table, relieved to see that he wasn't looking at her anymore. Luca was right, his ice-blue eyes could turn anyone into a nervous stuttering mess, and it constantly felt like he was judging you even if he wasn't.

"Both my dad I – well basically everyone knows – that I have horrible taste in men, that they're often bad for me and my dad knows that I've sworn off dating and I told him to find me a guy to settle down with." Nicole cleared her throat, momentarily glancing up to see him having raised an eyebrow at her words. "And he found you, even though I didn't specify that 'go find me the most ruthless Mafia Boss out there', but...here I am..."

"You could have gotten other options of possible candidates,"

"Have you seen the Mafia Bosses? Fat, old, ugly, and sweaty. No thank you." Nicole shook her head with a scoff, surprised to see a small smile quirk at his lips.

"What about their sons', they would be eligible."

"Arrogant assholes," She tsk-ed, biting into her chocolate croissant.

"What makes you think I'm not like them?"

"Two reasons," Nicole swallowed before speaking. "One: those guys, no matter how old they are, haven't gotten to be Bosses; they don't know that arrogance will make you end up dead. But you being a boss know this. Second reason: Your mom."

"My mom?" Salvatore looked up at her, putting away the newspaper, intrigued by what his mother had to do with her agreeing

"Well, your parents to be more precise," She nodded. "Actually, your upbringing,"

"My...upbringing...you mean the way I was raised?"

Nicole nodded in confirmation; too busy finishing her croissant to respond.

"Are you eating that?" She gestured to his half-eaten cannoli pancake, grinning with joy when he shook his head, allowing her to take it. "I talked to your family, and I noticed that you have absolutely loving and understanding parents. And everyone knows that the child who was raised by caring non-intrusive parents has relatively less mental issues."

"I can assure you my parents were not the root of my "mental issues","

"You see what I'm talking about!" She nodded, finishing her bite. "Although, why did you say yes, I heard you were the first to agree from us two. You could have said no."

"I take it your father hasn't told you what I get out of marrying you."

"I just know that you'll be exporting his products from now on with 10% from the earnings and get me,"

"Yes, and before we signed the contract we made the deal that if I am to get only 10%, export all his products, and marry you..." Salvatore took a sip of his coffee. "He ensures that in the events of his death, his Mafia will be mine. And given the man's age, who knows when he'll drop dead from, say, heart failure?"

"What if he doesn't?" She asked slowly, momentarily taken aback by this new information.

"I shoot you."

"Oh." Nicole's eyes widened for a second. "Well...110% in the events of his death. Easy expansion – not a bad deal in exchange for a wife."

"It's a win-win for everyone," Salvatore smirked, paying the bill and standing up to leave. "I get the expansion and negotiation done with, your father gets you married off, and my mother gets the grandbabies she's been asking for."