War for Love: A New Battle Rages

CH 15: Unwanted Visitors

**Jeremiah's POV**

There isn't enough that I can do to show Gia how sorry I am for letting my doubts and anger get the best of me. Though she has told me over a dozen times that all is forgiven, and we are finding our footing in the marriage, I still feel like there is more that I can do to show her how much I care. Candlelit dinners, gifts, flower bouquets everywhere, I won't stop until I see her look at me the same way she did when we left our honeymoon. I want to bring that love and happiness back into her eyes. I should never have let it disappear, and I'll do my damnedest to make sure it never happens again.

The sun is bright today, the heat highly uncomfortable. The shade underneath the umbrella doesn't do much to keep me cool, but I refuse to move. I have the perfect view of my wife sunbathing on a float in the middle of the pool, with a drink in her hand, and sunglasses adorning her face. Her skin is shining with the tanning oil I rubbed thoroughly on her, and the bright white bikini makes her look like the goddess she truly is. No matter how much time I spend with her, and how many times I touch and kiss her, it always feels like the first time. I'm obsessed with my wife.

"If you look any harder, your eyes might pop out of your head and roll to her." Joel joked as he and Ezra took the chairs next to me. Alessandra and Vevy were walking into the pool, smiling at Gia.

"I'd happily carve them out of my head if she asked me to." My eyes still never left her face. She turned to me, pulled her glasses down and blew me a kiss. "My heart too."

"Baby? I need another drink!" Gia waved her glass in the air. I stood up without hesitation, reaching for her glass. "The girls want something too." She bat her eyes. I looked at my sisters and rolled my eyes. I didn't mind my wife using me as her personal cabana boy, but my sisters were another story.

"Ezra, your wife is parched. Come to the kitchen with me to fetch her a drink." I called out for him when I passed the table to walk into the house. Just like me, he stood with no hesitation.

"Whipped, the both of you." Joel laughed at us. That was up until Vevy pouted that no one was fetching her a drink. He adores our baby sister more than anyone, and while he isn't whipped like us, he is definitely still being ordered around just the same.

Isaiah and Marco joined us a little later, Marco being the life of the party with the girls, while Isaiah stayed his usual quiet and brooding self. I never would have thought they would make a good couple, they are so very different, but then again, they balance each other out perfectly. Isaiah keeps Marco grounded and responsible, while Marco makes sure Isaiah doesn't take life too seriously. Looking around at my family, everything fits so perfectly. Even Vevy was getting along somewhat with her betrothed. Whom I was still keeping a close eye on. The only one who didn't have anyone was Joel.

"Sir, there is a visitor here for Miss Gia." One of the house staff informed me. No one usually shows up without notice or an invitation.

Behind her waltzed in a young woman with the same eye color and hair as Gia. Though her eyes were more round, and big, a little too close together, and her hair looked to be dyed, her roots showing a darker color. She assessed me up and down, and I saw her eyes swim with desire. She could never hold a candle to Gia.

"Oh my gosh, it is so nice to finally meet you!" Her voice was high-pitched, her words sounding like they would fit better for a teenager. "I'm Elena, Gia's cousin! I'm sorry I didn't make it to the wedding, I was on a cruise with this guy I was seeing. Thank goodness that's over now. He didn't know what to do with a woman like me." She winked. "These must be your brothers!"

I looked to the right of me, and my brothers looked just as confused as I did. I shrugged my shoulders, not really knowing what to do. Even though she was uninvited, she is family, and I wouldn't want to do anything to upset Gia. Not when I still feel like I am begging for her forgiveness for my major f**k up a couple weeks ago. The best thing to do until I talked to Gia, was to act like a good host.

"This is Ezra, my brother-in-law, and that's my older brother Joel." I introduced them. Thankfully, the kitchen island was blocking her from them. She looked like she was ready to pounce at any given moment. "Gia and the girls are outside in the pool, I can let her know that your here."

"Oh, fabulous! A pool day! I packed my best bikinis!" I didn't notice the large suitcases that were waiting by the door. "Which room should I take?"

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand. We weren't made aware that you would be our house guest. None of the guest rooms are ready." I tried to sound polite, but I was straining to do so. It is one thing to show up unannounced, and another to welcome yourself into the home of others.

Elena wasn't phased one bit, and either she didn't catch the unfriendly edge in my voice, or she chose to ignore it without care. "Well, it's a good thing you have plenty of staff then. They can make a room ready in no time while I enjoy the pool with the other girls!" She walked over to her bags, shuffled through it for a few moments, and then turned with something in her hand. "See you in the pool, Jeremiah."

Elena walked off, assuming finding somewhere to change. My brothers and I looked at each other, and instead of discussing anything with them, I went outside to Gia. When she saw me, she pouted because I completely forgot to make her another drink. But then there must have been something in my facial expression that worried her because she hopped off the float immediately and swam to the edge.

"What's wrong? You look like you could strangle a helpless kitten right now." I watched as she walked out of the pool, and wrapped a towel around herself.

"'Helpless kitten', is that how you would describe your cousin Elena?" I asked, a little harder than I intended.

"Elena? What are you talking about?" Gia shook her head.

"GIA!!!!!!" We all turned to see Elena in a completely inappropriate swimsuit, if that is what you would even call it. Her breasts were barely contained in the small triangles that were scrunched up as small as possible, leaving nothing to the imagination. The baby blue fabric was almost completely see-through! The thong bikini was no better, her p***y lips almost swallowing the whole f*****g thing! What the hell! "You look so great! I can tell you're happy. They always say married people add on at least ten pounds when they are in love, and look at you! You've added at least twenty!"

"No. The. f**k. She didn't." Alessandra said behind Gia, climbing out of the pool with a murderous look on her face. Vevy looked just as displeased.

I watched the color drain from Gia's face when her cousin stood right in front of her, arms extended for a hug. "What are you doing here, Elena?" Gia whispered, obviously upset.

Elena paid her cousin no mind, and wrapped her arms around Gia tightly. A bright but condescending smile plastered on her face. "I was so upset to miss the wedding, I wanted to come spend time with my favorite cousin!"

"We can't f*****g stand each other, Elena. So I ask again: what the hell are you doing here?"

Elena flipped her hair behind her shoulder and batted her eyelashes. "Life is too short, Gia. We're family. I shouldn't need a reason to come visit my cousin. Besides, look at this place! I needed a vacation."

Elena walked passed Gia, and my sisters into the pool. "I can make her leave," I reached for her hand. "She packed enough suitcases to move in! Say the word and she is out of here."

Gia shook her head and sighed. "Let me talk to my father. She has my uncle wrapped around her finger. If I upset her, he may have words with my father. I don't want to cause any issues between them. They are business partners, and best friends." Gia smiled up at me. "Just stay away from her. She is nothing but trouble."