Her cheeks flushed slightly. “Look, Rome, I know we don’t get along, but I also understand that you don’t get anything out of this arrangement. If we pull off this whole fake relationship…”
“When…” I interrupted, “When we pull off this fake relationship.”
She just rolled her eyes and continued, “I get to maintain my position and run, quite literally, the largest company in the world. Meanwhile, you’re not getting anything out of this. I’m mature enough to recognize that you will be sacrificing parts of your life for me. I just wanted you to know that I do appreciate that.”
I nodded in acceptance, still unsure whether she was being truthful or if this was all pure sarcasm. “I will say, I’m not giving up anything. I don’t think my life will change all that much. I already spend most of my time with you as it is.”
“Come on, Rome,” she argued, “there has to be a girl or two that you’re leaving behind for the foreseeable future to do this with me.”
I shook my head “I left my whoring around days behind me. For now, at least.”
Bec stared at me, dumbstruck for a moment, before finally breaking the silence. “I really can never guess what’s going to come out of that mouth of yours.”
“Imma take that as a good thing.”
BEC
“So…” I turned my attention to the man sitting next to me. We still had a few more minutes before we would arrive at the gala, and my nerves were already on edge just thinking about the event. I couldn’t handle a moment of tense silence. “You live with your mom?”
Rome nodded, “Proudly.”
Obviously he was proud of it. He didn’t live with his family because he had to; he lived with them because he wanted to. Every time I learned something about Rome that didn’t fit into what I expected, I was intrigued.
The man simply made no sense to me.
“Why?” I couldn’t help but ask, trying to gain a better understanding of him. If we were going to pretend to be together, I needed to start figuring out who he truly was.
“I missed her, my sisters, and their dad. It’s a bit of a commute, but worth it to see them happy,” he explained as he fumbled with his cufflinks.
I watched him for a moment as the world whizzed past in a furious blur through the windows. “Can I ask you something personal?”
He raised a brow in question, “You want to know a personal detail about me after being nice to me for a minute there? Even thanking me? Are you sure you’re Rebecca Bly, or were you replaced by a clone or something?”
I rolled my eyes and ignored the comment, “Why don’t you call your step-dad ‘Dad’? Hasn’t he been your father figure since you were eight?”
“Really jumping straight in, aren’t we? No small talk, just going right into the childhood trauma.” he questioned with a raised eyebrow, but then answered anyway. “He’s an incredible father to my sisters and has been an incredible step-dad to me, too. It was never him. I was just…” He paused, his gaze moving past me and out the car window. “I couldn’t let go of my Dad. I don’t really remember him, but he was my hero. All I ever wanted was to be like him. When I was younger, I was adamant that Mateo couldn’t replace my Dad. And as I grew up, he just stayed ‘Mateo’.”
“Is he okay with that?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Rome shrugged, “Honestly, I don’t think he minds one way or another. He knows I care for him just as much as a son would a father, and I know he cares for me just as much as he does my sisters. What about you? Do I get any personal details in return?”
I rolled my eyes, “You can ask one question, deal?”
Rome smiled widely, showing off his unusually flawless teeth. “Deal. Now, I’ve got to make it a good one. Give me a minute to think about this…”
“My God, just ask me anything,” I groaned.
He chuckled, but obliged nonetheless, “Why don’t you or Will talk about your dad?”
“In the wise words of my sister-in-law, and as you saw for yourself, he’s a total dickface,” I explained.
Rome raised a brow in question, “Care to elaborate?”
Did I want to elaborate? No. But I did ask him rather intrusive questions, and it would be rude not to reciprocate. “What I am about to tell you does not leave this car, understood?”
Rome nodded and let me continue.
“He was wildly abusive to both Will and my mom when we were younger. He cheated on my mom for the majority of their marriage, and is a misogynistic asshole to the tenth degree,” I explained. “I’ve barely had contact with him. After Will moved and my parents got divorced, I saw him maybe once a year until I started working at the family business. I don’t consider him family, let alone my father.”
