“Thank you.It was sudden.”There I was, so happy to see him, but I didn’t think about what it would mean to know I’m married to another man who’s considered good enough for me this time.He has to feel insulted, right?Or maybe I’m flattering myself.I hope I am.
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” I whisper, catching sight of Dante as he approaches from across the room.“I really would love to talk to you and find out everything I’ve missed.”
Enzo turns away and lets the crowd swallow him, leaving me standing alone by the time Dante reaches me.
“Everything all right?”he asks with a frown.“Your cheeks are flushed.”
“It’s warm in here,” I almost snap before reining myself in.
Too late.
His head snaps back, and his mouth twists into a scowl, and I’m probably acting suspicious, aren’t I?“You look like you saw a ghost.Remind me not to care next time.”
“Wait.I’m sorry.”It’s awkward, and I’m not sure I should do it, but I reach out anyway to touch his arm.“I’m a little jumpy.I just ran into someone I hadn’t seen in a long time, and I didn’t expect to.”
“Well, try to get over it,” he murmurs, not unkindly.“These pictures are going to be published all over the place, and you don’t want to look shell-shocked in them.”
“How do you know?”I ask.“Maybe I like looking shell-shocked.”Nobody could be more surprised than me when he snickers before leading me over to the display where the photographer waits.Dante drapes an arm around my waist, pulling me close, the way newlyweds are supposed to stand together.We’re supposed to be in love.We need to act that way.I tilt my head toward his chest, widening my smile, dipping into my memory to remind myself how it used to be, and how I used to feel when Enzo and I were together.
Any hope of living in the moment tonight faded away as soon as I saw him.All I can do now is go through the motions, nodding politely, chuckling softly at jokes told by strangers, making mindless small talk, and trying like hell to keep names and faces straight.
Becauseheis here.
Because until tonight, until hearing him say my name, I didn’t really feel dirty about all of this.I mean, I’m not exactly proud of myself for going along with this wedding, but it wasn’t until I stood in front of Enzo and bore the weight of his judgment that I wished I could crawl into a hole and not come back out.
And he’s watching.
He’s still here somewhere.
Because I feel his gaze on me, even if I can’t see him.
Granted, I don’t feel comfortable doing more than glancing around occasionally, since I don’t need Dante noticing my distraction.This isn’t something I want to get into.We don’t even know each other.Why would I open up about my past?
“What are you hiding?”Dante murmurs, his breath tickling my ear.We’ve just wandered away from an older couple who can’t stop gushing over the fact that we aren’t on a honeymoon so soon after the wedding, when he gently takes the half-empty champagne flute from my hand and sets it down on a random table, then leads me onto the dance floor.
I’m too busy feeling like a deer in headlights to do more than laugh softly.“What do you mean?”I ask as he pulls me along.
“Come on.You’ve been on edge.Looking around like you’re waiting for a bomb to explode.”We find a space, and he comes to a stop, drawing me near with an arm around my waist, his hand pressed against my lower back.Boy, I wish it didn’t feel so good to be touched.It’s been way too long, and my body likes it way too much, going warm and soft like a marshmallow.
With a sigh, I rest my hand on his shoulder and let him lead us in a slow dance.We’re barely moving, not that it matters.Nobody is here trying to win a contest as long as we maintain appearances.“Someone I used to know is here,” I confess.“I hadn’t seen him in four years.It was a surprise.”
“Oh.”The pressure against my lower back increases, or is that my imagination?“Boyfriend?”
“It’s complicated.We were friends when we were kids, and things sort of changed as we got older.He ran off after my twenty-first birthday party, actually.”My voice goes weak when I see Enzo’s stricken face in my head.“Fell off the face of the earth.Until tonight, he could have been dead for all I knew.”
“I see.What’s his name?”
It’s a natural question.There’s nothing behind it, right?I’d want to know too.“Enzo Amato.”
After thinking about it, his shoulder lifts.“I’m not familiar with the name.”
“His family’s low-level.His uncle was a captain for my grandfather, but they had a falling out.So his family was brushed aside after that.”
“He must have done something right, or else he wouldn’t have gotten an invitation to an event like this,” Dante points out.“Some pretty deep pockets around here.”
He makes a good point, not to mention how well Enzo looks.Miles away from the kid I used to know, who was always more comfortable in track suits and jeans than the tailored suit he’s wearing tonight.It must have cost a small fortune, along with the sizable donation he’d have to make even to earn a place at the table, so to speak.
“Anyway, it threw me a little.”It takes more effort than it should to grin up at him.“That’s all.”
