“He shouldn’t have involved you in his games to get back at me,” Lorenzo says, shoving Dante into the wall but releasing him.
I point my finger at Dante before he can spit whatever smartass comeback he was about to make. He seems surprised, but then grins as he stands there, letting me take the floor. It’s not that I’m shocked by Lorenzo perceiving Dante's intentions that way; in fact, Dante most likely did precisely that. Put himself in a position to be close to me simply because I was Lily’s friend. I mean, it’s obvious now.
So I only have one question for Dante, but I know the answer before I even ask.
“Is this real? Between us?” I ask him. And although I’m confident that it is, my heart stutters at the thought that maybe all this time I really had been a fool. What if it really was just to get at Lorenzo? What if I’d played right into his hands so perfectly that I’d deluded myself into thinking it was real?
Dante's smile vanishes, and it’s the most serious I’ve ever seen him. “Every part. It didn't start off that way. I thought if I could carve deeper into my brother’s world, it would infuriate him. But I didn’t know you then. Not like I do now. You have to believe me, Romi. I love you.”
He loves me.
My heart stops. I already knew it. I’ve felt it for a while. But hearing him say it with that strange look on his face, like he's expecting everything to backfire and fall apart in front of him? Like he might actually have something to lose for once—is refreshing. Dante is showing his vulnerability, and what makes me despise this situation most is the fact he let his brother beat the shit out of him because somewhere beneath all of that smartass exterior—he thinks he deserves it.
“He’s a liar!” Lorenzo booms, and I swing an accusing finger back in his direction, and his mouth immediately shuts. Lily doesn’t speak, simply watches. It’s not like she’s surprised by my temperament or me putting men in their place; neither is anything new. But where she’s changed is that she no longerflinches around violence. She remains present during conflict, whereas before she used to noticeably shrink into herself, almost like a deer in headlights. She never told me why, and it always felt like a wall between us. And I accepted that part about her, because, in truth, it enabled me to keep her at arm’s length as well. Like I had with everyone around me, it saddens me to admit it to myself, because we've been friends for so long. But all of this distance ends now.
We all have our secrets. But somewhere, somehow, that version of her is gone, and I have every reason to believe it has everything to do with Lorenzo. And despite beating the shit out of the man I’m defending, who, to an extent, deserves it because he’s a shit-stirrer, I like Lorenzo. But I’ll draw the line here.
“He’s not the only one in this room with secrets. You two need to sort your shit out. Just because you’re a part of the Italian mafia, it doesn’t give you permission to act like savages in front of ladies. Now, sit your asses down and buckle up, because we’re about to hash this shit out once and for all.”
Lorenzo’s eyes widen in surprise, and Lily chokes out a laugh but tries to hide it. The violent tension in the room dissipates ever so slightly.
“I’m sorry.” Tears spring to Lily’s eyes. “It’s just, it’s so good to see you’re back to your usual self.” Lorenzo's body relaxes when he sees her smile.
“She’s the best, isn’t she?” Dante says as he slides his arms around my waist, and I elbow him in the stomach. “You need to sit your ass down as well. We’re not dick-swinging here anymore.”
Dante chuckles as he takes two steps back, rights the toppled-over couch, and takes a seat.
“Then what are we doing,Cattivella?”
“Something much worse. We’re going to talk about our feelings.”
And the smile drops from his face.
37
DANTE
I’m being scolded like a child. Well, the way I imagine other children were scolded. I wasn’t punished with words; it was always with a hand or object, depending on the severity of my offense.
Lorenzo and I stare at one another from across the broken coffee table. He looks far too big for the chair he's seated in, and I can’t help but smile at his discomfort. At least it’s not just me in trouble.
“Wipe that smirk off your face,” Romi bites at me, and I try my hardest to rein it in, getting all sorts of flutters in my stomach from the way she speaks down to me. Seeing her like this, bringing men to their knees, turns me on.
Lily and Romi sit on the couch, mediating between my brother and me. Lily is holding Lorenzo’s hand, with a stern look on her expression, but she's being supportive nonetheless. Not my woman, though. When I glance at Romi's hand, she pins me with a glare, as if to say,Don’t you even try to grab my hand right now.
“How much do you know?” Lorenzo asks Romi while still glaring at me. Fuck, it’s so hard not to rile him up. I wipe bloodfrom under my nose, appreciating the swelling and redness blooming around his eye.
“About the Armanis and Morettis?" Romi asks, "Enough to tell you, you’re not saving me from anything. Much like Lily has decided to stay by your side, I’ve decided to stay by Dante's.”
“Really?” I face her, and she raises another finger to me as she stares down my brother. My powerfulcattivellain all her full glory.
The moment I realized I’d fucked up hit me so painfully hard. Thinking that I might lose her had me in a near panic. I always knew Lorenzo would figure out what I was doing. In fact, me posting on her Instagram wasn’t exactly hiding the fact. But I didn’t anticipate that he would come here himself. He might be risking a lot if Luca doesn’t know he’s here. It also shows the extent he would go for Lily and someone she cares for.
In that moment, all of it felt irrelevant. When Romi asked me if what was between us was real, my only objective was that she believed I genuinely love her. That despite all of my games and antics, that what we have is real and true, even if it hadn't started off that way. If I hadn’t convinced her by now, I’d use the rest of my life to prove it to her, relentlessly. Because I know she’s the only woman for me.
Just because she took me at my word, doesn’t mean she accepts me, though. In fact, I think as she asked the question, she already knew my answer. But if she’s telling my brother she’s made up her own mind, doesn’t that mean she wants to be with me?
Lily releases Lorenzo's hand so she can switch Borris to that side and grab Romi’s hand in support with the other. I shift, uncomfortable and slightly jealous that she gets to hold her hand and I don't.
