I want to wrap my arms around his neck and tell him it’s all going to be okay.
I sit down beside him in the kitchen. “I’m sorry things got too serious last night.”
He looks at me, startled. “I’m sorry. You are loyal. Thank you.”
Now I really want to pull him into my arms. “It’s going to be okay, Enzo, I promise.”
His smile turns crooked.
Maybe things can’t ever be truly okay after his sister died and his mother died and his dad left him. Maybe the things that made them disappear left wounds in him.
He runs a hand through his too-long hair, now curly in a way it never was before.
Our knees touch, and warmth spills from him, settling the worry in my cells.
“I spoke with Evan this morning,” I tell him.
“You did?”
“Evan and Vinnie are raising Evan’s daughter Stella. She’s a few years older than Luca, but very nice. Stella normally goes to Evan’s parents’ apartment in Beacon Hill for away games. They take her to school and everything. Evan suggested that Luca and Patricia can stay over too.”
“Really? That’s an imposition…”
“They like children. Evan’s mom used to teach kindergarten. Luca can be in Stella’s room. That way he gets more of a family experience. I think it would be good for him.”
“Oh.” Enzo blinks. “I guess we could try it.”
I smile. “That’s what I said. If it doesn’t work, we’ll hire another nanny to help Patricia for away games. But I don’t want him to feel in the future that he was raised by staff. And for close games, we can still have Patricia travel with him, like Kayla did when we went to New York City, since he’s not in preschool yet.”
“Thank you,” Enzo says.
“We’re a team,” I say, and Enzo’s eyes shimmer. “We both want the best for him.”
“Right.” Enzo’s gaze drops to his hands. “You’re a really good man, Axel.”
“It’s no big deal, really.” I elbow him. “And I thought I was making things too heavy last night.”
A small laugh escapes him. “I made coffee. I’ll get you a cup.”
Enzo also made pancakes and scrambled eggs, and soon I’m happily eating.
“I didn’t hear you make this,” I say. “I was staying in my room to be quiet.”
He smiles. “Luca always wakes up early. I was trying to be quiet. I’m glad I succeeded.”
Something eases in my chest, and I smile back at him.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Enzo
I’m looking for my phone charger when I see it.
Axel’s laptop is open on the kitchen counter, screen still bright. He must have stepped away mid-search. I wouldn’t normally look, but the page is right there, and the words hit me before I can glance away.
Seaport Studio Apartment. 700 sq ft. Available immediately.
