Looking around, I called to Mitch and Violet with my hand.
“What’s up?” Mitch glanced at Romeo before he looked back at me. “Besides Romeo’s pompadour.”
Romeo slid a hand along the side of his head. Every time he walked into the room, Mitch usually sang an old Billy Joel song, claiming it was his theme song, something about all the Romeos wearing their hair in a pompadour.
“Stay with Scarlett,” I said. “I’ll owe you one.”
“Nino will find her soon, as well,” Romeo said. “She will go to the room with the auctions. We do not want all our women in one spot. It is safer to spread out.”
“Does she need to be babysat?” Violet gave me one of her pointed looks. “Last I checked, she birthed two of your gorgeous, but huge, children all by herself. Without drugs. Not a woman who needs to be watched, if you ask me.”
Violet was the kind of woman who ran all the unwanted men off from her friends at the bar.
“I don’t know what’s going down tonight,” I said, returning the look. “You know how curious she gets.”
“Wha—”
“Amen!” Mitch said.
“I can’t believe—”
“NotourScarlett!” Romeo acted shocked, putting his hand to his heart.
“Hey!” Scarlett protested. “I resent that!”
I kissed her cheek. “Stay close,” I whispered in her ear. “You know the way out.” Collecting all the seriousness I could, I put it in a look. “Scarlett Rose Fausti, give me your word—you’ll leave if something happens.”
She stuck her chin up, and all the men made a lowooohnoise, knowing what came next.
“No.”
“Mia and Matteo.”
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. “You play dirty, Fausti.”
This was no joke. It was meant as an insult.
“I’ll take that as your word.”
Giving her another kiss on her cheek, I let it linger before I patted Romeo on the shoulder, signaling that we needed to move.
Before I could get far, though, she screamed my name, dodging past people, running toward me.
“Oof!” She hit me with enough momentum to send the air out of my mouth. I held her close, feeling her tremble in my arms.
Pulling her back so she had to look at me, I held her firmly. “Listento me. I’m coming back for you, Scarlett. I didn’t say the words then, and I should have, but I’m saying them now. I’m coming back for you.Sto tornando per te.Wait for me.”
49
Scarlett
“Wait for me,” I repeated and then huffed out a frustrated breath, watching as my husband’s broad back melted into a sea of vibrant colors, outlined by black tuxedos, both in constant motion.
Now. He’s going to use those wordsnow.
I couldn’t even think about them without my cheeks burning.
How could he expect me to wait for him, feeling like I might short out? All my nerves were above the skin, exposed to the world, live wires about to cause a fire in my nervous system.
