Her eyes lit up. “The beach!”
I smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. “Then we will go to the best beach there is.”
“Can Enzo come too?”
My body went rigid as I stared into her hopeful eyes. When I’d left Alessio’s office, I’d found Enzo playing with her in the living room. He was on all fours, neighing like an idiot as she rode his back, wearing a sparkly cape and wielding a spoon as her wand. Apparently, he’d been coerced into becoming Rainbow Dash.
“I’m not sure about that,” I said, not wanting to make promises I couldn’t keep, but my chest fluttered at the thought of spending the day on the beach with Neri and Enzo. It shocked me how much the idea appealed to me.
“Why? He’s your friend. And mine.”
A flicker of a smile touched my lips as I stroked my hand through her curls, loving how they bounced back into place. “It’s difficult, sweetie.”
“Why?”
Oh, damn, I fell into the endless why torture.
“Sometimes, grown-ups have complicated relationships. Enzo and I are… friends now, but we had a falling-out.”
“Why?”
“Because we wanted different things and we couldn’t agree.”
“Did he want to marry you?”
I had to suppress the grunt that almost escaped as I stared at her. I hadn’t discussed my sexuality with my daughter, thinking she was too young to understand, but she’d always been so curious. So when she was watching one of her Disney films and asked what it meant to marry someone, I’d explained that people marry the person they love and want to spend the rest of their lives with. She’d told me she was going to marry me, and I’d laughed, explaining it was a different kind of love and that you can’t marry your family. She’d asked who you can marry, and we’d talked through all the possibilities. I hadn’t thought it was really landing, but apparently it did.
“No, Neri. That wasn’t the reason at all.”
“But he loves you. He told me.”
I swallowed, trying to control my pounding heart and the complex emotions simmering beneath my skin. Why the fuck would he tell a four-year-old that? Did he seriously think using my daughter to get me back would work?
“What do you mean?” I asked, keeping my voice calm.
“I saw a picture of you in his wallet. I asked him why he had a picture of you, and he said it was because he cares about you. I asked him if he loves you and wants to marry you, and he said yes.”
I stayed quiet, unable to take in what she was saying. She kept talking, though I could only hear her over the roar of my heartbeat in my ears. I fell into a daze, staring at nothing.
“I’d like it if you married Enzo, Papi.He’d be a goodPapi,too, and we could play Rainbow Dash every day.”
Movement at the entrance of the door caused my head to snap around to find Enzo, impeccably dressed in a suit, with a suitcase at his feet. He’d been with Alessio for the last hour, andif I weren’t spiralling so hard, I would’ve been relieved to see he was still in one piece.
“Enzo!” Neri yelled, hopping off my lap and running towards him. He bent down, a genuine delighted smile on his face, as she bulldozed into his arms and hugged him.
“Princess.”
“Are you going on the plane withPapi?”
I pulled myself to my feet on shaky legs, watching their closeness and interaction, still feeling slightly out of it. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Nerina and Enzo were never meant to meet, let alone form this instant bond. It was too much. My past and present were colliding, and I was losing control of it all.
“Si. We have some work to do, but we won’t be too long.”
“Will you come to the beach with us when you get back? Please?”
His blue eyes flicked up to mine, seeking my help or guidance, but I stood there like a statue, battling my inner panic.
“I would love to, little princess, but it’s up to your daddy.”
