The man who made me feel things I'd never felt before or since. Safe, cared for, wanted. Until he snatched it all away and abandoned me.
I closed my eyes, drawing in a grounding breath before focusing on the conversation around me.
Eric needed to fuck right off out of my brain. He was a deserter, and I was not going to waste more time thinking about him.
When Anna and Beau finally left to catch their movie, some romantic comedy Anna had been wanting to see, Elena and I remained at the table, nursing our water glasses.
"I have a good feeling about this one," Elena said quietly.
I nodded. "Yeah. Me too. He's completely smitten with her."
"She deserves that."
"She really does." I traced the rim of my glass with one finger. "I'm not sure I could date a man like him, though. He seems rather boring, save for his baking hobbies. I'm sure Anna picks most of their dates. And that comb-over. We need to help him in that department if he keeps dating her."
Elena shook her head. "Actually, the paint night was his idea."
"What?"
"Mom told me. He suggested it because he'd heard her mention wanting to try painting again."
I blinked. "Huh. Color me stunned."
"But you're right about one thing," Elena continued. "Mom seems happy. That's all that matters. She deserves this more than anything. And if they stay strong, we'll help him. I think he'd rock the bald look if he changed his wardrobe a bit."
"She does," I agreed softly. "After everything she's been through. Everything she's done for us. And yeah, his head shape doesn't look too bad. He won't look like a damn ball."
Elena chuckled and shook her head, focusing back on the main subject of our conversation rather than her new beau. I cracked a smirk.
"I know she gets lonely in her own place. She hangs out with us most of the time, but we all have our own spaces now. Having him is good for her."
Thanks to the Donatis, though I'd never say that part out loud. They'd wanted to buy me a place too, insisted on it actually. Said I was family, that they wanted to take care of me like they took care of Elena.
I'd refused.
I preferred to earn things.
The memory of that conversation still made me uncomfortable. The genuine hurt in Sofia's eyes when I'd turned down their generosity. The way Meredith had tried to convince me it wasn't charity, that family helped family.
But I wasn't family. Not really. I was Elena's best friend, Anna's honorary daughter, but I wasn't a Donati or a Savoca. I didn't want to owe them anything, no matter how kind their intentions.
My mind drifted, unbidden, to another memory. Darker. More terrifying.
The kidnapping.
Alfeo Malatesta's cold eyes. The rope cutting into my wrists. The certainty that Elena and I were going to die.
"How's Jackson?" I asked abruptly, needing to shake off the memory.
Elena's cheeks pinked slightly. "He's good. Working as usual. There was a big meeting today with a potential ally, he's on driving duties and security."
"Yeah? How'd it go?"
"I don't know yet. He'll tell me later."
I wondered briefly who this potential ally was, what kind of deal the Donatis were making now. Their world still felt foreign to me, despite how much time I spent adjacent to it.
"It doesn't scare you? Knowing his work? How he's in jeopardy all the time?" I asked.
