“I have always been here, Rome; you just hadn’t found me yet.”
We spend the rest of the day talking and ordering food. By nightfall, we get dressed and go for a beach walk while Romeo makes me fall harder and harder for him.
I am not sure what will happen when we go home but for now, I will take whatever I can get.
Chapter Twenty
Romeo
The sun is setting while we all chill after the rehearsal dinner.
Asher is next to me while we drink a beer in peace. Nell is across the pool with my mother and my aunties, who I respect and know will not say anything to hurt Nell in any way.
Seeing her smile and laugh with my mother makes my fucking heart warm. Renata De Massy can be a hard woman if you get on her bad side, but she is warm and welcoming to those she feels are good people. My mother can weed out the bad ones.
Nell stayed close to me while eating with the family, but I did not miss the way she would tense every now and then. I kept quiet, waiting for the right time to talk to her, but I saw it.
At the table, I saw Daniella give Nell a hateful stare, then she looked to me, so I cocked a brow at her, and she looked away. She knew that it was Nell who kept her here, but she is still being a cunt about it.
I have been keeping a close eye on her, making sure that she does not start any more shit. Nell came here with me for arelaxing week, so she could do something new and exciting, yet sex got involved and so did feelings.
“What a fucking waste of money that was. What is the point in throwing away so much money just to sit around a table and eat like family, and call it a rehearsal dinner?” I gripe, and Ash nods.
“Brother, this is what happens when you have all the money in the world and a spoiled daughter.”
“My kids will fucking learn respect and to be humble when it comes to money. It can all be taken away just as easily as it comes.”
“Damn, Rome, you and Nell are that serious that you are already planning kids, huh?” He laughs.
I laugh with him, as images of Nell round with my kid flash through my mind. Fuck, I could see that.
“She is different, brother. Not one to brag, but I have been with many women in my time, but she makes everything feel different. It is like all of my senses are heightened.”
He regards me for a few minutes, not saying anything.
I drink from my bottle, waiting for him to laugh, say something funny and rib me for feeling like this. He knows that settling down was never in my future, not yet anyway. My clubs come first— seeing how successful I can become before I hand them over to managers while I enjoy the fruits of my labor and spoil my woman.
Nell has me wanting to bring my future plans to the present.
“She is good for you, Romeo. You smile more. We are all used to seeing you attached to your desk at Lux, but being here around Nell, you seem more relaxed. It is good to see, and if Nell is doing that to you, then keep her.”
He emphasizes the last three words.
‘Then keep her.’
Can I keep her? Will Nell want to be with me when we get home?
“Nell is nothing like the ones I used to date who wanted things from me. Do you remember Rebecca?” I chuckle just thinking about her.
“Oh, man, she was the fucking worst besides, you know, the obvious.” He nods his head to my ex across the pool, who is wearing a piece of string with little triangles and passing it off as a bikini, and yet she accused Nell of being inappropriate. Fucking hypocritical if you ask me.
“Yeah. Bragging to friends that I could get them into premieres, and throwing my name around. She is still power hungry from what I have been told by others.”
“I love how she arrived at the Oscars and demanded to be let in because she was sucking your dick; classy chick, that one.”
“That made the gossip papers go crazy.” We laugh again.
“Oh, man, what was the name of the one who put a tracker in your car and turned up at a family funeral, accusing you of cheating?”
