“You are nobody’s dirty little secret, and we won’t be hiding. I want everyone to know you’re mine too.” I have already given this a lot of thought.
“I’m glad you said that because made men are the worst gossips, and you can bet Fabrizio and Edoardo were watching my every move.”
I narrow my eyes. “They best not have filmed us.”
“They know better, and they don’t need film to spread the word. If we wanted to keep it a secret, that would be shot to hell now.”
“Besides my kids, you’re the best thing to happen to me, Alesso. Trust me, I want to shout it from the rooftops.”
“Speaking of the kids, what do we tell them?”
“I have thought about this all week. It would probably be prudent to hide it from them. Elisa already prays to God for you to be her daddy, and Romeo has grown very attached to you too. If it doesn’t work out, it could hurt them.”
His face falls.
“But I believe we are meant to be.” I rest my palms on his chest. “I believe in us, and I don’t want to lie to my children.” It would be virtually impossible to keep our relationship from them when we all live together, even if that was what I wanted. Which I don’t.
“I don’t either,” he agrees. “And I believe in us too.”
“We need to temper their expectation. I think we should sit them down and try our best to explain it.” I have a feeling, no matter what we say, that Elisa will be painting more pictures of us as a family and perhaps even depicting our wedding. A little shiver skates over me at the thought, but it’s not the nasty kind.
“Let’s get you inside,” Alesso says, tucking me under his arm and steering me toward the car. He grins down at me, and there’s a wicked glint in his eye. “I know just the thing to warm you up.”
27
SERENA
I’m still on a high after our date Friday night, and it’s just as well considering I haven’t seen much of Alesso since. The guys are leaving tomorrow—with Natalia and the twins—for the big meeting in Chicago. The one with all the dons and their heirs. I know a lot is resting on it, and I can only imagine the planning that has gone into ensuring everything will go off without a hitch. So, I haven’t complained even though I’m missing my man.
We managed to snag a couple of hours together yesterday, and we talked to the kids. As predicted, Elisa was jumping for joy. Romeo was less expressive, but he doesn’t seem unhappy. After our talk, we watched a movie and shared a pizza, and it was the kind of family night I always dreamed of having.
“Oh my God. You are sickeningly in love,” Chelsea drawls, trying to look like she chewed on a lemon but failing. Her smile bursts through her façade. “I’m happy for you.” Around us, the restaurant hums with the busy Monday lunchtime crowd. “You deserve a man like Alessandro.”
“I haven’t experienced a normal relationship before. Is it always like this?”
She quirks a brow. Though Chelsea knows I was only with Alfredo, she doesn’t know it was an arranged marriage or that I was forbidden from dating other guys. I hate lying to my friend, but to tell her the truth is to put her in danger. She can’t know about the world I inhabit. It’s not safe. All she knows is I led a sheltered life and wasn’t with any man intimately until I got married. I have told her he was abusive and it wasn’t a happy marriage because I can’t conceal that from her.
“Like what?” she asks, looking a little perplexed.
“Like I’m floating on air, and I swear my heart feels like it’s going to burst every time I see him. Let’s not even mention the butterflies!”
“No. It’s not always like that.” She dumps sugar in her coffee. “Usually only withthe one.” She smiles but it’s a little sad.
“Are you okay? You seem a little down.”
Her sigh is tired. “Honestly, things aren’t great between me and my husband right now.”
I’m surprised to hear that because they seem to have a great marriage. Then again, they have young twins, two other kids in school, Lucas runs a busy business, and Chelsea is a mature student in college. That’s got to be a lot of stress. “I’m sorry to hear that. You both have a lot on your plate right now.”
“Don’t I know it.” She stirs her coffee slowly. “There’s this big event coming up he wants me to attend, and I’m getting sick of doing things for him that support his interests. Lately, some of the expectations are—” She bites down on her lip, looking like she might dissolve into tears. “Too much,” she finally whispers. Leaning across the table, she grabs my hand. “I’m grateful for your friendship. I hope you know that. There is no one else I could talk to about this.”
Chelsea is friendly with some of her neighbors and a couple of moms from her mom and baby group, but she has no family here. Her parents, her sister, and her brother still live in Texas. Her husband’s family is snooty, and they have never approved of her, so she isn’t close to them. It must get lonely, and I’m glad I can be here for her.
“I am always here for you. You can talk to me about anything.” I wish I could invite her to come stay for a weekend, but it’s out of the question. Ben has kept his property a secret for a reason, and now more than ever, we need to be careful about letting anyone into our lives. It’s why I didn’t protest when he ran background checks on Chelsea and her husband. I was relieved when nothing untoward came up in the reports.
“Don’t mind me,” she says, brushing a stray tear away. “It will blow over, and things will settle down. I’ll be fine.”
Why do I get the feeling she’s trying to convince herself more than me?
