“I know he did, like I know him dealing with those bitches doesn’t miraculously heal those wounds, but surely it helped some?”
I nod. “It did.” I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Do you think I’m a bad person that I enjoyed what he did? That I don’t feel any remorse they’re all behind bars now?”
“I think it makes you human, and you don’t have a bad bone in your body.”
“I liked hitting her. I liked having the upper hand. Those aren’t the reactions of a good person, Gigi.”
“We’re all various shades of good and bad and everything in between. As long as the good wins out more than the bad, I’d say you’re okay. And honestly? Look at the world we’ve grown up in? We’ve all seen darkness, all been touched by it. It’s impossible to walk away unscathed. If you’re worrying about your conscience, don’t, babe. You’re the singular best person I know with the purest heart. Hating on a few bitches who hurt you doesn’t change that.”
“You’re right.” I drain my wine for Dutch courage and slide onto my knees on the floor. “I want to open my gift.”
Gia kneels beside me, grinning. “Go for it!”
“Did you have anything to do with this?” I ask as the thought occurs to me.
She vigorously shakes her head. “The first I heard of it was when he visited me at work and asked me to drop by with your keys. He would’ve come by himself, but he had a commission meeting.”
“Oh, yes. It’s the big meeting in Ireland today, isn’t it? Dad told me about it.”
“Joshua’s on edge. They all are. I’m hoping it goes well and we can put this bullshit to bed. Then we only have Cruz to deal with.”
“And his weapon of a wife.” I tear at the pink paper, smiling to myself at the haphazard wrapping job. It only makes my heart beat harder for Caleb knowing he did all this by himself. He’scrazy busy withmafiososhit, so the fact he’s making time for me speaks volumes.
“I heard she slammed the door in Alesso’s face after he told her he was done.”
“Yeah, she was a real bitch.” My anger flares as I rip the rest of the paper. “I really want to give her a piece of my mind. Dad has put up with her for years, and she treats him like that? I am praying daily that karma bites her in the ass soon.” A gasp flees my lips as I expose the pretty wooden box with the custom engraving. “Oh my god,” I exclaim as my fingers trace over the L-I-L-I etched on the lid of the box.
“That is beautiful.”
“It is.” My voice trembles a little as I raise a shaky hand to the clip to unlock the box. I’m almost afraid to look inside now.
“Holy fuck,” Gia says when I pop the lid and the large contents are revealed. “He has seriously outdone himself with this.”
My eyes are out on stalks as I examine every item. Hugging the cuddly teddy bear to my chest as I explore my care package, I struggle to contain my tears. Inside is a heavenly scented pillow, a heated warmer to soothe strained muscles, a box of my favorite cupcakes, and French chocolates from The White Plains Chocolaterie, and I bet Caleb grabbed a box for his mother while he was there.
There is also chopped fruit, a couple bags of nuts to snack on, and an aromatherapy roll-on I know came from Sierra because I’ve used it before. You dab it on your wrists and inhale the scent anytime you feel anxiety, and it helps to calm you. Also included is a heart-shaped smiley-face stress ball, a diffuser set, three scented candles, pens, notepads and other stationery supplies, a travel coffee mug, a box of multivitamins, a lavender eye mask, and a spa voucher for the gorgeous spa three blocks away.
My favorite items are the teddy bear and a rose quartz worry stone. I find running my fingers over the hard smoothness to be soothing in the extreme. I am overwhelmed, and I just sit there with tears in my eyes as I inspect the mountain of stuff Caleb chose for me.
“Wow.” Gia looks moved too.
I hug my teddy bear closer. “I can’t believe he did all this.”
“You can practically feel his love leaking from every item. This is amazing, Lise.”
“I know. It’s so thoughtful and sweet, and he did all this for me.” My vision is blurry as I look at her. “Is it stupid to be most afraid of my dreams coming true? Of finally getting the one thing I have longed for? What if I’ve built it up to be this big fantasy that just isn’t realistic?”
“The best things in life can often be the scariest, and you won’t know unless you give it a try.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Elisa
Our double date is an unmitigated disaster, and I breathe a sigh of relief when dinner is over. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper to Gia as we hug outside the restaurant. Joshua and Sebastien stand silently on either side of us, not even attempting to pretend they’re cordial. To be fair, that’s all on Seb. He was ignorant from the outset, clearly holding the fact Joshua is Caleb’s twin against him.
“Don’t apologize forhisrudeness. That’s on him, not you,” she whispers.
I hug her a little longer. “I’m going to end it tonight.”
