“Hey, beautiful, what are you doing behind the bar?” Romeo asked as he sat down.
I shrugged. “With Johnny, Archie and Jonah up at the hospital watching over Keys and Tank, Joey’s the only prospect here. Figured there were other things he could be helping with.”
“That’s why you’ll make a great first lady.”
I scoffed. “You know that will never happen, Rome. What about you? When are you gonna settle down and claim a woman?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Already got one.” He smiled his panty-melting smile. There wasn’t a woman on Earth who could resist that smile.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I lowered my voice. “Please tell me you did not claim a club girl.”
“Fuck no. Don’t get me wrong, Tiffany and Brandy are great, but no, my girl’s not here yet.” The look on his face changed from sexy to shameful, and he said, “She’s young, Grace. I’m trying real hard to give her time to live, but fuck.” He rubbed his hand over his face.
I threw the towel on the bar and glared at him.
“How young, Romeo?”
“Calm down, she’s eighteen. And I haven’t touched her. A hug when I said goodbye, that’s it. Didn’t even hold her hand as I showed her all over New Orleans. She doesn’t even know she’s the one. She thinks we’re friends.”
“So she’s from back home?”
I knew Romeo was originally from New Orleans. I knew his cousin Gator, though I wasn’t sure he knew that. The Bourbon Bar was the first bartending gig I had. Gator took a chance on me, and I would forever be grateful.
“Nah, she’s from Virginia. Met her when I went east for my cousin’s wedding. Took one look at her and knew she was it.”
“You left her there and what? Decided to bide your time with the girls here until she’s legal?”
“Fuck you, Grace. I haven’t touched a woman since I met Fiona.” I could feel my eyebrows raise right up off my head into the atmosphere. I never thought Romeo would be the kind of guy to abstain.
“None?” I asked, still not believing him.
“The only woman I’ve kissed since I met her was my momma, and the aunts of course. Can’t kiss Momma without kissing the aunts; they get fucking feral with their jealousy.” Romeo shuddered in fear, and I laughed out loud.
“How long do you plan on waiting? What happens if she meets someone else?” Romeo bit his lip as he looked at the bar. “What the fuck did you do?”
“I haven’t done anything... yet. We talk on the phone. And we text. I don’t go to sleep until I’ve told her goodnight, and the first thing I do is text her good morning.”
“That’s sweet, Rome, but you’re leading her on.”
“Not if I plan on marrying her. I told you, Grace, she’s it. I was hit with the fucking curse.”
“The curse?” I laughed.
“The fucking La Croix curse.”
Romeo told me about his mom and her sisters and the curse of their beauty. I had to admit; Romeo was fucking pretty as hell. Most guys didn’t want to be referred to as pretty, but Romeo ate that shit up.
By the time he was done, my heart was breaking for him. He was convinced that what he felt for Fiona was all-consuming, but it came with trials and tribulations. He was worried about her being hurt in the process.
“Rome, love doesn’t come without heartbreak. No one knows that better than I do.” I looked over his shoulder as the man I was in love with, who hurt me daily, walked in. “But if she really is the one, I know you’ll do whatever you can to protect her until you can claim her.”
He nodded, finished his beer, and thanked me for listening. King walked up and slapped him on the shoulder, and Romeo moved away.
“What are you doing back there, Princess?”
I grabbed the towel and ignored the name he always called me—the name I hated—and wiped down the bar.
“Joey had other things to do. He’s the only prospect here, and I know how to sling drinks.” I shrugged, trying not to let him see how much he affected me. He’d held me in his arms when he came back from the meeting in Wyoming, after the attack.
