He nods. Then he rakes his hand down his face. I know it’s going to be hard for him to go through the details, but he remembers more than I do. And his nightmares stopped years ago.
His long legs close the distance between us and he pulls me in for a hug before walking me to the door. Lil and Luca are both standing nearby, and look as though they’re having a heateddiscussion. He’s doing his patented ‘Luca Glare,’ and she has her ‘Serious Lil’ face on.
“Luca, in my office.” Dad holds the door open and waits. Luca nods and stops to kiss me, his hand on my cheek.
I cover his hand with mine and breathe him in.
“You okay?” He asks. When I nod, he says, “I’ll come find you later.”
Lil walks up and puts her arms around me, and we stare at the door after it closes.
“Lil, distract me from the fact that Dad’s telling the man I love why I’m so damaged.”
“I’m on it.”
Chapter 50
I'm just going to tattoo 'Ariana's' across my forehead
Luca
Lil and I tried to wait patiently after Ariana left to talk to Marco.
We failed miserably. I doubt the office door was even closed before we looked at each other and knew we were done sitting up in the living room.
Now, we’re staring at that door from twenty feet away.
“Luca, if you can’t do this, ditch out now.”
I turn toward my cousin. “What the hell do you mean, Lil?”
“I mean exactly that. This will most likely be what she does for the rest of her life. Not just the nightmares and the screaming and the hoodie days. I mean living in this house with me and Mom and Dad because that might be what she needs forever. So, if you can’t deal with those things, plus what you’re going to learn in that room today, you should walk away right now.”
Lil’s loyalty to Ariana is one of my favorite things about my cousin, but I thought she understood how I feel. “I’ll do whatever it takes to be with her, Lil. If that’s what she needs, that’s what she’ll get,” I say throughgritted teeth.
The door opens, and Ariana steps out. Her eyes are glossy like she’s been crying, and the sight makes my stomach ache.
Marco calls me into his office, but I stop to check on my girl first. She’s my priority. She always will be.
In his office, Marco walks to the small bar and pours whiskey into two glasses. He hands me one then leans against the edge of his desk.
“You’re going to need that,” he motions toward my glass with his before taking a drink. “Before we start, I need to know if you’re planning on sticking around.”
My pulse pounds in my ears. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I’m getting tired of people questioning my feelings and future where Ariana’s concerned. I’m not going anywhere.”
“And what exactly are your intentions where my daughter’s concerned?” he asks, his eyebrows raising.
“My intentions? Marco, I keep having to remind myself that this isn’t the kind of mafia where it’s acceptable to drag a woman down the damn aisle.”
His little smirk makes me wonder, though. “Not a mafia, Luca.”
“Keep telling yourself that, boss. Anyway, I would say I want to give her my last name, but she’s already got it. It’s been a little busy around here, and I haven’t had the chance to shop for a ring yet.”
Marco takes another sip of his whiskey. “I guess that’s something we need to make time for then.”
I nod in agreement. “I won’t be able to afford the ring she deserves, but I want to spend the rest of my life with her. What’s the point in waiting?”
“We can talk about money another day, but it’s not something you have to worry about.”
