I sighed. If only she knew. “I’m fine. Just tired,” I muttered and pulled from her embrace and into Nicoletta’s welcoming one. I laughed and hugged her tight. “You guys act like I’ve been gone for a year, not a weekend.”
Who needed friends when you had sisters? Built in best friends for life. I knew not everyone had a close relationship with their siblings. We were lucky in that way. We grew up in hell, but we bonded together through it all. It was what made us all so close and Romeo close to Lorenzo.
I wondered how Romeo would take the news that I didn’t want to divorce his best friend when this was all over. That I wanted to stay married to him in every way. Would my brother be mad?
“You look different.” Nicoletta studied me closely.
Holy shit. Could she tell? I tried not to panic and forced my eyes to stay away from Lorenzo, ignoring him even though I wanted to do anything but.
“That’s weird. It was just a long weekend at a friend’s bridal events and wedding.” I laughed it off. “You guys are making me self-conscious.”
Nicoletta and Giana eyed me speculatively. I felt like a bug under a microscope and forced myself not to squirm. “Where’s Romeo?” I asked, taking the attention off of me as I reached for my purse in the SUV.
“He’s been working a lot,” Giana answered. “He’s hardly been around. I think there has been some kind of trouble at the club because he’s been working there more and more.”
“Or it could have been that his right-hand man was on babysitting duty,” Nicoletta offered up with a chuckle and a pointed look at Lorenzo.
“The guys had stuff going on, so I was what was left.” He shrugged. “I’m sure if Bianca had gotten her choice, it would have been someone else taking her instead me.”
I sent him a sharp look because we both knew that that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I wouldn’t have changed anything about our weekend even if I could. Hell, part of me was even grateful my dad was such a bastard because he forced our hands. He had no idea that his plan backfired so spectacularly, that it was his asinine plan that brought Lorenzo and me together.
“Alright, you two. No more arguing.” Giana looped her arm with mine and led me away from the car and Lorenzo and into the house. “You’ve got to take it easy on him, Bea.” She shook her head. “I’ll never understand your dynamic with Lorenzo. He’s our brother, like Romeo, just not by blood.”
I bit my lip. He was her brother officially now, not through blood or time, but through marriage. I didn’t say the words that were on the tip of my tongue, but I thought them.
“Take it easy on him?” I scoffed, trying to act as if nothing had changed. “I think it’s the other way around, Gi. He needs to let up on me.”
She sighed and shook her head. “I think it goes both ways.”
I gave a half laugh that was more air than volume. “I’ll concede that.” I needed to change the subject and fast. Talking about Lorenzo would give us away, and I couldn’t afford to give anything away until he was ready. He was holding onto both our wedding rings until we could wear them again. I’d only worn it for a few days, but my finger already felt naked without it.
“Where’s dad?” I asked quietly, not really caring, but wanting to see if I could continue to avoid him.
Giana’s eyes dimmed as she nodded toward the hall that led to his office. If he was in there, I could avoid him as long as possible. “He’s in a meeting with some guy and Gino,” she whispered. “I don’t know what they’re talking about or doing, but they’ve been in there for some time.”
“You don’t know who it is?” My stomach clenched with fear. What if it was Arias? I had never seen the man, but I didn’t like the fact that there was someone here we didn’t know.
“No. He’s a big guy, built like a football player, and he has a subtle accent that he tries to hide,” Giana stated. “I heard it when I opened the door for him.”
I blanched. Why was my sister opening the door for anyone? Romeo always insisted that one of our guards was to open the door, even when our father was home. “Why did you answer the door?” I shook my head.
“Dad told me to, and nobody else is here but him, Gino, and us.” She took a deep breath. “Something is going on, Bianca. Idon’t know what, and I haven’t told Nic because I don’t want her to worry.”
Well, her instincts were spot on. My sister was definitely smarter than I was. It was no wonder she was going to law school. No doubt our father thought it was a good idea to have a lawyer in the family and at his disposal.
“Do me a favor,” I stated quietly and looked over my shoulder toward where Lorenzo was bringing in the bags with Nic chatting away beside him.
“What?”
“Tell Lorenzo what you just told me. Get him to stay, and I’ll text Romeo to come home.” I could have asked Lorenzo to stay myself, but I had to keep up appearances that we didn’t get along. But if Gia asked him to stay and told him what was happening, then it would sell the lie that nothing had changed between us.
“I already texted Rome as soon as the guy got here. He told me he was on his way, but he wasn’t close by, so it would be a while. He told Nic and me to be careful and stay upstairs. We only came down when I saw you and Lorenzo get here.”
I nodded, apprehension and stress eating away at me. “Good. Go tell Lorenzo.”
Giana left my side to go tell my husband about the strange man in the office. My husband. Lorenzo was my husband. I knew it, but it felt different thinking of him like that. I moved toward the kitchen to get some water and to give myself something to do. It took concentration to make myself stay away from him and not stare at him, even more than it did before we were together.
I was terrified I would be the weak link to give us away and to put his life in danger. The thought of my father killing him for what he’d done–what we’d done–was reprehensible. I hadto keep Lorenzo safe for as long as possible, and that meant keeping away from him.
