She could finally visit all of the places on her bucket list. She could date whomever she chose. That possibility pained me to think about. After seeing her in my bed, I could only lie in it with the image of her lying there. She’d looked so perfect. Every day when I walked into Scarab and looked at the bar, I imagined her laughing and mixing drinks. I knew time wouldn’t help me. I’d never move on from her, and if I was being completely honest, as shitty as it was, I hoped she could never move on from me. I hadn’t expected her to come to me. I definitely hadn’t expected her to hand me a business card with the name of the coffee shop I’d walked by a few times.
I was switching off the bathroom lights when my phone started buzzing with a call from my brother. I pushed the green button and set it on speaker.
“What’s up?”
“Does Lenora like wine? Red or white?”
I frowned. “What the fuck? Why are you asking me that?”
“I’m going to her house tonight, and I want to take something besides flowers.”
I shook my head and bit back a smile. He was such an asshole. He didn’t know that I knew about the housewarming or that I was about to head to her house.
“You’re too old for her, Mikey. Give it up.”
“I don’t know. I have a feeling she likes older men,” he said. “We’ll find out tonight.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will.” I grabbed the phone, turned off the rest of the lights, and walked downstairs.
“She invited me to her house.”
“How romantic.” I grabbed my keys. “I’ll talk to you later. I have a date in twenty minutes and I don’t know what kind of wine Lenora likes, so try calling Dom.”
“A date with whom?” he demanded.
“A woman.”
“You know what, Rocco, you’re a fucking idiot.” He hung up on me.
I laughed as I slid my phone into my pocket. I had no argument for that anyway. Maybe I had been a fucking idiot for not going to her before. I looked at the address again. Her place was only four blocks down, so I didn’t even bother with a car. I didn’t know what the parking situation was over there anyway. Again, I laughed. My Principessa had her own business and her own place. Dom hadn’t said a word about either of those. Maybe it was payback for being with her behind his back. Knowing I hadn’t helped her with either pushed the knife into my chest a little deeper, but I was too proud of her to let it bother me too much. I stopped in front of her building for a moment, before pushing through the revolving door. It was fancy as fuck. I walked up to the desk and gave the woman my name. After a few clicks, she smiled up at me and told me to go ahead. The elevator smelled like that damn spa they’d gone to the day before the wedding. The Red Wedding, the newspapers were calling it.Sooriginal. Between Mikey’s guys, ours, and O’Conner’s, we’d managed to twist the story into a Romeo and Juliet scenario, where a mean mob boss and a duke were at odds. We’d also managed to keep everyone’s names out of the papers.
Once I reached her floor, I noticed only two doors. Fancy as fuck. I knocked on hers, wiping my hands on my jeans. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this nervous. Maybe when I’d called her mother earlier today. We’d been on the phone for over an hour, talking about the future, my plans with her daughter if she'd have me, and her vision for the future now that Giuseppe was gone. It had been an emotional and enlightening conversation. When Lenora finally opened the door, my heart felt like it might pop out of my chest. She was so fucking beautiful. She was wearing a short summer dress and no shoes. Her hair was in waves and her makeup was minimal, her brown eyes twinkling as she opened the door wider and let me walk inside.
“You got a haircut.” She took in my hair and face along with the rest of me.
“It was time.” I handed her the box I’d been carrying under my left arm. “This is for you.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” she said, taking the box and looking at it, then at me. “Did you wrap this yourself?”
“I did.” I kept my eyes on her face, even though I was dying to look around to calm my fucking nerves. “It’s no big deal.”
She glanced up at me, eyes watery. “It isto me.”
I swallowed, not trusting myself to speak. Thankfully, she moved away and walked further into the apartment. She set her box on the kitchen counter and crossed her hands over her stomach, as she waited for me to say something. I took in the place. It was perfect. Perfect in general, and definitely perfect for her. The kitchen was nice, modern, and much bigger than mine. It was an open concept, so from the kitchen, you could see everything. She had a small bar, where she’d already set up two pitchers of premixed drinks next to martini glasses. The rest was simple, with nice couches, and a television that I was sure one of her brothers picked out for her. Probably Gabe since it looked just like his. I didn’t dare walk into any of the rooms. When I’d taken it all in, I turned back to her.
“This is really nice.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, looking around. “I love it. Do you want me to show you around?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“Come.” She turned and walked to the door on the right, showing me a guest bedroom. It was already fully furnished. The bathroom and closet were both a nice size. Then she turned and opened up a door with a set of stairs. I followed her up. I tried not to peek under her dress, but evenIdidn’t have that kind of willpower. I couldn’t see much, just the tips of her ass cheeks, which was enough to create a problem in my pants, so I looked away quickly. We reached a door. She opened it and stepped outside. My jaw dropped when I followed.
“This is huge.”
“It’s my favorite part.” She sighed happily as she looked at the city.
It was a huge space, similar to the one Gio had back in Chicago. The feeling it gave was what everyone felt when they stepped off the airplane and into this city. Like you could conquer anything. She had two outdoor couches, a table, and some trees.
