I lean back in the chair we’re using, struggling to hold onto my temper. “It doesn’t matter. Roman is more important to me than anything, even myself.”
His expression softens for a brief moment before Jayden throws his hands up. “You’re foolish, Princess. I know he already gave you permission.”
I flush at the reminder, but grit my teeth, refusing to give in. “I won’t do anything without him, so you may as well back the fuck off.”
The knock at the gym door is a welcome distraction, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Anything to get Jayden to back off. It would be easier to be pissed if he didn’t have a damn point though. Fucking Doms can’t resist trying to fix shit, but I’m not ready to be fixed. Not when my love is laying in a bed where I can’t even visit him. Hopefully, he at least liked my gift.
“This is a surprise.” I blink at Jayden’s cold tone before looking over at the doorway. My heart sinks. Cristian. Fucking hell, what did I do to deserve this?
“I’m not here for you.” Cristian dismisses him. “I’ve come to speak with Ignacio.”
“Perhaps you don’t understand, he’s under my care. I don’t give a shit what you want with the Princess.” I blush from the endearment, but try not to react outside of it. The last thing I need is more trouble from Cristian. No matter what, he’s still Roman’s father.
Cristian grinds his teeth, but responds calmly. “He’ll be fine. I just need to speak with him.”
Jayden crosses his arms, a scowl marring his beautiful face. “I don’t think so.”
“It’s not up to you. Regardless of what you think, I’m still part of this Family.”
With a sneer, Jayden shakes his head. “You’d think you’d have learned. We’ve become more than one Family, more than the Amatos or Martellis. And we have the Council to thank for that, for bringing all of us together. You can fuck off if you think I’m going to put my Princess at risk by speaking to you.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, fighting two very different feelings. The pleasure of having a Dom claim me, and the dread of facing the man who almost killed me—and who hurt my love. Still, if we’re going to get anywhere, I can’t refuse to speak to the fucker.
With a sigh, I shake my head. “Jayden, I’ll talk to him. I’m assuming he wouldn’t interrupt our exercises if it wasn’t vital.”
Jayden stays silent for a moment, his eyes shifting between me and Cristian. I hope he can see the determination on my face, and from the way his eyes soften, I think he does. Of course, the moment his attention shifts back to Cristian, it’s like a completely different switch has been thrown.
“Fine. You have ten minutes, and I’m not going far. Fuck with him and you won’t have to wait for the Council to make a decision on your life again—they won’t even be able to find the body.”
With that, Jayden walks out, making sure to knock his shoulder against Cristian’s. I barely resist rolling my eyes at his behavior, but I’m too nervous facing Cristian down to truly appreciate the humor in it. Although Cristian’s frustrated glance certainly doesn’t stop the small thrill that goes through me.
“What do you need?” I ask warily, sitting back in the chair. I wish I could stand and face him, but my legs feel too weak, and the last thing I need is to fall over in front of him. He already thinks I’m not good enough for his son.
Cristian rubs his face with his hands before dropping them. His eyes seem tortured as he stares at me. Clearing his throat, he looks away before saying, “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have harmed you. Especially given how important you are to Roman.”
Of all the things he could say, I did not expect an apology, even a stiff one like that. For a moment, I’m caught off guard.Something doesn’t seem right about it though. There’s a subtext I’m missing, and I hate it.
“Are you actually sorry or do you believe you did the right thing but hate that Roman is freezing you out?” I study him, hoping he’ll at least give me honesty.
His face twitches and my heart sinks.I’m right. I know it. With a deep exhale, he whispers, “I…I’m not sure. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s hard. It’s difficult to think about everything that happened. At the time, it felt like I was in the right. Had I known what it would cost me? I’d never have done it.”
I snort. “It’s not hurting me that cost you so much. Not even I believe I’m that important. You undermined your son and didn’t trust him. I won’t even get into what you did to your husband. While I can accept what you did to me, hurting Roman by doubting him? That…that I don’t think I can forgive.”
“Even though you’ve managed to forgive Tennant?” he volleys back and I scowl at him, wondering if he’s deliberately being obtuse.
“Benjamin loves Tennant. That means I would never hurt him maliciously. That’s what you do when you care about people.” I hold up my hand when it looks like he’s going to interject. “And just because I care about Benjamin, it doesn’t mean I still love him. My entire heart belongs to your son. He’s worth following, worth fighting for, and if he chooses, is worth having you in my life.”
Cristian huffs, and I momentarily feel compassion for the guy. Hell, it can’t be easy going from being the Boss of the Family to…nothing. Less than nothing even, considering how everyone reacts to him.
“It’s…hard.” Pain slashes across his features, and for once, I get a peek into his honest emotions. “Allesandro and I were taken from our Families, and tossed into a concrete cage. Welost all control. And yet, when we managed to get out, we found everything had…changed. That even more of our control had gone. For people who are used to being in control…the loss of that is terrifying. Did we fuck up? Yes, and I will spend my days regretting that. But I can’t change it. So instead, I offer you an apology. It’s the best I have.”
Words escape me at his honesty. At least, he’s aware of the damage he’s done—and that it can’t be repaired. The thing is, I can forgive Il Padrone. But forgiving Cristian is so much harder. I’m just not sure why. Still, for my love, I’ll do whatever I have to do. Regardless of the fact he has Carter, I know he misses Cristian, even if their love is wrapped up with the barbed wire of anger.
Breathing out, I nod. “I accept it. A word of warning, if you hurt Roman again, you won’t get a chance to put a knife in me. I’ll be putting one in you.”
He swallows hard, but nods in agreement. The guy has just been threatened twice in ten minutes, and yet he’s still standing. I respect that. “I understand. Thank you.”
“Try to make peace with Tennant. He’s supposed to be your best friend. And he’s amazing with Roman.” I frown at Cristian, wrinkling my nose because I don’t think he’s worth best friend status for Tennant. Still, if those two can bury the hatchet, it would be better for everyone.
