She takes another huff on the cigarette, the tip glowing. “Did you tell her you needed time alone?”
“Yes,” I admit.
“Then why would she come after you?”
“I hate when you make sense.” I guess I thought she’d see I was having second thoughts and want to reassure me. Now that she hasn’t, I know it’s all on me to make the next move. “It’s just that seeing Mom and Kevin fight reminded me of how easily long-term relationships fall apart. How they never work out.”
I expect Stella to agree. After her messy divorce, she surely shares my perspective. But to my surprise, she stares at me like I’ve said I like to eat dog shit in my spare time.
“Why the hell would you think that?” she asks, practically daring me to list the reasons.
“All of our family’s marriages have fallen apart,” I remind her. “Every last one. I would have thought you’d understand, given what you went through.”
Stella drops her cigarette and stomps it under her heel. “Let me get this right. You think every relationship ends?”
“Well, yeah.” I shrug, and there’s a slight twinge in my shoulder.
She snorts. “You’re a dumbass.” She walks to the balustrade and rests her hands on the top rail, looking out over the traffic on the street below. “Every individual circumstance is different. None of our marriages worked, but that was for different reasons. And just like our relationships were different, others are different in that they don’t end at all.” She glances at me. “I’m not going to say that everyone who stays married is happy, but many of them are. There are also couples out there who choose not to marry but stay together for their entire lives. You can’t just say ‘relationships don’t work.’ The world isn’t like that.”
“But—”
The look in her eyes shuts me up.
“How much do you care for Lucia?”
I weigh the question. I already know I’m falling for her. I pause and imagine a life without her. It looks empty. Dull. My chest squeezes and my abdomen clenches unhappily. All of which tells me what should have been obvious. “I love her.”
Stella’s eyes twinkle. “Is being with her worth taking the risk that it might eventually fail?”
“Yes.” I don’t even have to think about it this time. She is absolutely worth the risk. “Excuse me, Stel. I need to grovel to my girlfriend.”
“Good.” She pats me on the back as I hurry to the door, but doesn’t follow me into the hotel.
I retrace the steps I took earlier and find my way back to the conference room. Something significant must have happened since Stella joined me because there’s no one in the corridor, and a cheerful hum buzzes beyond the door. I open it hesitantly andpeer in. Dozens of people are mingling, smiling, and chatting. The tension from earlier is completely gone.
Mom and Kevin are holding court in the middle of the floor, and while I can see a hint of strain in the rigidity of Mom’s back, she looks happy. She and Kevin have clearly made up. He’s gazing at her the same way he did at my fight night—as though she’s the center of his universe. I didn’t understand that then, but I do now. I scan the room, searching for Lucia, and find her with Mia near the nibbles table. The two women seem to be getting along well, but something looks different about Lucia. I can’t put my finger on it.
I square my shoulders and stride toward them. Lucia looks up as I approach, and our gazes lock. Mia is still speaking, but Lucia doesn’t seem to hear what she’s saying. Her attention is wholly on me.
“Mia, could you give us a moment to ourselves?” I ask as I reach them.
My sister’s eyes narrow, but she must see something unusual in my expression because she nods and touches Lucia’s arm. “I’ll be back soon.” To me, she hisses, “Fix whatever you did.”
I bend to kiss Lucia’s cheek. She doesn’t make any move to reciprocate. Sweat breaks out on my palms, and I wipe them surreptitiously on my trousers. “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you or left you like that. Especially when you didn’t know anyone here and you already mentioned earlier that family events can be hard for you.”
“You’re right.” She raises her chin and watches me steadily. I’m glad for the conversation around us because nobody seems to give us a second glance. “You shouldn’t have. You knew that was a sore point for me, and while I understand why you needed a short time-out, you were gone nearly half an hour.”
Shit. I hadn’t realized it was that long.
“I apologize with all my heart,tesoro. Neither of those things will happen again.”
Her spine loses some of its starch. “They’d better not. How are you doing now?”
“Much better. My sister talked some sense into me.”
She cocks her head. “Which one?”
“Stella.” I place my hands on her waist, hoping she won’t pull away. She doesn’t, but she holds herself distant. My heart thumps erratically. It’s booming in my ears, and I’m amazed she can’t hear it. “I’m sorry for being so on edge. I’ve realized I’ve been acting like it’s a foregone conclusion that there’ll come a day when I lose you. That might happen, but the only way it would be a certainty is if I never try to keep you in the first place.” My fingers twitch on her waist, wanting to draw her closer. “I want to keep you, Lucia. I’m bound to screw up, but I’ll do my best not to make the same mistake twice. You said romance novels are about working hard for your happy ending, and I’m prepared to do that, if you’ll have me.” I summon every last ounce of my courage. “I love you.Ti amo.”
