Penny lets me go. “Can I get you something to drink? We have a variety of healthy choices.”
I’m about to decline her offer when Dante raises a hand and says something. The men all stand.
Penny raises a brow. “Well, that’s a first. You should come around more often. I can never get him out of those meetings.”
Dante opens the door. The men file out, shooting me glances as they leave. I don’t know who they are, but they don’t look happy at having their meeting cut short. Noah must feel intimidated, because he slips his hand into mine as the formidable men walk past us with brooding expressions.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Penny says in a bright tone before waltzing away.
Dante exits the boardroom when the last man has gone. He stops in front of me with his hands shoved in his pockets, watching me with that intense light in his beautiful eyes.
I feel like I used to when we first started going out—completely out of my league. Back then, I was just an inexperienced girl, and Dante was already a man. I’m not that girl any longer, but the gap between us isn’t only about experience or age. It’s the huge power difference between us. He’s a god, one of the most powerful and dangerous men in the city, and I’m just a woman who fell for him.
“Tatiana.” His eyes crinkle in the corners. “This is a surprise.” He takes me in. “You look gorgeous.”
Feeling self-conscious, I hook my hair behind my ear. “I didn’t mean to cut your meeting short. We could’ve waited.”
Noah sticks his thumb in his mouth as he looks around the formal space.
“Hey, buddy.” Dante ruffles his hair. “I’m glad you’re here. Do you want to see my office?”
Reassured by Dante’s attention, he drops his hand at his side. “We came to take you to lunch.”
Dante gives me a smoldering hot look. “What a great idea.”
I can feel myself blush like a teenager.
The little smirk that curves his lips is self-assured. He knows exactly what he does to me.
“Come.” He takes Noah’s hand, pulling him toward a door at the end of the hallway. “Let’s do the tour before we head out. Did you book us a restaurant?”
Being addressed like an adult has Noah in his element. “Mommy said we should let you choose the restaurant.”
“Excellent.” Dante ushers us into a big office with floor-to-ceiling windows and a breathtaking view of Manhattan. “I know a great Italian restaurant that’s just around the corner. They make a mean spaghetti.”
Noah’s face lights up. “I love spaghetti bolognese.”
“It won’t be your mom’s.” Dante shoots me a private smile. “But I’m sure you’ll like it.” He takes a remote from a console table and points it at a big television mounted on the wall. “Let me show you how this works.”
I remain in the background, my heart overflowing with joy and gratitude as I watch Dante teach Noah how to navigate the commands. It’s one of those simple but perfect moments, the ones that truly matter. It’s my biggest dream come true. I don’t know how Dante convinced my dad not to marry me to Joni Stein. I don’t even know what happened to Joni or where he is today. All I know is that this is where I’m meant to be.
With Dante.
He was right. Whatever is keeping me from remembering isn’t important. Us being together as a family is all that matters. Nothing can come between us. I love him too much. And even though he doesn’t say the words I long to hear, I know in my heart he loves me too.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Dante
* * *
My mind isn’t on business as I wrap up the investors meeting. The men around the table already pledged their money and support. I no longer need to sell them the plan. They’ll give me what I need to rebuild Teszner Agglomerate into a lucrative company. We’re just barreling through the legal formalities.
Try as I may, I can’t stay focused on the discussion because I can’t stop thinking about the turn my marriage has taken. Tatiana gave in and came with me on our first real date.
True, it was only pizza, but what we ate doesn’t matter. Even though Noah was with us, I’m still counting the dinner as a valid date. She may not have an inkling of how much weight that win holds for me, but in my book, this is no small victory.
