Dante exhales a shaky laugh, presses an affectionate kiss to his cheek. “No trip,figliolo.We’re going to go home instead. Together. Maybe we’ll take one down to the coast so you can watch the boats come in.”
Luca’s eyes brighten immediately. “Yes!”
Dante smiles at that before turning back to me. He reaches down and takes my hands in his, lacing his fingers through mine. When he squeezes them, the tension melts out of me instantly.
“Come on,” he murmurs. “Let’s get you both dry.”
26
DANTE
The drive back to the villa is quiet.
Rain slides in slow ribbons down the windows, distorting the world outside into a soft and slightly dreamy version of reality. The headlights cut pale trails through the fog, occasionally gleaming off the guardrails along the coastal road.
I keep both hands on the wheel but my eyes keep drifting to the rearview mirror.
Luca is asleep in the back seat, the excitement having finally drained out of him. His small hand is tucked around his mother’s, his tiny fingers wrapped around her thumb as his breathing is slow and deep.
Elena sits on the other side of him, her soaked coat still clinging to her shoulders, her hair plastered against her cheeks and neck. I’ve cranked the heat up to keep them warm, not caring how much it fogs the windshield. She stares out the window beside her with an expression I can’t quite read.
I don’t ask what she’s thinking.
I’m too afraid of the answer.
Seeing her come back had never been in the cards. I knew as soon as I rounded that corner to take my “phone call” that she’d use the opportunity to slip away. Coming back to empty chairs had been both predictable and devastating.
The last thing I expected was for her to change her mind.
The villa slowly rises out of the mist. Windows glow warmly against the dreary light, complementing the grey streaking the façade with faint silver from the fading sun. For the first time in years, the house doesn’t feel like a fortress built to keep the world out.
It feels… warmer, strangely.
I pull through the gates and up to the courtyard before killing the engine. The sudden silence is loud inside the cab as the rain continues to tap softly on the roof. I step out first, circling around to her door to open it.
“Sweetheart, we’re here.”
Luca grumbles before slowly opening his eyes. His arms come up to stretch over his head, a loud groan leaving him before his energy returns.
He grins at us both before turning to the other side of the car and popping open the door. My eyes track him, following him as he slams the door shut behind him and runs up to the steps where a few of my staff are already waiting.
Elena swings her legs down carefully, wincing as the movement pulls at her stitches. My hand finds her back immediately, supporting her without crowding. She leans into me more thanshe probably means to, but I don’t comment. I just keep her upright as we climb the steps together.
Inside, a few of my staff are already moving around, undressing Luca from his wet clothes and scooping him up to take him upstairs to dry off. I smile at him when he waves before disappearing up to the second floor.
Turning back to Elena, I carefully peel her jacket off her and hand it to my head housekeeper. He takes it and folds it over his arm, extending a polite nod to Elena when she slips off her wet shoes and takes the towel offered to her.
Before she can stop me, I sink down and wrap an arm around the backs of her legs, folding her forward with my other. She goes easily, her body folding into mine with a soft sigh. I lift her off her feet and carry her up the stairs, careful not to jostle her too much.
When we reach the master bedroom, I set her down and carefully strip her bare. She’s quiet as I dry her off and put her into warmer clothes. By the time I bend to retrieve the wet articles off the floor, I find her staring at me.
Her words come out a quiet murmur. “Thank you, Dante. For everything.”
I turn toward her, the words coming out before I can stop them. “I really thought I’d lost you.”
My voice is quieter than I intend, almost swallowed by the echo of the space. Elena’s eyes lift to mine. They’re slightly red-rimmed from crying, still carrying the weight of whatever passed between her and Nicolo outside the hospital that I’m not privy to.
When she continues, her voice grows a little stronger. “I realized no matter how far I run… my heart always finds its way back to you. I didn’t…couldn’tleave you behind. I’m scared… terrified, actually, for what’s to come. But… if you’re going to take down the Bellantis, I want to be by your side.”
