Page 277 of Valentino

“You said no secrets.” I cut him off. “Remember?”

“Alright.” He dumps his briefcase in the kitchen and turns back to face me. “I needed to leave a trail.”

“A trail?”

“I needed everyone to know that you and I had left Rome.”

“Everyone?” I frown. “You mean the police.”

“Yes.”

“Right, true. That’s a good idea actually.” I think for a moment. “Why is your driver not allowed to tell anyone who was with you?”

“I thought you would want to tell your parents first.”

“Oh. Right. I do.” I give a weak smile, I’m such an idiot. “I thought you were ashamed of me.”

“Are you kidding me?” He takes me into his arms. “I cannot wait to shout about us to the world.”

He kisses me, softly, just a whisper.

“I’ll tell my parents tomorrow.” I smile up at him.

“Okay.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “When will you tell Francesca?”

“Wednesday.”

“Alright.” He smiles softly, and it’s so beautiful that it almost takes my breath away. “I’ll tell the boys on Wednesday too,” he replies.

“It’s starting to feel real now.”

“It is.”

I slide my hands up his chest and take his jacket off over his shoulders. “We should celebrate.”

“We should.”

There’s something that I need to tell him, something that’s been eating me alive and I just want to lay it all out with full transparency.

My eye’s flick to the corner of the room, “Val…” I whisper, “you still have the piano you bought for me?”. “I um…he shrugs as if embarrassed...I couldn’t get….it reminded me of you”

“Val, I need you to know something about me.”

“What’s that?” He bends and kisses me, more urgent and with a little tongue.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

He pulls back to look at me, confusion flashes across his face. “Go on.”

Here goes nothing.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Even when we weren’t together, and even when I was with someone else, I always belonged to you, I should have told you how I felt.”

“I wasn’t honest either, Anna.”

“No but…I was dishonest with everyone. Because one word from you and I would have left anyone or anything in an instant to be in your arms.”

He gives me the best come fuck-me-look of all time, the heat radiating from his gaze could start a fire.