by Lisa Cardiff
“I know for a fact your uncle won’t pull Tony off this. You know how he is when he gets his mind set on something, and right now that something is Evie.” He rubbed his fingers along his jaw to emphasize the reference to Dominick. “Let me be straight with you. He doesn’t like the way this looks, and I can’t say I disagree. Something stinks.”
My hands trembled with fury, and I stuffed them into my pockets. “I wouldn’t expect anything else. You gotta do what’s best for the family.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Evangeline
“Hello, Mrs. Trassato.” I leaned my hip against the doorframe. “Gian’s not here. He’s working late tonight.”
“Call me Helena.” She squeezed my arm, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “And I didn’t come to see Gianluca.”
I blinked. “Oh. Okay.”
She tilted her head to the side, her stiff dark hair brushing the collar of her pale pink blouse. “Are you going to invite me in, or are you busy?”
“Right. Sorry.” I shook my head. “Gian didn’t tell me you were planning to stop by today. So, um, yeah…” Heat climbed up my face. I sounded like an absolute idiot. I wouldn’t be surprised if she called Gian the minute she left to tell him all the reasons she didn’t think we were a good fit. Not that it mattered. Gian and I weren’t really…anything.
A heart-clenching wave of panic thundered through me, and the thoughts I’d fought to keep at bay rushed forward like vomit. I’d done my best to beat back my feelings for him, but I wasn’t deluded enough to think I’d succeeded.
She cleared her throat, and I realized I’d been hopelessly trapped in a mental quagmire of my making.
“Sorry, it’s been a long day,” I mumbled and opened the door wider.
She dropped a stack of magazines on top of the black coffee table and perched on the edge of the gray sectional. “I didn’t tell him I planned to stop by.”
My mind whirled through hundreds of reasons why she’d want to talk to me alone, and none of them were good. “Did I do something wrong? Because I’m really sorry about ruining the engagement party. I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t like me at all. I never faint.” I’d met Kevin’s family a hundred and one times, and I never felt close to this level of anxiety.
Mrs. Trassato stared at me with a condescending look. Clearly, I hadn’t impressed her one bit. “Sit down. I want you to look at these so I know what kind of things you like. We really need to get a jump on the wedding plans if you want to walk down the aisle without advertising to the whole family that you’re pregnant.”
“Wait.” I held up my hand. “I am not pregnant.”
Her brows scrunched together. “You’re not?”
“God, no.” A nervous giggle bubbled from my lips. “I hadn’t eaten a thing that day, and my nerves got the best of me. That’s it.” Doubt flashed across her face. “I promise. There’s no reason for me to lie about it.”
Her amber eyes, so like Gian’s and Carmela’s, seared through me, scooping up my secrets. “Well then, I apologize for jumping to conclusions. It’s just that everything seemed so sudden. I’ve heard a little bit about your relationship with your ex from Carmela, and then suddenly Gian announced that you’re engaged. When you fainted at the engagement party, I thought I’d put the pieces of the puzzle together. I guess I was wrong.”
At a loss for words, I picked up the top magazine and thumbed through the glossy pages. She had earmarked pages and slapped sticky notes here and there. I couldn’t focus long enough to take in any of her comments.
“So do you have any ideas in mind for the wedding, or you planning to reuse some of the ideas from the one planned with your ex?”
I winced. She didn’t need a knife to cut me. Her words were more than capable of doing the job.
“Um…Gian and I aren’t rushing into anything.”
“You’re not.” She raised her eyebrows. “You’re engaged and living in his home. That seems pretty rushed, but maybe that’s just me. I grew up in a strict Catholic family. I never dated anyone except my husband. I always thought Gian would marry a nice Italian girl with a similar upbringing. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
My eyes bulged. Wow. Direct hit. Gian’s mom certainly didn’t pull her punches. If only the floor would open up and I could disappear into oblivion. “I’m sorry I’m a disappointment.”
“Well.” She stood and brushed imaginary dirt from her tailored pants. “I still don’t see an engagement ring, and you’re not pregnant, so I guess there’s still hope that my son will come to his senses and see you for what you are.”
My back straightened like someone had shoved a steel rod down my spine. As much as I wanted to play nice with Gian’s mother, I refused to be insulted. I didn’t do anything wrong. Without a doubt, I was the victim in all of this. When I stormed in Gian’s office that night, I only wanted my purse. Instead, I became a witness to a crime and snagged a fiancé who tied me in knots in both good and bad ways.
“What exactly are you implying?”
She lowered her eyes, which I hoped meant she regretted her harsh words a little.
“While Carmela only has good things to say about you, I’m having a hard time stomaching your arrival in my son’s life. I’m sure you’re a nice girl, and under other circumstances, I’d be happy to have you in our life, but I don’t understand how you could go from being engaged to one man to being engaged to my son in the blink of an eye. Gian needs someone who’s strong and will stand by him no matter what, and all the evidence suggests you’re fickle.”
All the anger drained from system, and my shoulders slumped. I couldn’t blame this woman for her misgivings. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be able to overlook the circumstances either. “I-I…” My tongue thickened with the confession itching to roll off my tongue. I wanted to reassure her, but Gian obviously hadn’t confided in her for a reason.
I peeked at her from the corner of my eye, and I saw a woman ready to fight for her family. Ready to defend them no matter the cost, and I respected her. I didn’t think my mom would fight for me when push came to shove. My family orbited around each other, never connecting, and always keeping each other at arms’ length. In the last few years, we behaved like acquaintances who checked in on each other every couple of weeks more out of obligation than love.
“It’s not real.”
The declaration echoed unnaturally through the room.
“What?” Her voice was a hoarse rasp.
“Our engagement isn’t real,” I repeated.
A mask of equal parts horror and relief slipped over her face. “Do you care to explain?”
“No.” I gnawed on my lower lip. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Just know that I won’t do anything to hurt your son or your family. I’ll leave when he tells me I can, and I won’t cause any waves. I won’t tell anyone what happened or why. Ever.”
She pressed a hand to her chest, her face as white as a sheet of paper. “Oh my God. What did he do? Who else knows?”
Coming to my feet, I grabbed one of her hands. “No one, and I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t want something to happen to Gian because he helped me.” The words tasted like ash on my lips, and my stomach heaved. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him. Carmela is my best friend, and Gian, means a lot to me too. I will do anything in my power to keep them safe. I promise. Okay?”
She nodded, her eyes glassy and her lower lip wobbling. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you, for everything, but mostly for being the mother of two of my favorite people.”
She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me flush against her. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I swallowed. “Please don’t tell Gian I told you anything. He wanted me to keep it secret.”
“I won’t.” She stepped back, a slight frown on her face. “I’m glad I came here today and not only because you told me the truth. You’re a good person, Evangeline. I’m sorr
y I said those things to you.”
“Thanks.” My voice cracked.
She picked up the stack of magazines and tucked them under her arm. “Call me if you need anything. I can be a formidable opponent when necessary, and you have an ally in me.”
I didn’t doubt it.
She raised her eyebrows. “These men think they can handle the world and keep us in the dark all the time, but we’re far from the wilting flowers they think we are.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
Gian
I moved through the darkened hallway outside of my bedroom. It was well after two in the morning. The silent hum of the ceiling fan indicated Evie hadn’t waited up for me. With the exception of a text telling me she finished dancing at her studio, I hadn’t heard from her all day.
I paused at the foot of the bed, taking in her shadowed form. My gut twisted in knots every time I saw her. Something about her made it impossible for me to look anywhere other than at her when she was in the same room as me.
For five days, I hadn’t asked Evie a single question about her ex or that woman. And for five fucking days, I hadn’t heard another word from Nico or Dominick about it. I went to work. I made deals. I dodged Angela at every turn, which meant I needed to fire her ass soon because she couldn’t get it through her head that I didn’t want anything to do with her. When I ran out of distractions, I organized a high-stakes card game for this weekend. As pathetic as it sounded, nothing erased the lingering doubts about Evie and her ex.
“Hey,” she rasped, flipping onto her back, and my heart banged against my ribcage. “You’re home late.”
“Yeah.” I kicked off my black leather shoes. “Some things came up. I couldn’t get away.”
She switched on the lamp next to the bed, flooding the room with yellow light. “There’s leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry.”
Choking on a laugh, I unbuttoned my suit jacket and tossed it on the top of the dresser. “You cooked?” My mom would have a heart attack if she found out how little Evie actually knew about cooking. She burned half of the things she tried to prepare, and the other half tasted like she opened a can and warmed it up in the microwave.
“No. I ordered takeout. I think I’m done pretending I can cook. I don’t think I’m fooling anyone.”
I unbuckled my belt and shoved my pants to the ground, her eyes tracking every movement. She flashed me my favorite smile—the one that felt as if it was custom-made for me—when she noticed I caught her gawking.
“No. You’re not, but my mom is dying to come over and give you a crash course.”
Her smile slipped. “I’ll pass. I don’t think that’s a good idea, considering…” she plucked at the edge of the sheet, “well, everything. I don’t want her to get invested in something that’s not permanent. It doesn’t seem right, especially with your dad so sick.”
A pang of unease constricted my throat. I didn’t have a fucking clue how we were going to make this work. “You’re probably right.” I blew out a sigh laced with more than a little regret. “I’m going to take a quick shower. You should go back to sleep.”
Evie curled her arms around her torso, making her dancer’s frame look small and delicate. “Okay,” she said, her voice soft and uncertain.
Although my gut clenched and I wanted to take back my words, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I had no clue what to say. I retreated to the bathroom, closing the door behind me, putting up a physical barrier to match the emotional one that never seemed to disappear between us.
A bright light flickered on the bathroom counter, reflecting off the mirror that ran the length of the far wall. I glanced at Evie’s phone, and a text from her ex-fiancé lit up the screen. I knew I shouldn’t read it. I should trust her, but I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to know what he wanted, especially if I didn’t want to hear it secondhand from Nico or that piece of shit Carlo.
I swiped her screen and pulled up her recent texts. She really needed to put a passcode on her phone; however, I wouldn’t lobby her to do that any time in the near future.
Kevin: We weren’t done talking. Why you’d leave today without letting me explain?
Evie: We don’t have anything else to talk about. Stop contacting me. I don’t want to work things out.
Kevin: Because of Carmela’s brother. You can’t trust him.
Evie: It’s none of your business.
Kevin: Are you dating him?
Evie: I already told you we’re friends. He’s helping me out. That’s all you need to know.
Kevin: He’s going to ruin your life. You need to get away from him.
Evie: You lost the right to tell me what to do when I caught you fucking your so-called protégé.
Kevin: I know I screwed up, but please let me explain what happened with Ana. I owe you that. We both deserve closure.
Evie: Fine. What time?
Kevin: Be at my studio at noon. We’ll have lunch.
I sucked in a deep breath, anger simmering inside me, black dots spotting my vision. I couldn’t think straight. I’d let her run around the city for weeks unaccompanied. I gave her freedom. I gave her my trust on a fucking platter, and she repaid me by sneaking around with her ex. Then she crawled in my bed at night like nothing happened. Like she didn’t owe me anything. Like I didn’t have a right to know she’d been talking to that asshole again.
I stormed out the bathroom, flinging open the door with enough force that it banged against the doorstop with loud bang.
“What the fuck is this?” I held up her phone, flashing the screen toward her.
She scrambled out of the bed, her eyes wide, her ponytail seesawing. She held her hands up in surrender, slinking backward until she collided with the wall. “It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. You don’t have any right to be mad.”
“Are you saying I should be happy that you go running when your ex snaps his fingers?”
She toyed the hem of her emerald green nightie. “I can explain.”
I stalked closer to her, my hand squeezing tighter and tighter around her phone with every step. “Then start talking.”
Evie lowered her lashes. She looked so prim, so innocent and easily broken, my heart tripped inside my chest.
“He’s been hounding me to talk to him for more than a week, and I keep ignoring him. He was waiting for me when I came out of the dance studio today.”
“You could’ve kept walking. You don’t owe him a damn thing. He cheated on you, not the other way around.”
“I know, but he held up that juice I like so much, and I didn’t want to be mean to him.”
“He got you bottle of juice. A fucking bottle of juice and you invite him back into your life like nothing happened?” I slammed my hands against the wall next to her head, caging her between my arms. The screen of her phone cracked, and I tossed it on top of the bed. “Are you going to pack your bags and move back in with him now that he’s no longer fucking that woman? This was a fun detour, but now you’re ready to hop beds again. You don’t like to waste time do you?”
Evie blinked and crystal-like tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. Regret swelled inside my chest, but the distrust and adrenaline surging through me prevented me from backing down. I wouldn’t tolerate being played by her or anyone else.
“How do you know he’s not with her anymore?” she whispered, her dark eyes like pools of ink.
I leaned my hips into hers, and like someone had flipped a switch, I burned for her. It pissed me off as much as it excited me. “It’s my job to know!” I yelled.
Sighing, she wiped her hand down the side of her face. “Look, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to hear his side of the story. But I swear, that’s it. I don’t have any intention of getting back together with him. Ever. I won’t get caught up in his bullshit lies again. I’ve closed the door on that part of my life.”
“Then why the games?”
She licked her lips, drawing every ounc
e of my attention to her perfect cupid’s bow. I bit back a groan. Her lips were stunning. Not too full to overshadow the delicate symmetry of her face, yet plump enough that they gave me all kinds of lewd ideas. They reminded me of that pink saltwater taffy shit I couldn’t get enough of as a kid.
She curled her hand around the front of my shirt like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to push me away or pull me closer. “I don’t know what you mean by games.”
I ran my nose along her swan-like neck, breathing her in, searing her jasmine scent into my soul. “You told him we were friends.” I grazed the shell of her ear with my teeth. “Friends. Friends who fuck. Friends who share a bed every night. Friends passing time until somebody better comes along. Is that what you think we are? Is that it?”
“No.” She raised her chin. “Actually, you know what? I don’t have any clue what we are. You’ve never bothered to explain anything. As a matter of fact, you’ve flat out refused to discuss what any of this means on more than one occasion. Should I take a leap of faith and assume I’m more than I’m a convenient fuck? Because from where I’m standing, you haven’t given me any indication that I mean anything to you.”
“Convenient?” I laughed darkly. “There’s nothing about you that’s convenient. If my only goal was blowing off steam, I’d have plenty of options at the club who don’t come with a million and one complications. And you can bet your sweet ass they wouldn’t be best friends with my sister.”
“Then tell me what this is, Gian, because I’m tired of pretending. I need to know if you feel anything. I can’t keep doing this when I feel so…”
My shoulders tensed. Her unfinished thought hung in the air, creating a noxious cocktail of expectation and apprehension. When it was evident she didn’t intend to continue, I decided to show her rather than tell her what I felt. Words held too much power, and I didn’t think either one of us was ready to chisel our feelings in stone. We had too many hurdles to get over first.
I cupped her face, drowning in the familiar pull of her chocolate eyes. “I know. I know.”