I advanced toward her again, getting so close that if I reached my arm out, I could just about touch her. But the move had her stepping back into the hallway, her eyes shutting down everything they’d displayed.
“I think I’ll pass.” She tilted her head and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Have fun, though.”
“Aida.” She spun around, her feet carrying her as fast as they could to the stairs. “Aida,” I ground out, frustrated beyond belief. “I swear to God, Aida.”
“You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” she sang, climbing the stairs and looking back down at me. “Even Mafia bosses don’t have sway over the big guy up there.” She pointed at the ceiling and hiked her backpack higher on her shoulder, her gaze stuck to mine. I prayed that the fire and fight would come back, but it didn’t. She was blank, not giving a single thing away, and for the first time, I wondered if I’d gone too far.
Had I blown my chance? Had I pushed her too far away? I scraped my hand down my face, not knowing what to do. I’d tried to talk to her. I’d tried to ask her out nicely. I’d tried. Fuck, I’d tried. What else did she want me to do? What else could I do?
“Be yourself,” a voice said, and I spun on my heels, cursing myself for not being totally aware of my surroundings. I never let my guard down, but because of Aida, I had. This wasn’t good. None of this was good. But I couldn’t stop it.
“What?” I asked Sofia.
“Just be yourself.” She said it like it was so easy—like it would solve all of my problems. “You’re so used to having to prove yourself. You did it with Dad since you were a kid, and now that you’re the boss, you think you have to prove it to everyone else.” She shook her head. “You have nothing to prove, Lorenzo. Nothing at all.”
“You don’t get it,” I gritted out, trying to keep my patience, but it was wearing thin.
“Maybe I don’t.” She shrugged. “But I know you slept together.” She raised her brows. “And I know she deserves to see the real you. Not the you that you’re trying to portray. She needs to see the Lorenzo we know. The one who is kind. The one who would go to war for the people he loves.” She stepped closer to me, her hand resting over my chest. “The one who thinks with his heart and not his warped mind.”
“Sofia,” I murmured, not sure what else to say.
“Think about it,” she said, her voice low. “Think about letting her see the side of you that you keep so well hidden.” She stepped back, her focus not leaving my face. “If there’s anyone who deserves that, it’s her, big brother.”
She left just as quickly as she appeared, leaving me standing outside my office, wondering if I could do it. Could I let Aida in? Could I risk letting her see the part of me I kept locked away? Was she even worth it?
I closed my eyes, my breath stuttering inside my chest.
She was worth it. She’d always be worth it.
CHAPTER 12
AIDA
“And I told him, Auntie Aida, that palaces weren’t just for princesses.” Vida fluttered her lashes up at me, her hands waving in the air. “But he didn’t believe me.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Boys are the worst.”
I chuckled, agreeing with her. “Well, you’re my princess, and you’re staying in the palace tonight, so he can just…” I cut myself off, reminding myself I was talking to a five-year-old.
“He can just, what?” she asked, her attention focused solely on me.
Mateo chuckled from the front of the SUV, knowing I’d put my foot in it. “Vida,” he called, pulling to a stop outside of the gates. “Would you like to press the button to open the gates?”
She gasped. “The gates open with a button?”
“Yep.” He grinned back at her and handed her the device that he kept in the center console. “Click the button once, and they’ll open.” He paused, waving his hands in the air. “It’s magic.”
I squeezed my lips together to hold in my laughter as her little eyes got so wide, I thought they were going to pop out of her head. “Wow.” She unplugged her belt and stood in the back. I placed my hand on her waist, keeping her steady as she took the device and pressed the button, her little face in awe as the gates opened. “That’s so cool!” she shouted, placing the device back into Mateo’s palm.
She planted herself right next to me, and I held her close as Mateo drove us through the gates that automatically closed behind us.
“Are there other magic things in the palace, Auntie Aida?”
I grinned down at her. “Of course, there are.” Mateo opened the door for me, and I slipped out, holding my hand out for Vida.
“I’ll get her bag, Aida,” Mateo said as Vida jumped out, her bright pink dress lifting up as she did.
“Thanks, Mateo.”
“This is amazing!” Vida shouted, letting go of my hand and running toward the water feature. She’d been here the night of the wedding, but she hadn’t gotten to explore, not in the way I knew she wanted. She was inquisitive, but more than that, she was nosey.
Her little hands gripped on to the edge of the fountain as she looked down into it. “There’s money in here!” She stared up at me. “Is it a wish fountain?”
“I…” I looked down, seeing the coins at the bottom of it. I’d never noticed it, not until she’d pointed it out. “I don’t know.” I frowned. “Maybe?”
“I bet Uncle Lorenzo knows!” She grinned up at me. “Is he here? I can ask him, and maybe I can make a wish and it’ll come true.”
My stomach rolled at the mention of Lorenzo’s name. I knew it was coming, especially with Vida staying here for the night, but I’d tried not to focus on it too much. Vida asking to sleep over had been a welcome distraction, the buffer I’d needed after a week of not knowing if I was coming or going. I didn’t realize how draining it was being mad at someone and how much effort it took to act blasé about things when it wasn’t in your nature. But it was what I had to do to survive this place. To survive him.
I opened my mouth, about to give some kind of excuse as to why we couldn’t go and see if Lorenzo was here, but before I could say anything, Mrs. Larson opened the mansion doors, and Vida went running through them. “Is my uncle Lorenzo here?” she asked Mrs. Larson.
“He is.” She crouched down in front of her, and the air left me in a whoosh. “You must be Miss Vida.” Mrs. Larson held her hand out for Vida. “I’m Mrs. Larson.”
“Hi, Mrs. Larson.” Vida shook it, her manners outshining everyone else I knew. She was such an amazing little girl. I sometimes wondered where she got it from. “Can you take me to Uncle Lorenzo?”
“I sure can.” Mrs. Larson stood, her gaze floating over to me momentarily. She offered me a small smile, one that told me she knew there had been tension in the house for the last couple of weeks. “This way, Miss Vida.” She led the way through the foyer, and Vida followed closely behind her, her head swiveling around, taking everything in.