“Shit!” I jumped up from the chair and grabbed my jacket on my way to the door. How could I forget that she finds it hard to sleep without me? She’s crawled into my bed every night this week; how could I have been so cruel? Geez, Gianna, why didn’t you say something, baby?”
I thought of going to the house and climbing up the outside wall to her room but crump that. I’m ringing the doorbell, and if they don’t let me in, I’ll just take her out of there and bring her back here. “Hurry!” I ordered the driver Pop had insisted I bring with me. Speaking of which, I think I may have found some use for those four he plans to stick me with once we get back.
The house looked asleep, with barely enough light on inside in case someone woke in the night. It was in direct contrast to the well-lit grounds I’d left just a few short hours ago. I bounded up the steps, but before I could ring the bell, the butler opened the door. “Good evening, Master Gabriel.”
“It’s Gabe.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“No one else calls me Gabriel but Gianna.” Is that a smile he’s trying to hide? “I’m going up to see her. Is that going to be a problem?”
“I shouldn’t think so. Madame left instructions that you were to be admitted at will.” My friend Eloise is on it. Good, unless she’s as nosy as my nana, then I’ll be in for it.
I made my way up the stairs to the room I’d taken her to before. She wasn’t even in bed but sat upright in a chair by the window, fast asleep. I walked over and stood over her, her face soft in the moonlight. I sometimes forget how gorgeous she is, how perfect.
“Gabriel?” Yes, sweetheart, I’m here.” It took me a second to realize she wasn’t awake, and what that did to my heart, hearing her call out for me even in sleep, it’ll take me a while to get over. She didn’t wake when I lifted her from the chair and took her to the bed that had been remade and turned down since her earlier nap.
Why something as simple as that should touch me, I don’t know. But seeing her being cared for in such a meticulous way pleased me immensely. She slept soundly in my arms all night while I took little cat naps here and there. There were too many unknowns here for me to let my guard down.
In the morning, she woke to find me looking down at her.” Hey sleepyhead, I think it might be time to get up. I hear the others moving around downstairs.” I kissed her nose and rolled her off me, heading for the bathroom to hide my condition until I was decent and find some mouth wash to chase the taste of sleep from my mouth.
“I’m going to leave you to spend some time with them today. Are you going to be okay on your own?”
“Yeah, sorry for being such a baby about it. By the way, when did you come back? I didn’t even hear you.”
“It’s okay; I found you in the chair and moved you to the bed. Now I’m gonna go back to the hotel room and get some sleep.” I stretched to ease some of the kinks left from holding her all night.
I waited while she showered and got dressed before taking her downstairs, where her family waited. Since no one seemed surprised to see me, I figured the butler had squawked. “Call me if you need me.” I kissed her forehead, said goodbye to our captive audience, and bounced.
I spent the better part of the morning scheming, and by evening when she called, I realized how much I missed her face. It’s the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other in the last week.
Sunday morning, I awoke once again beside her, and the weather had changed overnight. Outside dark clouds gathered, and the wind started pushing against the house. “This looks bad.” Those were the first words I said to her upon awakening. “I’d better check the weather.”
As it turns out, there was a storm front moving in that would catch us right in the middle of takeoff. “If we want to get back, we’ll have to leave much earlier than we planned.”
“How early?” I took her hand, hating to do this to her.
“Like within the next hour or so. I’m sorry, I’ll bring you back here soon.”
“It’s okay. I’ll see them this weekend at the party.” So why are you crying? I had to pull her into my arms to escape from the tears in her eyes. I haven’t told her yet what that does to me, how it tears me up inside to see it. “We’ll leave tomorrow, or the day after once the storm is over.” Why does my heart feel sick?
It’s because I had to deny her something. Well shit! Her soft giggle as she pulled away pulled me out of wherever I’d just gone in my head. “No, it’s fine; we need to get back for school tomorrow. Thanks for offering anyway.” She kissed my lips and jumped up from the bed red as a cherry but very pleased with herself.
The goodbyes were just as tear-filled as the hellos, and by the time we boarded the jet, she was pretty much wilted. Her angst when the plane took off with the wind already picking up outside made her jump into my lap, and that’s where she stayed until it was time to land. “Wake up, sleepyhead, we’re here.”
Her tummy grumbled as the staff followed behind us with the hundreds of packages. Her aunts had taken her shopping the day before while her grandma had stayed behind, going through Adrienne’s things to give Gianna. “You’re hungry.” In my haste to get back to the hotel and pack so we could get out while it’s still safe, I forgot to feed her.
“I’m starved.” I looked at my watch, sure that my family had already eaten.
“I’ll take you to brunch at this place I know in town.”
“That sounds great, but let’s go home and unpack first. I want to ride in mom’s car.” Well crap! That doesn’t fit in with my plans for the week. I have a whole lineup in order and ready to go for the three people living in her house.
You’d think hearing what a great dad Felix used to be would give me some kind of empathy for him, but it hasn’t. In fact, quite the opposite. I’m still hoping for her sake that at some point in time, I find some redeeming qualities in him.
“Fine, we’ll take your mom’s car.” There was no storm here at home. The skies were clear, the air crisp, and I had her bundled up from head to toe to ward off the chill. As I thought, my family had already had breakfast, and lunch won’t be for another few hours.
The twins were knee-deep in last-minute party planning, so it was just her and I headed to the busiest place in the entire city at this time of day on the weekend. I hadn’t called ahead, but I wasn’t worried. The place is big enough that I’m sure they’d find space for us even with the line of out-of-town tourists that were bound to be there waiting.
“Have you been here before?”
“No, have you?” I smiled and opened the door for her, shaking my head at the host when he started to greet me. Since I turned eighteen, all Pop’s men started calling me boss, especially in places we own. She questioned the haste with which we were seated. “Don’t worry about it. No one ever uses this table.”
No, because it’s my grandmother’s three-hundred-year-old antique all the way from Catania, and only the family is allowed. “So, how come we’re using it?”
“I asked the host nicely.” Her bitch brow is getting better, but I’m still not talking.