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My man.
I’m not sure when I started thinking of him as mine, considering I’d only recently opened myself up to the idea that what we were building was real. However, at this moment, I was more than grateful for the shield he provided.
“Not another step, Peterson,” Luc snarled.
Joel stopped in his tracks, hands held up in a placating gesture, a smug grin plastered on his face.
“I was merely going to say hello to the senator’s daughter, Mr. del Toro.”
If Luc was surprised the chief of staff knew his name, he didn’t show it outwardly.
“Take this as your one and only warning.” Luc advanced on him until there was less than six inches between them. “Stay away from Emory.”
Joel’s smirk never faltered as he dipped his head, then ambled off toward the building entrance.
“Now that scene right there was worth the load of malarkey we’ll have to deal with the next two days.”
“Gigi.” I spun around at her voice. “I thought you weren’t getting in until later?”
“Now, Bear.” She smiled, hands on her hips. “Is that anyway to greet your favorite grandmother?”
Laughing, I launched myself in her direction, wrapping her tight in my arms. Seeing her was the only thing about the visit I’d been looking forward to. It’d been too long, almost six months, since we’d been face-to-face and I vowed to never go so long again.
“Enough, now.” She leaned back. “You’re going to wrinkle my clothes.”
I rolled my eyes because this was a woman who managed her own garden, spending much of the time covered head to toe in dirt, so the idea she cared about the state of her outfit was ridiculous. But I saw where, or rather, who she was gaping at when she made the statement.
“Gigi, I’d like to introduce you to Luciano del Toro. Luc, this is my grandmother, Imogene Stiles.”
A sudden twinge of nervousness hit me as neither of them made a move.
“So you’re the one who’s put the light back in her smile,” Gigi pondered.
“I hope so, ma’am,” Luc answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
“It pains me to say this, but I didn’t protect her well enough as a child.”
“Gigi. That’s not true,” I broke in.
“Hush, Bear,” she chided, folding her wrinkled hands into mine. “Let an old woman say her peace.”
Her expression was filled with pain, something I’d never seen before and it broke a little piece of my heart. She’d been my savior, my guiding light when my world had been so dismal, yet it was clear she thought she’d somehow failed me.
“As I was saying.” She turned her attention back to Luc. “These people aren’t your normal brand of nasty. They’re cruel and ruthless. But they’re also smart enough to be able to spew their hate in such a way that it smells like roses instead of horse caca.”
“I’ve done my research, Mrs. Stiles.”
“Then you know my Emory didn’t live a good life.”
I felt like an interloper, standing on a sidewalk in the middle of New York City while my grandmother and boyfriend squared off. It was a little amusing to watch, considering she was a full foot shorter than Luc, however, she was a powerhouse in a petite body.
“She does now, and I intend to make certain it stays that way.”
“Good. Then you have my blessing.”
“I didn’t know we asked for it,” I muttered under my breath, earning me a pinch on the ass. “Jesus, Gigi. No need to get violent.”
“So dramatic.” She rolled her eyes.
