Page 94

I’m So Happy You Came

A loud bang makes me glance up from my phone screen.

Gio has burst through the front door of the bungalow. His chest heaves like he’s run a marathon, and his frenzied gaze searches the living room. Somehow, he knows about my encounter with Roman. I can tell by the ferocious expression.

“Where’s Sophia?” he asks Amelia, who stands in the kitchen making tea.

She swings her head in my direction with a look of concern. She’s been consoling me all evening.

I’ve been camped on the back deck, drowning in one of Gio’s oversized sweatshirts. When I saw it folded on his bed, I couldn’t resist wearing it. It was the closest thing I had to feeling safe.

But now, I can only imagine what I look like. My cheeks are red, my eyes are puffy and swollen, and my I’m a baddie who takes no crap attitude is MIA.

I imagined confrontations with Roman unfolding a certain way. Even though I hadn’t planned what I’d say, I knew what I’d feel. I’d be strong and unbothered by his lies, his infidelity, and most of all, his presence. I’d be the woman I’d been pretending to be since I arrived in Hawaii.

I’d be a palm tree!

Then I’d be the emotionless, vengeful supervillain of my own story, and the very same person I’ve been cosplaying with Gio as my nemesis.

I thought I was indestructible and ready for whatever Roman tossed my way. I wasn’t.

A sense of relief washes over me when Gio crosses the living area. I awkwardly stand and fidget with the sweatshirt’s long sleeves and tug at the hem brushing my bare thighs.

When Gio steps onto the pool deck and his frantic gaze finds mine, I snap. It’s not the fiery snap of retribution I’ve been cultivating. No, this is the snap of a long-stretched bungee cord that has reached its limit. So now, it must ricochet to its original state. And as it does, that released tension has me hurtling toward him.

I leap into the safety of his open arms. His frame collapses around me, and all the anxiety of seeing Roman drains from my body and puddles at my feet. Gio is the oversize sweatshirt I truly needed. He soaks up my fears and my messy emotions. He is my comforting place.

His lips find my head and then he murmurs into my hair. He shushes and consoles me as he rocks me back and forth. His warm hands cup my head as I press my cheek against his chest where his wild heart thumps beneath my ear. Why he’s become this haven for me, I don’t understand, but I burrow deeper into it.

“Are you okay? What happened? Tell me everything,” he whispers.

When I can’t formulate words, he picks me up and carries me, settling us on a long deep couch facing the ocean. I’m gathered inside his strong arms, my knees bridging his thighs, and my head resting on his shoulder. Here, we’re far away from prying eyes.

“Did he touch you?” Gio thumbs my chin when I won’t look his way.

I shake my head, my gaze falling to his bare chest. I lean closer and inhale the scent of spices. The savory scent calms me. Claims me. Gio is my very own remedy.

“I hid in my cabana on the beach. I couldn’t face him,” I have to admit.

“Did you want to?” His brow arches in confusion.

“I wanted to tell him off.” I sniff.

“I’ve never known you to mince words.” He rubs my back.

“I couldn’t do it. It’s hard to explain.” I play with my cuff.

“Try, kitten.”

My gaze wanders the beach, the palm trees and the twinkle lights as I search for reasons that make sense.

“He took something from me, like a lot of people over the years. It was someone undermining my self-worth here, a toxic relationship there, another person telling me I was too much, and then the next saying I wasn’t enough. I changed myself each time, trying to be what they needed. But I never took into consideration what I needed.”

Frowning, I continue.

“Roman took the last bit of me. He stole my trust, but he also highlighted what I already knew. I’ll never be good enough for anyone, not even me.” I chuckle darkly at my stupidity.

I wipe away runaway tears.