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“True.” She nodded…finishing off her glass and picking up the bottle next to her and refilling her glass.
“Don’t you think that’s enough?”
“Would you ask my brother that question?”
“No.” I knew what she was trying to imply. “But only because I’m not in love with your brother. He can drink himself to death if he wants.”
She sighed, finally looking over at me. “What do you want, Toby?”
God, she fucking drove me up the wall sometimes. Standing beside her, I handed the cell phone over to her, which she took and read the message on it before dropping it in the water in front of her.
“I thought you’d be happy he’s leaving the keys to the kingdom to you.”
She scoffed. “Why would having my brother’s errand boy sending me a message from my own brother make me happy? In fact, if I had the strength I’d be furious. He can’t find me himself anymore.”
Do not let her pull you in. She wanted to fight. She was just itching to belittle someone to make her feel better. If I reacted I allowed her to choose me.
“He’s on his honeymoon with his wife. He hasn’t come out of their room all day.” Which was shocking in and of itself.
“Honeymoon.” She laughed bitterly. “The man who avoids love like the plague sure is adjusting well.”
“He’s never not loved you.”
“I’m family.”
“So is she.”
“Are you trying to make me feel better or piss me off?”
“Neither, just trying to make you see reason.”
She rose up to her feet, and though she was shorter, the way she looked at me you’d never realize it. “You think I’m being a brat.”
I didn’t reply.
She nodded to herself, finished her wine, and threw the glass to the ground, shattering it on impact before she dove into the pool. Turning, I watched as she didn’t even bother to swim, just sank to the bottom, closing her eyes.
The minute she hit the water, without even trying I already started timing her. She could last nine minutes and forty seconds on her best day…and today she was not at her best. When I saw the bubbles and she’d bothered to move, I still waited, hoping she’d snap out of it, but fucking shit, man!
Taking off my coat, I dove into the water, reaching down and pulling her up with me. She gasped for air as we broke through the surface and pushed my arm away.
“I did not ask for you to save me!” She snapped, lifting herself out of the pool.
“No, you prefer to torture yourself!”
“I was thinking!”
“Thinking and drowning!” I hollered at her as I got out too. Soaked and pissed I’d bothered AGAIN, I found myself cursing her in Italian. “I swear to God, Donatella, if I didn’t love you I’d throw you back into the water and hold your head down!”
“I’d like to see you try!” she hollered back in Italian as well. “You keep trying to save me! I am beyond your help, so go! Like everyone else, GO!”
Moving to the towel rack, I grabbed one before marching back over to her, placing the damn thing on her head.
“I’m not going to marry you. I’m not going to be with you. I told you, you aren’t what I want.” Was it wrong her words didn’t even sting anymore? I was that used to them.
“You are going to marry me. You are going to be with me. I am what you need,” I replied, drying her hair and face. “Ethan is married…finally. That means you only have me.”
“You’re forgetting a brother.”
