AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dante’s room.
But no Dante.
She scrambled from the bed, and checked the bathroom and realized that he wasn’t inside.
There was more shouting and then silence.
She knew it was coming from downstairs, and that the shouting had everything to do with Dante and her.
To shake the sleep from her system, she splashed her face with cold water and quickly dried. She slipped her feet back into her boots, which Dante had obviously left by his door and left the sanctuary of his room.
There was certainly a heated discussion going on downstairs. She could hear Dante, their father, her mother and Aiden. Her heart sank when she realized Dante was in with their family, but he was alone, or was he?
She heard Aiden shout, “Dad, give him a break.”
“Why?” her father asked, the fight seemingly to have disappeared from him.
Emelia, at that point, entered her father’s office, and met each gaze in turn, until she saw how much the conversation had obviously taken out of Dante, and went to him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded and dragged his hands over his face. “Yeah.”
“You should have woken me up.”
He shook his head. “You were exhausted. I hoped that I could save you from being here during this…” He threw his arms around.
Emelia caught his hands and held tight. “I should have been here with you. This concerns me as well.”
“I’m sorry.” He tugged her closer and kissed her forehead.
Their fingers intertwined as she turned to face their family and, most especially, their father. When she met his gaze, she couldn’t control the tears that hovered on her lashes at the look of disappointment on his face.
“Emelia, I don’t know what to say,” he started. “I understand what you’re both saying to me, but I raised you both, and this,” he waved his hands in front of him, “is difficult to accept.”
Dante had obviously had his say, so now it was hers. It was her turn to defend her feelings for her man.
“I love him,” she whispered. “I’ve been in love with Dante since my twenty-first birthday. I’d known for three years that we weren’t related so falling in love with him wasn’t wrong.” She felt a tug on her hand and glanced at Dante.
“It’s okay, Em. I’ve already told them everything.” The look of concern on his face made her want to wrap around him, but she couldn’t.
Not yet.
“They haven’t heard the words out of my mouth.” She smiled and turned back to her father after a quick glance at Aiden, who appeared more amused than anything. “Dad, I know this is weird for you, but it isn’t for us. We never grew up together. We’re not siblings in any way…not even shared memories. We don’t want to lose any of you,” she cried softly, and let Dante pull her into his arms.
“You won’t lose us, honey. I know I’m struggling with this right now, but no one will be losing anyone.” Her father’s voice cracked and her heart ached for him. “Give me some time, and your mother.”
Emelia pulled away and looked at her father. “Okay. We can do that.”
“Emelia, it isn’t just the relationship you both have that is causing my distress right now. Dante should have come to me, not the church. I’m his father. He didn’t trust me.”
Dante sighed. “It wasn’t a matter of trust. How would you have reacted if I’d come to you and told you that I was in love with my sister, and not in a brotherly way? I was ashamed that I had the feelings that I did. They never really disappeared, and now they’re stronger than ever. But, at the time, I tried to forget…I spent years fighting my feelings, praying for absolution.”
He looked exhausted and Emelia longed for moments alone with him were she could hold him…instead, she squeezed his hand and lent him her strength. “My love for Emelia, in the eyes of the church is the ultimate sin. I’d have been cursed to burn in hell for my thoughts and feelings for her if anyone had found out.” He paused, the struggle going on inside him clear with the tormented look in his eyes.
“All that could have been avoided if you hadn’t kept the secret about her and Diego’s births,” he added.
Dante blew out a breath, as though he’d run out of steam, and there was nothing left to give. So she did what she’d wanted to do—wrapped her arms around him and stayed there.
