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Chapter Nineteen
- Lilly -
Ididn’t know whereto look first. I started with Dante and his usual stoic expression, then at Noemi’s mix of excitement and nervousness, which wasn’t unusual for her, but I noticed how she moved closer to Dante as soon as I walked into the room.
That was new.
Possibility because the two of them had disappeared before I ever had the chance to see them together as a couple. As soon as Noemi had returned from their “vacation” without Dante, I knew their relationship had changed. But Christmas came and went, and Dante disappeared again and then I hadn’t seen either of them for months.
I was happy for them for having finally made their way to each other, no matter how they had managed it.
I was mad at them for ditching us the way they had and for keeping secrets and then showing up here as if Sebastian and I were the ones who owedtheman explanation. How the hell had they found us, anyway? Why were they in Sebastian’s house, in New York, at six o’clock in the morning?
I didn’t know whether to hug them or throw pillows at them. I didn’t understand why they would be there. Unless Sebastian’s fears were well founded. But that made little sense either. Not with Noemi present
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to see you.” I took a step closer to Sebastian, “but why are you here?”
Noemi started to answer, but Dante silenced her with one look before facing me again. “I’m going to ask you the same thing. And I want an honest answer. Why are you here?”
I looked at Sebastian, who returned my gaze with a steady one of his own. He thought Dante wanted to kill him. My brother’s unannounced and unsolicited arrival probably did nothing to dissuade him of that idea. I slipped my arm around Sebastian’s waist. He returned the gesture by putting his arm around my shoulders and tucking me under his shoulder.
“Spending some down time with Sebastian.” I put on my trademark smile. “I’ve been working hard on the shop, and I needed a break. I’m where I want to be,” I added for good measure.
Now, Noemi had been my best friend for over a decade. We knew each other better than we knew ourselves. At least, we used to. Until she started keeping secrets from me. But I knew she was happy with Dante, that they had found something special.
My arm tightened around Sebastian as I relaxed against him. I could be happy with him, too, if there weren’t so much crap in our way. I needed Noemi to know that. She had to see what I’d found.
Life with my brother couldn’t have been easy. Dante was a lot of things, but easy wasn’t one of them. But from the day he dropped her off at the airport in Florida and Gabriel drove her home to stay with us, I knew she was in love with Dante, and I never doubted her. I loved her as a sister and supported everything she wanted, including her relationship with my mysterious older brother.
I needed the same support from her now. If she expressed any doubts or concerns to Dante, he wouldn’t be forgiving. But Dante and Noemi knew me, so I didn’t have to put on a show. I didn’t need to lay it on thick. Noemi would know. She would.
I looked her in the eye and...
Noemi smiled.
“I’m sorry we intruded. I just...Gabriel said...and well, I’m sorry. We needed to know you were okay.”
“I’m fine, Noemi. Really. I told Gabriel no one needed to worry, that I was fine. There was really no reason for you to leave wherever it was to come all the way here.” This part, I did have to fake. Apparently, Dante knew more about where “here” was than I did!
“I can see that now,” Noemi said contritely.
“There. Now you’ve seen her, and you know that she’s okay,” Sebastian said. “Goodbye,” he added grumpily.
I can’t say that I blamed him. I’m not sure how they found us or why they arrived so early.
Noemi looked completely embarrassed, but Dante didn’t move.
“No, we can’t send them off yet. They came all the way here from wherever they’ve been hiding... Can you at least stay for breakfast?” To be believable, it had to be nice and easy. Cordial. Welcoming. He was my brother, and she was my best friend. It would be even more alarming to let them leave too soon.
Besides, I had a lot of questions for Noemi.
I batted my eyes at Sebastian. “Let them stay for a while. As a favor to me.”
He didn’t want to. His eyes said “hell no,” but he relented.
“I’ll tell Chef to fix breakfast for four.” He glared at Dante. “Presuming he’s around somewhere.”
Dante took out his phone and pushed some buttons before returning it to his pocket. “I’m sure he and the others will arrive for duty shortly. I accept your hospitality and hope all is forgiven.”
