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“Don’t,” I warned. “They both died at the end, remember, loving one another. Not me. I’ll die alone, a stupid fool for thinking I could fit in their world. Now here I am, a part of their world, a part they hate.”
“You know that’s not true.” He pretended to brush me off, which only made me angry, and when he saw I was pissed, he dropped his attempt to lighten the mood. “Sienna,” his voice softened, “he called me looking for you the other night. He ran into trouble at the dockyard or I’m sure he’d be here. When he gets wind of all of this—”
“He has.” I sniffed, hating that it wasn’t time yet to share the truth about me and Elio being somewhat okay. Although Elio had assured me we were fine, the hurt of their reaction and their horrified expressions still hurt, and it pecked away at my self-confidence. The more I thought about that day, the less confident I felt that things would work out. When I knew we were truly solid, I’d share the truth. For now, I was too scared to say the words out loud.
“Really? Then, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”
“Wyatt,” I dragged myself up to sit and brushed my hair away from my eyes, “Nonna Capri hated me because she knew who I was before I did.” I skipped some keys parts about how I was kidnapped and run out of town. “When I wanted to leave, my mother finally shared the truth with me about who I really am.” I turned on another lamp and reached for my purse. I tossed the heavy ring at him. He admired the bear then caught the dates of the family members engraved inside. “When I finally got back to Elio’s,” I went on, “to tell him what I’d learned, the entire family was there waiting for me. She got to them before I could.” I paused to get a handle on a threatened sob, remembering how they’d all looked at me and how I instantly felt chilled. “The look on Elio’s face when he saw that ring of evil in my hand is not something I’ll ever forget. I have the blood of the enemy in my veins.” I let out a long breath, trying to pull myself together.
“Si, maybe he…” He trailed off when he caught himself siding with the maybes.
“As much as I love that you want all of this to be a misunderstanding, Wyatt,” I covered his hand with mine, “I still haven’t fully recovered from our last fallout, and I’m really not sure I can do it again, so I just need a little time to think all this through.” I dried my hands on my pants and dropped back to stare up at the ceiling. “Andrea came to see me before I left,” I blurted but stopped myself from sharing everything. It wasn’t time yet.
“What did she say?”
“That she loved me no matter what, but that maybe it was best I took some time for myself.”
“That’s good.”
“It is, and I love her for saying that, but,” it was on the tip of my tongue, “things are changing, and I’m just not sure where I fit anymore.” He reached out and rubbed my shoulder. “I’m so disappointed.”
“You never asked for this, Sienna, but maybe you can be the one Coppola who isn’t all bad.”
His words struck a chord in me, and for a moment I stilled, wondering if that could be possible.
“If it’s possible, I feel more alone now than I did living on the streets, before I met you,” I admitted after a few moments.
“Luckily for you, you now have me.” He held out his arms, and I crawled into them, loving that I had someone who would drop everything for me. We stayed like that for a while until I heard him quietly clear his throat. It sounded like he was getting emotional.
“I’d like a free pass on a question.”
“Okay.” I sagged, raw and open.
“Do you still love him?”
I hated how much that question affected me now. I knew I did love Elio, but still wasn’t sure if who I was now was going to be a problem after all the dust settled. Would I ever be fully trusted in the Capris’ eyes? And could I blame them if I wasn’t?
Sounds from the shower in the next room came to me, and I let the white noise wash over my swimming head.
My eyelids grew heavy, and as I drifted off to sleep, I let the truth slip from my lips.
“It would be so much easier if I didn’t.”
The next morning, after I’d showered and changed, I stood on the balcony and pretended not to notice Wyatt and Ugo talking quietly about me in the parking lot below.
I had two choices right now—go home and wonder what could have been or take charge and grow a pair. After what I learned last night from Andrea, I thought I needed to grow a pair.
I went back into the room, sipped my coffee, and nibbled at an apple pastry as I hatched a plan of my own. I wasn’t sure how long I zoned out, but I suddenly heard the hotel room door shut and the sound of the guys’ muffled voices.
“Nice to see you eating.” Ugo moved to sit across from me as Wyatt swiped the last of the pastry from my plate.
“Are you feeling any better?” Wyatt asked, checking his phone.
“Yes.”
“Would you like to see your mother now?” Ugo’s face looked relieved. “Or go home?”
“No,” I let out a long breath with my decision made, “I have a different place in mind.”
