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Twenty-Four
Damian was still thinkingabout her when he left for the city the next morning. For once, she’d stayed asleep, and he’d sat for a long time on the edge of the bed, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed, following the line of her body to the stomach where their childgrew.
He couldn’t help wondering if her previous sleeplessness had been related to the secret she’d felt the need to keep from him. He would have to tread carefully over the next few months to prove that he didn’t want to contain herspirit.
He didn’t blame her for being unable to articulate what she wanted from him. She was right; neither of them knew what was coming, what it would take to get Gatti off the chessboard.
But they weren’t likely to get lucky. They would have to seek out Gatti, would have to plan and strategize. Damian had no doubt Aria would want to be part of those plans, just like he had no doubt he’d want to keep her from being a part ofthem.
But that’s not what love was. Aria was teaching himthat.
Love wasn’t control or dominance. Love, real love, meant giving the other person room to be who they were. It meant making them feel safe enough to tell you theirsecrets.
Aria had told him about the baby, but the fact that she’d waited so long caused him to revisit all their old arguments about her involvement in bringing the New York territory under control, in eliminating Anastos andGatti.
Damian had tried to meet her halfway, but he’d also put his foot down on more than one occasion, and looking back, he couldn’t think of a single situation where he would do thingsdifferently.
He’d done what he’d done to protecther.
What would he do when those occasions arose in the future? How would they resolve Aria’s need for closure — to participate actively in that closure — with his need to protecther?
The answers didn’t become any clearer as he left the house, drove into the city, and pulled up outside the Cavallobuilding.
He stepped out of the car and texted Cole to have one of the men move it before Damian was ticketed. Then he made his way through the lobby to theelevator.
He nodded at the receptionist and continued into his office. He was still getting settled when he summonedCole.
He arrived less then ten seconds later looking like he’d already been in the office for hours. He leaned in the doorway, a piece of paper in hishands.
“Morning,boss.”
Damian suddenly wondered about the current state of Cole’s personal life. There had been a time when they’d discussed women, but they’d been so preoccupied with taking the New York territory that it had been a long time since they’d had the kind of casual, low-key conversations that had once been commonplace over platters of food atGiorgio’s.
“How are you,Cole?”
Cole shifted on his feet. “Fine.”
“What’s going on?” Damianasked.
Cole’s expression became guarded. “What do youmean?”
“It’s been a while since we’ve really talked,” Damian said. “I just thought I’d check in. Anythingnew?”
Cole hesitated, then shook his head. “No.”
Damian wondered if Cole had found a regular woman or if he was still tomcatting around the city, getting laid in between the action atwork.
It wasn’t Damian’s business, but he couldn’t help wanting the same kind of happiness for Cole that he’d found withAria.
“Maybe you should take some time off after all this is over,” Damian suggested. “A little R&R.”
“Work is my R&R.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Damiansaid.
Cole looked confused, but there was something else behind it, a shadow of truth he might have been hiding from evenhimself.
“If you say so,” Colesaid.
