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He flashes her a bright smile before turning on his heels and scurrying out the door.
“You’re welcome.” Morgan flashes me a smile as she leans against my dresser.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I don’t want Enzo to think I don’t want him around or that I’m too busy to spend time with him,” I respond, dropping my head into my hands.
I knew the moment I laid eyes on Maya that I wanted to make her mine, but as usual, I didn’t think about anything else. It’s not just me anymore. I have Enzo and his feeling to worry about.
“There isn’t anything wrong with you having a life outside of the vineyard and Enzo.”
My head snaps in her direction as she places her hand on my shoulder and squeezes.
“Enzo is young, but I’m sure he understands that sometimes grown-ups want to spend time alone. He had your brother and Sofie around for all his life until this point.”
Morgan is right. Enzo knows he means the world to me. I know it’s disappointing for him not to be included, but I have to make sure Maya is going to stay around. The last thing I want is for him to get close to her and then she leaves. That’s the last thing he needs right now.
“When did you get so smart?” I turn toward her, my lip curling up in a smirk. “I should probably say thank you.”
Morgan can’t be much older than Maya, but I can’t be sure. I should’ve asked before diving headlong into this obsession with her. At this point, I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to. My obsession with her is out of control, but I’m powerless to stop it, already almost out of my mind with need—the need to own every part of her. She belongs to me. I’ll be the only man she’ll ever think about for the rest of her life. I hate dangling her future in front of her to get what I want, but there’s no other choice. For both of our sakes, I pray she agrees.
“What information did you get from the agency about Maya? Did they do a background check?”
“Fishing for information, are we?” Morgan rolls her eyes before reaching down into one bag and grabbing a manila folder. “Here’s all the information you’re looking for, but it’s usually customary to ask these questions during your first date.”
I smirk in her direction before grabbing the folder from her hands and flipping through it. Her full name is Maya Elizabeth Dawson, twenty-two years old, and a recent college graduate. She wasn’t lying when she said her parents were loaded. There’s a ton of information in this folder, but nothing besides her age interests me.
“Thanks.” I smile at her before pulling her into my side for a one-armed hug.
Morgan may be a royal pain in my ass, but I’d be lost without her. I should probably tell her more often how much she means to me, but the last thing I want is for it to go to her head. She knows I love her more than anything. That should be enough.
“I take payment in trips and bonuses.” She winks before patting me on the back. “I grabbed a couple bottles of each of our most popular wine from the winery, both red and white, before I left the office and had one of each put on ice. I also asked the chef to make Grandma’s famous cavatelli.”
“With the homemade sauce?” I respond, my mouth already watering at the thought of having my grandmother’s famous sauce.
“Of course with the sauce,” she snaps.
Her eyes light up with anger, but it’s gone quickly, replaced by a look of curiosity. I’m sure she wants to know more about Maya, just like Enzo and me, but the last thing I want to do is set Morgan loose on her. I’m trying to convince her to stay here with us forever, not chase her away.
“I wonder how Maya feels about you,” she says, confirming my suspicions. “It must be strange having a man twice her age throwing himself at her the moment she walked in the door.”
“I wasn’t throwing myself at her.” That’s not exactly a lie, although it sounds like a crock of shit even to me.
“Wait a minute…” my voice trails off as I turn toward her, my eyes narrowing slightly. “How do you know?”
Her cheeks pinken slightly as she turns away from me. “Enzo told me as soon as you sent him upstairs. He wanted to know all about the pretty lady who got his uncle’s attention.”
“Fuck, that’s the last thing I wanted to happen.” I thread my fingers through my hair, trying to think of a way to fix this.
“Don’t panic, Giulio.” Morgan giggles, finding humor in my pain. “He was excited that you finally found someone besides us to spend your time with. Apparently, the little guy has been worried about you working so much.”
I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Enzo’s happiness means the world to me. If he walked into this room and told me he hated Maya, I’d send her away. It’d kill me, but I’d do it.
“I’m just pissed I’m no longer his favorite girl,” Morgan grumbles, crossing her arms. “Did you see how upset he was that he couldn’t go on your date?”
“Green isn’t your color, Morgan.” I chuckle before pushing to my feet. “I love you, but get out. I have a date to get ready for.”
Morgan holds her hands up in surrender before following behind me toward the door, stopping to give me a brief hug.
“Good luck,” she whispers in my ear before walking out the door and heading down the hall toward Enzo’s room. “Not that you’ll need it. If Enzo’s spying skills are up to par, she’s already halfway in love with you.”
