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Isabelle shook. I placed my free hand on her thigh and pulled her closer to me with the other. She laid her head on my shoulder.
“No way he would be here, bella.”
I attempted to reassure her, but if they both saw him, the weight of my words carried no comfort. The truth was, there was no proof Felipe was dead. He could have been anywhere, and he very well could have been watching us this entire time since London.
Fifteen minutes later, Joseph returned. Crossing his arms, he shook his head as he sat back down. “I didn’t see anything out there.”
Noah followed closely behind. “Nothing in here either. Bathrooms were clear.”
Isabelle exhaled a sigh of relief, then turned to me. “We came here to have fun.” Her eyes darted back and forth at the three of us. “I am tired of him having a hold on me.” She stood and folded her hands across her stomach. “I will not allow my child to be born to a fearful and timid mother.”
“I agree,” I smiled, “but why are you standing up?”
She balled her fists and perched them on her hips. “To have some fun and I won’t let him steal that from me, even if that was him.” She glanced outside to the bustling touristy area. “I want him to see I’m happy and okay despite what he did to me… well, to us.”
Reaching up, I laid my hand on her bottom. “Do you think we can finish eating first, though?”
Turning beet red, she plopped down, scooting her chair back under the table. “Oops, yeah. I forgot.”
I rested my arms on the table, observing our surroundings. I felt peculiar and uncomfortable, but I was not about to allow the trip to be ruined. Joseph noticed my face and immediately braced for my orders.
“Call the hotel and have extra security planted around the property.”
He nodded once before stepping away from the table, calling the hotel instantly.
Placing my hand on Isabelle’s thigh, I gave her a light squeeze. She rested her hand on top of mine and turned her head toward me, gazing into my eyes. I would do whatever it took to keep her happy and safe.
Niagara Falls
After lunch, a black Rolls Royce was waiting for us by the curb. The driver opened the back door, a pleasant expression painted on his face at the four of us. Valentino gestured for me to walk ahead of him. I flashed the driver a grin as I passed.
“Miss.” He bowed his head politely as I got into the car and slid to the middle. “Sir,” he greeted Valentino as he followed me into the car. Every time someone else called Valentinosir, I could not help but giggle to myself.
Noah opened the other back door and sat on the other side of me. Joseph sat up front with the driver. I took turns looking out Noah and Valentino’s windows, trying to figure out where we were going. No such luck, so I gave up and sat back, relaxing. I was only told it involved a boat. Around here, that could mean anything concerning the falls. Noah busied himself on his phone as he leaned his elbow on the door. Valentino rested his hand on my leg, circling his thumb on my thigh.
After weaving through traffic, we finally came to a stop by the water. Valentino got out of the car and extended his hand to me. I placed my palm in his as I stepped out. He guided me over to a large platform with stairs that led down to a massive, docked boat. Apprehensively, I studied the area, gripping the railing. There should have been more people. In photos, these boat tours were always crowded.
“You rented this entire thing out, didn’t you?” I spun around.
He bowed his head with a smirk.
I snorted. “Do you just hate interacting with other people?”
Narrowing his gaze on mine, he tried to hide a smile as he looped a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I just want you to have the best experience possible.”
“I understand.” I nodded, glancing at the tour staff before turning my attention back to Valentino. “But there are people who came from all over to see this place and I don’t want to take that away from them because we have money to do so.”
He chuckled. “What did I do to deserve you?”
I giggled. “Youboughtme, remember?” I sashayed over to one of the staff members. “Would you please allow your next tour to join us?”
A look of confusion appeared on all the tour operators’ faces. The one I directed my question at peeked around me. Valentino paraded over, sliding his hands in his pockets. I prepared myself for him to decline my request. I pinned my bottom lip between my teeth, peering at him pleadingly.
He nodded toward the man. “Let them on with us.”
A beaming smile spread across my face. He shook his head with a coy smirk and nodded toward the stairs. I moved in front of him, faltering down the somewhat wet steps. I reached back for Valentino’s hand. He wrapped his fingers around, stabilizing me as we neared the bottom. A petite brunette greeted us as we stepped on board.
“Good afternoon! The others will be joining you shortly, I think.” She gestured to the ferry politely. “Mr. Greco, of course you and your guests may have the first choice of where you want to be during the ride.”
