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“Who broke your heart?” Mama turns the accusing finger to me, and I steel my spine. I’m not cowering to her.
Okay, maybe a little.
“No one…” I trail off, tears gathering in my eyes. I’m embarrassed this is happening in front of the entire family, but I can’t stop it.
Enzo squeezes my hand and sighs, then says, “She and Archer broke up.”
“What?!” My mama’s eyes bulge and the dining room of my mother’s house goes silent at the shriek. “You and Archer were dating?”
“Oh, about fucking time,” my big brother Antony says.
“Seriously, who had bets on this?” My little brother Christian chimes in.
“I did!” Mia, the youngest, says, then her eyes turn to me, and her eyes well at the sight of mine. “I’m sorry you broke up,sorella.”
I give her a small smile and say, “Thanks.”
“Hold the phone,” my mama says. “When did this happen? Archer is family. He did not think to ask the family to date you?”
I sigh and let Enzo do the explaining. How I needed a date to get this job, to which my mother rolls her eyes, and how things must have progressed from there. My brother is blunt and straight to the point, which I appreciate.
“So what happened? Why break up?” My mama sits across the table from me, staring me down.
“He… we…” I don’t have a good answer, but I spit out my feelings anyway. “We kept making dates, and he kept missing them. Kept working through them or just not showing up altogether. I was hurt. Plus, we never officially said we were together and so I told him I couldn’t be his to lean on.”
“Oh,piccolo, love takes sacrifice. You didn’t break up with him because you weren’t willing to miss some dates. You did it because you were scared.”
My chin wobbles and I let my face fall into my hands, sobs racking through me. I hated that I let fear break me, that I let it break us.
“Sis,” Enzo murmurs, rubbing a hand over my back. “You don’t have to give up. I know he won’t.”
“How do you know that?” I ask, pulling my hands away from my face.
Enzo smiles, and it’s the first real one I’ve seen on him tonight. “Are you kidding?” He looks around at the family and they all give similar, knowing smiles. “Archer has been gone for you since you two were teenagers. We’ve all known.”
“What?” comes my shocked reply. “You all knew?”
“It was pretty obvious. When I was ten, I asked Mama when you guys were getting married,” Mia says with a smile. “I wasten.”
I frown and look at Enzo. “Did you tell him not to date me?”
“Nope,” he says, but then tells me. “I think he was scared of you rejecting him, but also scared to lose you and us altogether. We’re his family.”
I let loose more tears at that and sigh. “So. What do I do?”
My mama smiles and shrugs. “It’s up to you what to do, but if you love someone that fiercely, don’t let them slip away.”
“Nah,” Enzo says, leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of more wine. “Archer’s not going to let her go anywhere. Just wait.”
Chapter Forty-Two
“Every part of me is telling me that we’re not done yet. Not even close.” – Archer
ARCHER
“So, when did you two seal the deal?” The sudden question startles me, and I spill coffee onto my hand from where I was pouring it into a mug.
I glance over at Enzo and glare. “What the fuck? It’s five thirty in the morning.”
