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Continuing my pacing, I run a hand through my hair, trying to come up with a plan. I realize all too late I don’t have her number. We never needed to exchange numbers. I always knew I could reach her at her desk.
So many mistakes, but no time to dwell on that now. First, I need to find my woman. Then I need to make sure she knows she belongs to me, and I’ll take care of her no matter what.
Fuck, I never told her I love her. I do, of course, but it somehow never came up. I growl at my own stupidity. I tied her up, bent her over my desk, and never said those three little words.
“Fucking moron,” I mutter, getting myself more and more worked up.
My phone rings, and I rush to answer, hoping it’s my girl.
“Harlow? Where are you?”
“Who’s Harlow?” my oldest and only friend answers.
I deflate when I realize it’s Romeo, not Harlow. The weight of the last hour presses down on me, and I collapse into my office chair, letting out a sigh.
“My future wife, hopefully.”
“What?” Romeo exclaims, the shock evident in his tone.
“I had her, and then my fucking wrecking ball of a mother came in and destroyed everything like she always does.”
“Okay, I know we don’t talk as much as we used to, but did you hit your head or something?”
I let out a humorless laugh, leaning back in my seat. “More like took a bullet straight to the heart.”
“You’re going to have to give me some sort of clue here, B.”
Romeo is the only person to ever call me B. Such a simple yet grounding thing to hear. I don’t trust anyone in my life except Romeo and now, Harlow. I just need to undo whatever damage my mother did and convince her to choose me.
“I didn’t mean to fall in love,” I begin, still trying to piece the words together in my mind. “But then I met Harlow. She’s pretty much the opposite of me in every way, but I need that. I need her to balance me out.
“She makes the world make sense,” Romeo says softly.
“Are you holding back on me?” I accuse. “Have you settled down with someone?”
He’s silent for a moment, then lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Men like me don’t settle down. You, of all people, know that, B.”
I grunt. He’s right. Romeo Di Salvo has been the head of the Di Salvo crime family for a decade now. His life is about as conducive to love as mine is. Or, was, rather.
“The right person will open up your world in ways you never thought possible.”
“When did you get so sappy?” my friend grumbles.
“Right about the time I fell ass over heels for my assistant.”
“Then go chase after her,minchione!” Romeo says with all the passion of an Italian mafioso.
“It’s not that simple!” I argue. “Her dad is an asshole who must have threatened her with something. And then my fucking mother swooped in and filled her head with lies. I’m not even sure where she lives.”
“Yet you say you love her? How can this be?”
“I do love her,” I growl, immediately on the defensive. “Everything happened so fast, and I thought we’d have more time before the real world crashed into our fantasy.”
“Ah, therein lies the difference between us, old friend. My life doesn’t allow for any fantasies. People die when I lose focus, and the family is made weaker.”
“Who are you trying to convince?”
He curses under his breath, and I almost regret riling him up. Not really, though. Someone needs to ruffle his feathers, and I’m one of only a handful of people Romeo wouldn’t end for disrespecting him.
