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“I’ve been meaning to do that. We’ve been busy.”
“I bet.” Enzo chuckled. “I’m sure it’s also difficult to tell her you can’t be her knight in shining armor after all. That marrying you wasn’t the answer to her problems.”
“There’s that too.”
He reached for his tumbler and stopped halfway. “I wish my sister would also come to the same realization about Rex. He isn’t the Prince Charming she sees him as.”
I followed his line of sight until my gaze landed on Rex and Caterina climbing the steps up to the VIP lounge. They seemed happy. Not at all perturbed by the number of enemies lurking in every corner. Jesus fuck. When did I become such a coward?
“Rex has done a good job. Keeping the families together after his father died hasn’t been easy. Then you took off. Give credit where credit is due.”
“He will always be a usurper to me. Just because he’s married to my sister doesn’t mean I have to bow to him. That union didn’t make him king.”
“No, it didn’t. Your father’s desertion did. Michael Alfera cut a deal with the board of the Society. He made the bed, and now we must all lie in it. You can’t put that on Rex. When are you going to let it go?”
“He stole more than a throne from me. He stole my life.” Enzo rose to his feet.
When he made to leave, Caterina rushed to him. “You came. Thank you.” She threw her arms around him, while he stood there stiff, glaring at Rex.
“I’ll leave you three to it.” I grabbed my bottle off the table.
“I’m not staying.” Caterina let go of her brother to give me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her gaze quickly flitted toward the rest of the VIP lounge as she took inventory of the room and the knocked over chairs and tables. “What are you doing for Christmas Day? Rex and I are hosting a small gathering at the penthouse. Would you join us? Please. I haven’t seen Luce in over a month.”
“We’ve been busy.” I met Rex’s gaze silently asking him to get Caterina off my back. “And you know I don’t do Christmas.”
“But you’re married now.”
“Nothing else has changed.”
“Now who’s not willing to let go of the past.” Enzo cut in to grab the Pappy from me and poured into his glass and mine. “Hmm?”
“Not the same, asshole.”
“Let the man enjoy some time alone with his new bride, love.” Rex stepped in and gently pulled Caterina toward him. He lowered his voice but not enough that I couldn’t hear him. “He’s not ready.”
“I’ll never stop asking.” She smiled at me.
“Never is such an ugly word.”
“Fine. I’ll leave you three to your business.” She turned to Rex and kissed him.
He took the opportunity to dig his fingers into her waist and bring her closer to him. Enzo rolled his eyes and drank some more. Was that small display to stick it to Enzo? Or did Rex really hate seeing her go that much? I knew the feeling well. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was leave Luce. But I had to gather my thoughts and come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t keep her tucked away like some precious relic.
When Caterina left, Rex took the chair next to mine, facing Enzo. “Santino stay. I need you to hear what I have to say to Enzo.”
“Make it quick.” Enzo plopped himself down. He let his knees fall open as if he were already bored with a conversation that hadn’t even started.
“I never wanted this.” Rex met his gaze. “And you know that. But I made a promise to my father. That after he was gone, I would take over as king and continue his work.”
“I made the same promise to my father.” Enzo pointed at Rex. “Until you came along.”
“You mean until Michael threw all of us under the bus to get what he wanted.” Rex swallowed. “Up until last year, I didn’t understand his motives. But now, I can see why he did what he did. If Caterina asked me to leave it all behind, I would.”
“Is that so?” Enzo scoffed.
“But that’s not what she’s asking. She wants this to work. She wants me to fulfill my duty to the Society. And she wants me to make amends with you.”
Enzo furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to speak, but Rex raised his hand. “Let me finish. The bylaws would never allow me to step down. You both know that if I do, the Society will crumble because all five families would go to war to get their hands on the seat at the head of the table.”
