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I laughed, indicated for her to go inside ahead of me and followed her in, taking my coat off and hanging it up in the hall. “You know you don’t have to stay at the hotel. If you’re bored there, you’re always more than welcome here.”
“That’s sweet and I super appreciate it.” She handed Dante her coat. “But there’s no way I’m cramping your newlywed style. This is a slow roasted kind of deal, you don’t mind if I start it now?”
“Of course not.”
“Great. Dante, you can make me coffee while I get it going.”
“Yes, chef.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” She grinned at him over her shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.
“You don’t mind?” Dante asked, his voice a murmur as he followed me into the bedroom.
Sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed, I started to take my boots off. “Of course not. I love your sister— Fuck, how tight did you tie these?” I couldn’t loosen the knot for the life of me.
“Here, let me.” He knelt in front of me, his dark head bowed, and undid the laces, taking my boots off and placing them neatly next to the bed. As I watched him, I felt such a profound rush of feeling for him that it clogged my throat and had butterflies dancing in my stomach. Fuck, where had that come from? “Okay, I’d better get Stef’s coffee started.”
“Yeah, you’d better.” I was surprised at how normal my voice sounded.
“You want some tea?”
“That would be great, thanks.”
He walked out and I took a moment to calm myself, laying my hand over my chest, trying to still the uncomfortable pattering of my heart. By the time I’d gotten myself under control enough to join Dante and Stef in the kitchen, they’d already settled into their usual sibling banter. I took a seat at the table, ready to enjoy the show.
“Well, since you’re the one who taught me how to cook, it’s your fault if it sucks,” Stef remarked idly, standing in front of my open pantry, pulling out various bottles and jars of spices.
“I didn’t say it would suck, I just said I wasn’t sure if you wanted to put those two flavors together.”
“What do you think, Luce?”
“About what, Stef?”
“To lemon juice or not to lemon juice?”
“Lemon juice? On roast pork?”
“Yeah, with garlic.”
“Sounds weird, but it could be good, I guess?”
“Ha! See?” Stef shot Dante a triumphant look, which had him turning to me and rolling his eyes.
“Please don’t encourage her.”
“Hey, just make me my coffee and quit your grumbling. It’s gonna be great.” Their affectionate bickering continued while Dante made the coffee and my tea, and Stef put all the marinade ingredients into a zip-loc bag, added the meat, and rolled it all around. It was after she’d transferred the meat to a baking tray, ready to slide into the oven, that she inadvertently did what I’d been trying so desperately to do at the lake with no success. “I have to say, when the baby comes, Dante, you’re gonna have to be more flexible with your food choices, otherwise it’s gonna be very bored.”
He didn’t answer at first, flicking a glance at me then away, and I saw Stef shoot him a look. “When the baby comes, it’s hardly likely to want lemon and garlic roast pork, so I can’t see it being a problem, Stef.”
And there it was.The baby.Not our baby. I tried to ignore how ridiculously deflated it made me feel.
CHAPTER35
Dante
Idrifted awake with Lucy Cooper in my arms. It was fast becoming my favorite way to wake up. As I lay there, perfectly still, I thought about what that might mean. The clock was counting down to when this was all going to be over, and fuck, I was going to miss so much of it. Don’t go there, Dante. What difference did it make what I would miss? It was for the best, and that was all there was to it.
Swallowing down a sigh, I eased carefully out of bed, reaching for yesterday’s clothes because I didn’t want to disturb Lucy hunting in the wardrobe for fresh ones. Fully dressed, I stood there, gazing at Lucy while she slept, feeling the squeezing of my heart and the hollow feeling in my belly. She was so beautiful and sweet and again…not mine.
