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“What should I wear?” she questions as she traces the bandage at her wrist. Something I notice she does when she’s uncomfortable.
I move to the wardrobe and pull out one of my tees, along with a pair of pants for her. “Here,mia amata, wear these. You’ll be comfortable. We’ll leave whenever you’re ready. Would you like coffee?”
Her eyes brighten at my words and a soft smile plays on her lips. “Yes, please.”
I wink at her. “Get dressed and we’ll go.” I see the excitement brimming in her eyes. If I can give her a tiny bit of happiness today, then I know it’s going to be one of her better days.
It’s still dark, just after six in the morning. I’m driving through the city to get to the complex. Teagan’s practically bouncing in her seat. She’s wearing a small smile, and her eyes are wide as she takes everything in.
“What’s this?” she asks as I pull into the apartment complex.
“Come,mia amata, we don’t have long,” I say as I climb out of the vehicle. She’s right behind me, wearing some cute flowery flip flops with her yoga pants and my tee. She’s so beautiful. I can’t believe I almost lost her.
She takes my hand as we walk into the building. “Are you hungry?” I ask.
She shakes her head, glancing away from me. “I’m not hungry,” she says.
“Mia amata, you need to eat. You barely ate last night, and the doctor said you’re underweight.”
We step into the elevator, and she looks up at me. “Sticky buns,” she whispers. “It’s the one thing I know I like.”
I pull out my cell and send a message to Lorenzo, telling him to bring us sticky buns. I don’t give a fuck where he gets them from, just as long as he gets them. I pull her to me, wanting to hold her. “What do you mean, baby?”
She presses her head against my chest. “I wasn’t allowed to eat anything other than bread,” she says in barely a whisper. “When I lived in the streets, the food was bland, but I just ate the bread because when I ate the other food, it made me sick.”
Christ. There’s so fucking much I don’t know about her, so much I have missed because I was so blinded by revenge. “We’ll try smaller portions. You need to adjust to rich foods. Once you are, we can try out different types to see what you like.”
She looks up at me, her eyes wide and her lips parted. “Okay.”
The elevator door slides open, and I take her hand once again and lead her to the apartment. “How many homes do you have?” she asks.
I chuckle, loving that she’s asking questions. I can see she’s getting more comfortable around me. It’s going to take time until we can get to where I want us to be, but I have no one to blame but myself. I was a fucking asshole and hurt her.
“This is a rental. Butwehave three,” I tell her. “The one in Indianapolis, the apartment there, and we also have an apartment in New York.”
Her eyes widen as she gasps. “You do?”
“We do,” I correct her.
“Can we go?” she asks, once again brimming with excitement.
“Soon,” I promise her.
“Thank you,” she says as she jumps up and down on the spot.
I open the apartment door, and she walks in ahead of me. Her eyes widen, looking at the view of the city below and the lights shining like Christmas. She turns around, eyes aflame, and her smile is worth everything. Christ, I fucking love her.
“The view is beautiful,” she says, looking at me.
“It sure is,” I say thickly as I stare at her.
Heat rises in her cheeks, and she glances away. It’s too soon for any intimacy, but I do need her to know just how beautiful she is.
I reach for the blanket that’s thrown over the couch and lead her to the balcony. Outside, there’s a love seat and a heater. I hit the heater on and take a seat. She gingerly walks over to me and curls up beside me, kicking off her flip flops.
“I think this could be the best sunrise yet,” she whispers as I pull the blanket over us. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“We can come anytime you want,” I tell her. If this is what makes her happy and feel at peace, we’ll do it every morning.
