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“You can also visit me,” I said in another attempt to make her stop crying. “It will be an adventure. Valerio will be there too, and this time you can play with all the kids. Would you like that?”
She nodded shyly.
“Great! Then you should start planning the trip from now on so it will be amazing. Will you promise me to do that?”
“I promise,” she said. She still looked sad, but she wasn’t crying anymore. I hugged her close to my chest again. I kissed her cheek and her head and smelled her soft hair. “I will miss you, baby,” I whispered.
“Me too,” she said softly.
I got up and got into the private jet like the rest of the Chicago clan. Only when I was seated, I exhaled a shuttering breath. I couldn’t let myself go because I was surrounded by strangers. Only a tear escaped as I watched Elsie go away in my mother’s embrace.
I felt Valerio wipe the tear away softly, and then his big hand closed over mine. I just let him hold my hand, and when I fell asleep from exhaustion, my head was on his shoulder.
Chapter 18
Valerio
“When do you think they will adjust to the place?” I asked Luce as we both watched the two cats explore the house skittishly. “Before or after you?”
Luce rolled her eyes at my joke, and I actually got a semi from that. I was not sure if it was healthy for me to be turned on by her dismissal of me.
She didn’t even care and moved towards the boxes clattered around the living room. “I need to put down their litter boxes. Does my room have an adjoining bathroom? I can put it there.”
“Your room?” I asked, even though I already knew she was going to want her own room. I didn’t hate sharing a bed with her last night. I didn’t know if I was ready to have her in my room, but I didn’t hate the idea. I was open to it.
However, it was clear she was not. I didn’t let myself yearn for most things, but I could very well work hard to gain her trust. That was important. That was something I could want without hearing whispers in my head.
Luce gave me a careful look. “Yes, my room.”
“I am wounded that you don’t want to share a room with me.”
“You snore,” she said with a cold expression, but some worry filled her eyes. “Do you require me to sleep in your room?”
I visibly shuddered. “I don’t require anything from you, Luce. If you want your own room, you will get your own fucking room. It is not something to discuss.”
“I am just still not sure what kind of a marriage this is. You helped me against my father, but I have no idea what our arrangement contains. That makes me warier of you.”
I shook my head and moved towards the boxes. I pulled out the litter boxes. “I hate it when you are wary of me. And your room does have a bathroom, but it will be inconvenient for the cats. We can put these down in one of the guest bathrooms. Cats can have their own space.”
Luce seemed frustrated. “And what about the marriage?”
I started walking towards the bathroom with Luce on my tail. “I said it before. It can be however we want it to be.”
She made a frustrated sound. “That is not a good answer, Valerio!”
After putting down the litter boxes, I straightened and gave her a smile. “What do you think?”
Luce looked mad but then looked around briefly and huffed. “It is a nice space for them. Thank you.”
“I didn’t know you could be pleasant.” When she didn’t look even a bit amused, I somehow turned my expression more serious. “Look, we can talk about it. This is a marriage, but not all marriages are the same. We can have our own boundaries and rules. I just don’t like that you are so nervous about this. I won’t force you into anything you don’t want. I don’t want to be a reason for your discomfort.”
Vulnerability touched her eyes just for a moment, but she hid it well with her stern look and gave me a nod. “Rules would give me comfort.”
I moved back to the living room to start working on the remaining boxes. “Okay, then give me your rules.”
“I can give you any rule I want?” She said, surprised.
I didn’t think she would give me anything I would object to, but I still humored her. “If it is something I don’t want, we can discuss it.”
