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“Hello, Marco.”
“I thought you were going to pretend you were asleep again,” he mutters.
“I’ve never pretended to be asleep,” I mutter. “I just chose not to answer.”
“At least you’re honest about that,” he says with a sigh. I frown when I hear him. I shouldn’t be concerned about him. Hell, I shouldn’t still be in love with him. There’s something seriously wrong with me that I’m both considering everything that has happened.
“You sound tired, Marco.”
“That would be because I am. It’s hard to sleep when my wife is on another continent.”
“I’m not your wife yet.”
“I’m not getting in that discussion again. I’m too damn tired and I miss you tonight.”
“Marco—”
“Be honest, Ena. You miss me. At least give me that.”
“I don’t think your ego needs more stroking,” I mutter, unable to lie but not wanting to admit that I do miss him.
“I can tell you something that needs you to stroke it.”
“Marco,” I squeak.
“Just being honest, baby. Are you ready to come home yet?”
“Marco, I like my work. They want me to stay until my new project is off the ground and I know you’re going to be pissed, but I agreed.”
When he doesn’t say anything, my hand goes to my stomach. The walls are closing in on me and I don’t want to make things worse with Marco, but I need time. At this point, I’m not sure why I want the time, I just know I can’t face going back to Marco right now. Part of me feels like of silly for running off without talking to him. He was right when he said I should have talked to him. This distance has shown me that I will marry him, because I miss him so much that I ache inside.
I just wish he felt the same about me.
“I need you with me, Ena.”
“I don’t want to leave this project, Marco. It’s my baby. You could always come visit me if you want to see me.” I hold my phone to my ear with my shoulder and neck so that I can wring my hands together—my nerves getting the better of me.
“Are you saying you want me to come to you, Ena?”
“You’re the one who said you wouldn’t allow me to leave you, but…”
“But?” he prompts.
“It just seems like old times,” I finally respond.
He goes quiet and I know I’ve stepped into it. I’m just not sure I care at this point.
“Are you shitting me, Ena? You run away spouting shit about needing time and wanting a chance to do your job—”
“It wasn’t shit. It was true.”
“Fine. You tell me that shit. Then, you act like I’ve failed some fucking test because I let you have what you asked for. Jesus Christ. How does a man win with you, woman?”
“I can see trying to talk to you was a mistake.”
“The mistake—as you put it—was leaving in the first fucking place.”
“Why did you call, Marco? Was it just to yell at me?”
“Believe it or not, Ena, I missed you.”
My heart squeezes in my chest because he sounds like he truly means that. I exhale, the sound shaky to my own ears. I close my eyes and let another piece of me slip away.
“Believe it or not, Marco,” I copy before letting him in just a little more, “I miss you, too.”
I hear him hiss into the phone.
“Marco?”
“I wish you knew how fucking good it is to hear you say that, baby.”
“Does that mean you’re going to come see me?”
“I’ll put Sebastian in charge of the construction crew and fly out in the morning. I’ll take the private jet. You’ll be there waiting on me?”
“Send me the time and location and I’ll be there.”
“I won’t be able to stay long,” he added, and I noted he did sound upset about that. I also knew he was telling the God’s honest truth. I’d been talking to Melina, and I had spoken to Marco—at least some. I’d even spoken to Sebastian—who called to ask me to please give Marco a chance—and to Elias and Giovanni. The latter of those calling to apologize and to make it clear they didn’t know how their brother felt about me. I appreciated their calls, even though I wanted to tell them that the real reason I ran was because I didn’t know how Marco felt about me either—and still didn’t. Yet, because of all the calls, I knew Marco was having trouble out of Stratakis rivals. I also knew that the alliance between him and my father wasn’t going so well after the stunt that Marco pulled about our betrothal. So, I knew, him coming to Arizona just to see me was huge. It was so huge it was monumental, and it was also a concession I didn’t think he would make.
God my fiancé was confusing.
“I understand, Marco. I know you’re pushing things around even to come see me.”
