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I wish I was back at Bella Notte, and not for the reasons why I went there to begin with. I want to ask different questions.
As the kids and Penny doze, I want more answers. “What does your family look for in a partner?”
"Loyalty. Dependability. I guess most would also say things like trustworthiness, understanding, support, too. But these are unique circumstances. My family would also demand someone who could be extremely discreet, and adaptable. They’d also need to be able to navigate very difficult situations.”
Maybe it should concern me that we're not talking about dating anymore but about marriage. But then again, we are previously married people with kids. I'm not here to casually date, and he probably isn't either.
"Sergio met Eden under…well, strange circumstances," he says. "She escaped a cult and hid in Bella Notte. She thought it was a hotel. He found her ‘sleeping in his bed,’ made her his head chef, and the rest is history." My eyebrows rise.
"A cult."
“Yeah. A real cult. Before you think he’s a total asshole, you should know he was engaged to be married to a family connection at the time. I mean obviously, he's my brother. But… you know what I mean."
"I do." I smile to myself. “He fell in love with Eden."
"Something like that. It made sense at the time, and we all agreed."
"And if you hadn't?"
"In that case, Sergio would've gotten his way and told us we could go fuck ourselves, because he's the boss."
“Interesting. Do you worry about Marco?"
"Of course I do," he says. "What parent wouldn't? He talks about Martina, but not much. He barely remembers her. And I do the best I can to be a good dad to him, but I'm not a mother."
I wonder for a minute if he is thinking of me as someone who could become Marco's mother. Would I be that wrong for Ricco? I like the fact that the man I'm interested in also has a child.
"I worry, too. I didn't love my husband. Not anymore, anyway. We fell out of love a long time ago. But he was a good dad sometimes, in spite of being a complete jerk.”
I pause as Ricco reaches into Marco's bag and pulls out a little blanket. He tucks it around him. Then he takes out a second one for me so I can tuck in Emmy.
"Thank you, you thought of everything.”
“I’m a dad. That's what we do. It's my job."
Not every dad. Some people are so invested in their own needs, they don't think of their child's. But we won't talk about those people. They're gone.
"So where are we staying?"
"My family owns a lot of property here. The Rossis own even more. There's a vineyard, a boutique hotel, and a few family homes. But I've chosen what you might call the rustic retreat."
“Oh, rustic retreat.” I pretend to be thinking. “Hmm. Do you have any idea how much fun we can have in a barn?"
His gaze heats. “I do and I think you’ll like it there. It’ll give you a real taste of authentic Tuscan life, without forcing you into close proximity to my family."
"Bella Notte puts me in close proximity to your family," I say logically.
“Yeah, about that.” He narrows his eyes. “I don't love the idea of you going back there."
Shit. That’s a bad idea. “Hey, you can't stop me from going there.” I promised myself that I would look for details. I promised myself that I would get justice.
I also promised myself that I wouldn't set myself up for heartbreak.
"You shouldn't worry too much about other people taking advantage of me or corrupting me. I mean, I’ll be with you."
He grits his teeth. "That's not what I'm worried about."
"Oh yeah? Then what are you worried about?" I don't buy it. I think that's exactly why he's worried.
"I wanna keep you for myself. I don't like the idea of other people looking at you. It's complicated."
"You're just jealous as hell. That's not complicated at all."
"It is, though. It isn't just that I'm jealous. I want you to stay safe, and Bella Notte gets intense. We have rivals, Dani, we have enemies. And our enemies aren't easy.”
"Fine, but I was just trying to get used to it."
No, that wasn’t all I was trying to do. But I obviously can't tell him what else there is.
“We’re almost there.” There’s a large iron gate in front of us; it inches open with the push of a button, revealing a winding, rocky dirt road so long I cannot see its end. We begin to drive down the road, shaking a little from side to side. Thankfully, the kids are still exhausted and asleep.
"This is one of the biggest places that we own, but I think you're gonna like it, because it's simple, and clean, and detached from everything. A real retreat."
