AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stops walking and looks at me, his eyes reflecting the moonlight filtering through the branches above. A bitter chuckle escapes him before he answers. “You know what? Sandro, Jack, even that old bastard, Vito—all of them, they’ve shown me more respect in the last few weeks than my father ever did in his entire life.” He pauses, and then a smile slowly spreads across his face, genuine and warm. “I’m happy, Julian. With you. With this life. For the first fucking time, I’m happy.”
My chest tightens with a mixture of relief and affection. Leo has become such an integral part of my existence, a lighthouse for me in the gray horizons of nothingness that used to exist before him.
“Thank you for saying that,” I tell him softly. “But…”
“But?” His face turns concerned. “What is it?”
I can’t shake the thought that’s been lingering these last few weeks. “But I want you tostayhappy,” I tell him. “Have you thought about us finding a place together? Away from Redwood Manor?”
Leo’s brow furrows. “I can’t say I have. And anyway—what about your mom’s ashes?” he asks, his tone gentle.
“I could come and visit.”
His thumb caresses the back of my hand. “Redwood Manor holds meaning for you.” He pauses, his gaze searching my face. “Not all good,” he concedes, “but Sandro agreed to have the cells filled in with concrete. We’re just waiting for security checks on the contractor. And hell, we can get rid of that fishpond, too, if you like. Now, if youwantto leave, we’ll leave. But I think—for you—this isn’t just a place to live. It’s more than that. Am I right?”
I nod, acknowledging the truth in his words. Redwood Manor has always been more than a place to live. It’s a testament to my survival.
For better or worse, this place made me.
“Besides,” Leo continues, a teasing glint in his eyes, “I don’t think you could cope without luxury.”
He’s joking, but my heart, that strange organ that I’ve only recently discovered a secondary purpose to, aches with gratitude. “God,no,” I sigh heavily. “Oh, Leo—I love how well you know me.”
He grins, squeezing my hand. “You’re notthathard to figure out,” he replies, before adding with a sly smile, “Besides, I don’t think we’d ever find somewhere with the walls thick enough to muffle our fucking. Neighbors would complain—we’d get kicked out of the building—it’d be a whole thing.”
I laugh, but what he says is true.
Still, I think that our love, our connection—it deserves its own space, separate from the shadows of my past. “Alright,” I concede, “Redwood Manor it is. But promise me one thing?”
“Anything,” he says, his voice sincere and unwavering.
“Promise me we’ll build something new here. Something that’sours. Together.”
“I promise,” Leo whispers, sealing our pact with a kiss under the moonlit redwoods.
I think my mother would approve.
CHAPTER58
LEO
“Imagine it, Leo,”Julian says, gesturing grandly with one hand, narrowly missing the bottle of champagne in a wine bucket. “A modern masterpiece with full views of these ancient trees. Glass walls reflecting the beauty of nature, while inside, every luxury imaginable awaits.”
He’s taken me out for an impromptu picnic down near the redwood grove, complete with champagne brunch and checkered blanket, to show me where he wants to build our new home. And his excitement is infectious, even though I don’t care where I live as long as Julian is there
If it makes him happy to build an entirely new house on the grounds of Redwood Manor—for just the two of us—I’m not going to argue. Sandro okayed it, and the project has kept Julian highly entertained.
And an entertained Julian Castellani is safest for the Family.
“Sounds great,” I tell him. But he pouts.
“You said that about the last two designs,” he points out.
I laugh, because it’s true. “I’m no architect,” I point out. “My specialty is breaking knee caps, not designing houses.”
“Your specialty is fucking me into a stupor,” he tells me, winding his arms around my neck. “And speaking of which…”
“There are cameras around,” I murmur against his mouth, as he kisses me.
