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“That’s what I thought.” He interprets my silent glare. “Let me just summarize this: you burned out, probably a result of your lifestyle and lack of balance. You took a sabbatical and you found joy in pro bono work, a lifestyle that wasn’t killing you anymore. You also found a woman who made you happy. As happy as an arrogant asshole like you can get.” He pops a strawberry into his mouth. “And at the peak of it all, you decided to return to Chicago, back to the shit lifestyle and soul-sucking clients. And by the looks of it—exhibit A: the return of the lumberjack beard—it all worked out well.” He eats another piece of fruit.
“No, it didn’t,” I bark. “It didn’t, but there isn’t much I can do about that.”
“You draw the line at the ultimatum? How dare she?” he mocks me. “Listen, asshole, you better grovel until she takes you back. Because she is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. And it’s your fault you didn’t see it and pushed her into giving you the ultimatum.”
“So I should just fold and cater to her wishes. This is my work we’re talking about.”
“Pull your fucking head out of the sand, Dom. She didn’t ask you to give up lawyering, she asked you to do it with higher moral standards. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t judge how you’ve made your money. I’ve done worse. But I understand how potentially dangerous your clients are.”
“London wasn’t scared. She just didn’t like that I defended crooks.” That’s a pretty pathetic defense line.
“Fine, even if she didn’t mind... The thing is that once you have someone else in your life, it’s no longer about you, your fun, the adrenaline of it all. What if the people who are trying to destroy Napoli would want to get to you?”
He pauses, letting that sink in. I swallow. If anyone hurt Chils, I would kill them. But nobody would want to hurt her deliberately if it wasn’t for me.
“I see on that beautiful face of yours that there is some brain left. So let’s circle back, perhaps her objections were morally motivated, but safety is a part of it. And I know what I’m saying because someone fucking stabbed Ness, and it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. So, London’s request wasn’t too farfetched.”
He shrugs and grabs another piece of fruit. “But let’s explore the selfish part of it all. You don’t even like that job. I saw you droning on and on about all the people you helped while in New York. I haven’t seen you so animated, so real, since you’ve made your first hundred mil. Fighting her ultimatum was stupid. An excuse because you’re scared. The question is, do you love her?”
I’m about to argue that I’m not scared, but his question strikes me like lightning, buzzing through every nerve in my body. What I find searching for the answer isn’t a resolute denial. It’s recognition that vibrates through me.
“I think I fucked up.” I crack my knuckles.
“You think? It’s easy. You need to make her listen, and your argument, or even better your actions need to make it impossible for her to refuse.”
“How do I do that?”
“I don’t know, asshole, only you can figure that out. But I would suggest you start by dropping Napoli, and then prepare the best closing argument of your life.”
I don’t think I ever argued a case with such a volatile potential result, or one where so much was at stake, but for the first time in a week, my entire being is squeezed between dread and excitement.
I’m going to win Chils back. It feels like an impossible mission at this point, but I’ll do whatever it takes. As grave as the idea of making her trust me and believe in us might be, I jump up like a winner already. Because Rocco’s words provided clarity clearer than crystal.
I love London Lowe.
Now I have to hope she loves me back.
Chapter23
London
Ralph’s daughter silently cries at his bedside. I lean in the doorway, not wanting to disturb her, but unable to move. Last night I gave him my phone to watch porn.
I remember how we danced together after Madeleine passed away, and I wonder if today we should all just watch an adult movie to remember Ralph.
The thought curls up the corners of my lips slightly.
“He loved it here,” his daughter whispers.
She lifts her eyes to me, still holding her father’s hand. The afternoon sun seeping through the window behind her gives her an almost ethereal look.
She smiles, her face still wet with tears. “You gave him a gift, London. I hope when I’m at the end of my journey I can find a place like this one.”
“I think Ralph would have made the best out of any place or situation.” I wipe a tear from my cheek.
“Perhaps, but it was here he could spread the joy, even though he could barely breathe. He was always like that, just a goofball. Maybe we should throw a party to celebrate his life, to remember how much fun he was.”
“He would love that.” I let the tears wash my face, not trying to suppress them. Ralph would have called me on my bullshit if I tried. “I’m going to give you some privacy. Take as much time as you need.”
