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Not now, not ever.
The silence stretched between us, a living thing that pulsed with the echoes of my announcement and everything that we both left unsaid.
A part of me exhaled as I recognized the situation.
Sophie was back in my life, defying me at every turn, but the relief quickly turned bittersweet. Having her close wasn’t enough; I wanted her to choose to be by my side.
To want to be by my side.
Just as much as I wanted her.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window.
The sight of her beautiful profile, illuminated by the indirect lighting, stirred something deep within my chest.
A fire ignited and was fueled by the desire to make her fall in love with me—to make her want me just as much as I wanted her.
I clenched my fists at my sides, attempting to control the sudden surge of emotion. “Sophie,” I said softly. Her name tasted like heaven on my lips.
She didn’t respond, her eyes still fixed on the view beyond the glass.
“Listen to me,” I insisted, then reached out to touch her thigh.
She flinched at my touch but didn’t pull away.
Thank God for small victories.
“I know this is not what any of us planned. I know I’ve made mistakes…when I held you against your will.”
Her gaze flicked to mine.
“When I sent you home.”
She narrowed her brows, her eyes searching, probing.
“But I need you to understand that I never meant to hurt you. And I never meant for any of this to happen.” I looked at her openly, let her see the truth—the sorrow, the pain of regret, but also my determination. “But things have changed; our situation has changed. You’re carrying my child, and I won’t…can’t pretend that that doesn’t change everything.”
She stared at me for a moment longer before turning her attention back to the window. “And what if I don’t want you, Gabe?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engines. “What if I can’t be happy within the golden cage you want to put me in?”
The words, her voice, sounded so desperate, so miserable, my heart cracked a little.
She wanted her freedom.
Instead, she got me. The head of an Italian Mafia family. An enemy of her family.
“Then I’ll spend every day trying to make you happy,” I vowed, my voice thick with determination. “I will do whatever it takes to show you that I’m worthy of your love.”
Her head snapped to me, and she stared at me, her mouth gaping open.
She didn’t expect those words; hell, I didn’t expect those words.
But seeing the disbelief, the doubt lingering in her eyes, irked me.
I held her gaze until her eyes softened to something beyond doubt. There was a flicker of something else—curiosity? Or maybe even hope?
It wasn’t much, but it was enough for me to cling to.
“You don’t love me, and I don’t love you,” she said, her voice tinged with a challenge.
