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“You laugh, but I was seriously determined. Until I realized most of my classmates from elementary school came with me. So, that was great.”
“Oh, no. How long did the nickname stick?”
He pauses. “Till I was sixteen in high school and my dad moved us to a different city.” His eyes darken for a moment before he turns to me. “So, any embarrassing stories I need to know about you if we’re going to make this marriage work?”
“Hmm.” I lay down, resting my hands on my stomach. Who knew I could ever feel so at ease with someone? Before today, I was dreading marrying Leo because I didn’t trust him. But now, we’ve been talking for the past hour, and it’s been wonderful. It’s been … fun. Maybe I shouldn’t trust it. Leo is incredibly charming, after all. He could still find a way to hurt my heart.
But so far, he hasn’t seemed anything other than sincere. It makes it hard to know what to believe.
“One embarrassing story from my childhood … My family and I went to Coney Island when I was twelve. Mom just bought me my first bra.” Leo quirks an eyebrow, and I have to look away to keep myself from blushing. “And I felt embarrassed about it, but Emilia reassured me and told me it was perfectly fine. So, anyway, we get to the theme park, and all my siblings want to go on the rollercoaster. I didn’t want to. I found them terrifying, honestly. But I went anyway. And I discovered it was a lot of fun. I felt … free, riding it.” I turn back to him, rolling onto my side. “It was some of the most fun I ever had as a kid.” I pause. “Until I got off the ride.”
“Uh-oh. What happened?” He shifts onto his side as well, so we’re eye to eye. Being this close to Leo makes my stomach flutter.
“My shirt had slid down, exposing my bra. And, of course, my brother, Antonio noticed and pointed at me, laughing and saying, ‘Francesca has boobs.’” I sigh. “He was ten and immature.”
Leo chuckles. “Honestly, I probably would’ve said the same thing when I was his age. I wasn’t known for being the most mature.”
“And if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, there was this man who came off the ride behind us. A grown man. He heard my brother make his comment and looked at me. The way he … the way he smiled when he saw me sent chills over me. It was scary.”
A darkness enters Leo’s eyes as he frowns and grabs my hand. “He was a creep?”
“Yeah. I quickly pulled my shirt up, but the man’s eyes lingered on me after that. It was incredibly embarrassing. What made it even worse was my mom didn’t even call Antonio out for his comment. She just shook her head at him as if ‘boys will be boys.’ And then she told me to be careful about what shirts I wear in the future.”
“Was your dad there with you? If that were my daughter, I’d clock the guy who looked at her like that.”
“This coming from the man who never even wanted to be married?” I ask. “I didn’t think you’d want to be a dad.”
He shrugs, not meeting my eyes. “I’m just saying …”
“Yeah, my dad was there, but he was off buying cotton candy for Mia. She was too young to go on the ride. When he came back, no one told him what happened. I didn’t … even though I wanted to.”
“How come you didn’t say anything?”
“Because,” I say, clearing my throat, “I struggle to stand up for myself. It’s not something I’m good at.”
“You stand up to me well enough. You told me you didn’t want to have sex tonight. You told me you didn’t trust me. You told me exactly how you felt about roses.” This makes me smile. “See? You’re not afraid to tell me what’s on your mind, even if I don’t want to hear it. Other than Marco and your sister, no one has ever really done that before. Most women I meet tell me what I like to hear.”
“And what is it you like to hear?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He stretches his arms over head, giving me a small glimpse of his lower stomach as his shirt rides up. The sight makes me feel lightheaded. “How handsome I am?” Leo flashes me that disarmingly charming smile. “How amazing I am?”
“You have a big ego, you know that?”
“So, I’ve been told.” His smile turns to a frown. I want to reach out to him and smooth it away, but I resist the urge. “I know we haven’t known each other long, Fran. And I know neither of us wanted this marriage. But you … make me feel things I haven’t ever felt before.”
I roll onto my back, keeping my eyes glued to the ceiling. “You’re just saying that.”
“No. It’s true.” He grabs my hand and laces our fingers together. There’s that electricity again. “We’re stuck together now, whether we want to be or not. You’re not like—”
I groan. “Do not say ‘I’m not like other girls.’”
His eyes widen. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Because it’s not true. I’m nothing special. I’m not spectacular or a genius or a supermodel. I’m a girl who likes going to museums and study art. Plenty of other women are like that.”
“But you were the one who told me you loved lilies over roses because they were more unique.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t meant to be symbolic. I just prefer lilies to roses.”
