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Surreal and yet, somehow right.
Then he realized…
“This song,” he murmured.
She smiled. “I wondered if you would remember. It’s the same one we danced to the night of the Snowflake Gala. Aldo’s serving as deejay tonight, so I asked him to play it.”
They listened to the words, locked in each other’s arms.
“This is our song,” he declared. “Because I’m always going to choose you.”
She cupped his cheek, and he bent his head to hers, giving her a long, slow kiss.
“Kitten,” he murmured.
“Hmm?”
“Introduce me to your family.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Liza followed Matt into his penthouse, and she was amazed by the feeling of coming home. The two of them hadn’t spent more than two nights here together, yet as she walked into the living room, she was aware that this place felt as much like home as her own apartment. Simply because they were together.
“Wine?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I had a couple of glasses at the party. I probably shouldn’t have any more.”
Matt had been all smiles at the party, working hard to win over her family. Her mom, Nonna, and aunts had been charmed by him, while the males—hardheaded to a fault—had been much tougher nuts to crack. Matt still had his work cut out for him with her dad, uncles, and Nonno, but Tony had already opened the door, accepting Matt’s apology for past sins. She noticed her cousins and brothers had been less arms crossed and scowling than the older generation of men, making a genuine effort to get to know Matt better…for her.
Now that they were here, she sensed his good mood dimming, nervousness creeping in. He’d promised to tell her why he kept pushing her away, and whatever it was, it must be pretty fucking terrible in his mind if it was the reason he’d lived such a solitary life for so many years.
He led her to the couch, the two of them sitting down next to each other. She toed off her shoes, tucking one foot under her opposite leg as she turned to face him.
Matt assumed a similar position, reaching for her hands. His hands had been on her the entire night, his arm wrapped around her waist or shoulders, his fingers tangling in her hair or clasped with hers.
He released a long, slow breath, and then he gave her what he’d promised—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Liza listened as Matt talked about his childhood, about his love of art. He took her through what he now considered the dark years, when he’d become the worst version of himself. She noticed Matt didn’t blame his father for his actions, for his cruelty and coldness. Matt took ownership of all of it, claiming he’d been weak and easily led, and while she wanted to argue he’d been young, she also respected that it was those years that had molded him into this man. One who was strong with a powerful sense of responsibility and compassion.
She cried as he talked about the night his mother committed suicide. Cried hard enough that Matt had pulled her onto his lap as if she was the one who needed soothing, not the other way around. She hated that for so many years, he’d carried his guilt around, letting it eat away at him like cancer.
The two of them talked for nearly two hours as Matt opened up about everything, even showing her his sketchbook. She’d been blown away by his talent, and so incredibly moved by the drawings he’d done of her. The idea that when he looked at her, he saw someone so beautiful, had her crying again. Happy tears this time.
With every revelation, every secret, she fell even more in love with him.
“Can I ask you something?” There was something Liza had been struggling to understand for the past two weeks. “Why did you send that marker to Tony?”
That was the part that didn’t add up. Because how could Matt know she’d confront him with Luca and Tony? How could he know they’d even tell her about it? If she hadn’t been at Aunt Berta’s, she wouldn’t have known. Even now, most of the family didn’t. Primarily because, like Aunt Berta, she, Tony, and Luca hadn’t wanted to diminish anyone’s memories of Uncle Renzo.
“I didn’t send it. The copy Tony had was from Edgewood Casinos. Which is owned by?—”
“The Eddingtons,” Liza interjected. “Patricia?”
Matt nodded. “She stopped by my office shortly before having that marker delivered to Tony, to give me an ultimatum.”
“Ultimatum? To what end?”
“She hoped to burn shit down.”
