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At my bewildered look, he continues. “Neptune told me I would have three chances to leave, but it would get harder each time.”
He rests his head against the side of my chest, a pensive expression on his face.
“Looking back, he was right. I had the first chance just after mama passed. Enzo and I talked about running away. We worked out a plan and siphoned off money. But when the day came, I couldn’t do it. Mateo needed me. I couldn’t abandon him. After that, I got firmly established in our way of living.”
His hand reaches for mine, and he plays with the sapphire ring on my finger.
“Then you came along and turned my world upside down.” The smile softening his expression has me smile in return. “You asked me to run away together, leave the Mafia life behind and start afresh, just you and me…” The smile disappears from his face. “Well, we both know what my answer was.”
“And then there is now,” I prompt, studying his face to see what he’s thinking. He wouldn’t suggest going back, would he? Not after all the effort and sacrifice Aiden went through.
“Yes. And then there is now,” he repeats. “It’s being handed to me on a silver platter, yet just as Neptune predicted, it’s the hardest way.”
My brows furrow. I don’t understand. “Why?”
He sighs. “Because I leave Mateo to fight for himself. We’re a team. We always did everything together. I couldn’t have led the way I did without him. But now I expect him to? On top of grieving my death and with our enemies closing in, determined to wipe out our family?”
My body goes rigid, my breath suddenly choppy. “You’re not suggesting going back, are you?”
He’s silent for what seems like an eternity, his eyes not meeting mine. My gaze however is glued to him, trying to read the minutest movement in his face.
Eventually, Tiero shakes his head, and the air whooshes back into my lungs. I hadn’t even noticed I was holding my breath.
“No. How could I go back? You and our child are my priority. I promised you I would get out. Now, I am out.”
Though his words are what I want to hear, his voice is laced with sorrow. I pull him closer against me, trying to infuse him with all my love.
“So you’re not mad at Aiden for making that decision for you?” I ask, needing the reassurance.
“How could I be mad? He’s given me a chance of a new life.
“Will it take time to adjust? Absolutely.
“Will I sometimes feel lost and not know what to do with myself? I expect it.
“But it was destined to be, wasn’t it? Just like it was destined to be that you and I meet and fall in love.”
He pulls away slightly to look up at me, letting me see into his heart.
“Am I thrilled this chance was given to us by a man who’s also in love with you? No. And to be honest, I don’t get why he did it.”
“He’s one of the finest human beings in existence,” I tell him, meaning every word. “He sacrificed his own happiness so that you and I can be together.”
Tiero frowns. “How so?”
Of course he would ask this. There is so much he doesn’t understand about our dynamic.
To him, it must appear more than odd for Aiden to give up his aspirations for the sake of ours. Tiero comes from a transactional world, a world where people don’t do favors without expecting something in return.
I let out a long sigh and dive into the explanation of how Aiden, Tiero, and I were always meant to find each other. His eyes widen a few times, but overall he’s silent, listening to my story. Even after I finish, he remains quiet, chewing everything over in his mind.
He rubs his chin, deep in thought. I sit back and watch him.
“Hmm. I can’t deny that there was something familiar about Burg, something that always drew my attention to him. The reaction to him was never as strong as the one I have with you, but it was undeniably there.
“I don’t like the idea of you sharing a similar bond to what we have with another man. I admit it’s possessive, but that’s me. It’s not going to change. You’re mine. And mine alone,” he declares with finality to his tone.
It makes me grin. “I wouldn’t want you any other way. But it goes to show, some things are bigger than all of us.”
