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“You mean risky, immature, unnecessary decisions.”
I glare at my brother and he rolls his eyes before falling back onto the couch.
“My move is completely necessary,” I state. They have no idea how much. “Kiara and I need our own space together and our apartment is that space. She had some contacts in New York that helped us to purchase the apartment and set it up. All we had to do today was move in, which we have. It’s an apartment in Brooklyn, the third floor of a really nice building. It’s in a great neighborhood—”
My brother cuts me off again. “All that information is irrelevant,sorella. You’re moving back home.”
I clench my jaw, biting back a retort. This conversation will go nowhere if I start yelling at him. I can’t afford to get angry. Instead, I turn to my dad, who has otherwise been quiet. He sighs when he notices my eyes on him.
“Sweetheart, we had a conversation before you left and you promised me that when you came back, you’d be ready to be more obedient.”
My fists clench. I would have said anything back then to get them to let me leave.
“I am ready,” I say, lying through my teeth.
“Good, because our focus should be on getting you married. There’s no reason you should be moving out of the house. I understand your need to be independent, but you’re not growing any younger,mi amore. You should be settling down.”
“And I plan to,” I assert, knowing full well none of this will matter in a couple of weeks. “I just want this chance to live on my own. It’s just for a couple of months until I’ve got a secure match, just like you want, Daddy. Please.”
Just like before when I left for London, I’ll say anything for them to let this go. My dad’s expression grows thoughtful. The man is a lawyer; his brain is hardwired to navigate through conversations, looking for loopholes and best possible outcomes.
“Alright,” he finally says.
Tony’s eyes bulge. Sometimes, I really want to kick him. “You’re just going to let her live somewhere else?”
“Stand down, Anthony. She’ll be in Brooklyn. If you’re so worried, go with her today and check out the apartment.”
Yeah, he’s not going anywhere near the inside of the house. I’ll cross that bridge once we come to it, though. Abruptly, I remember that there’s someone else in the living room. Maria hasn’t spoken a word throughout the entire conversation, and I feel kind of grateful. Usually, she would be providing her two cents on the issue, but I’m glad she’s staying out of it. She simply watches on, expression carefully blank.
My dad and brother ask me about my year away and the tension in the room eases slightly. An hour passes and I’m ready to go back home. Tony gets to his feet too, ready to escort me. We step outside the living room and Roman De Luca breezes into my line of sight.
My heart stops, my legs still, I’m pretty sure the entire world holds its breath. One year later and he still looks the same. My mind whirs as my heart travels through several emotions before finally settling on the strongest one.
Guilt.
Roman, for his part, doesn’t show any outward emotion at the sight of me. His eyes darken slightly and a muscle tenses in his jaw, but that’s it. That’s all I get.
“Elena,” he says in acknowledgment, a short nod.
I do notice one slight change in him, though. His overall aura, I guess. He’s not the man he was a year ago. He’s much more confident. Stronger. He’s a Don now, one in complete control. I’m glad. I offer him a short nod before my eyes travel to the person beside him.
Michael gets a full-blown smile as he steps forward to hug me.
“Hey,” he says, ruffling my hair. “How are you?”
“Good,” I say with an eye roll, reaching up to fix the mess he’s made. “Thanks for busting us, jerk.”
My tone is light and good-natured. Michael’s brown eyes narrow.
“Why’d you sneak into the country in the first place?”
“Good question, Mikey,” my brother says beside me.
My mouth opens slightly. “We did not sneak in. We bought plane tickets and got on a plane. Legally.”
He shakes his head, clearly not convinced by my subpar diversion attempt.
“Where’s Kiara?” he asks, and I notice a slight edge to his voice.
