Chapter 24
Alessandro
13 Days Until The Wedding
G eno left last night and will be back right before the wedding. I’ve been giving Luci the space she wants this week, which works out well for both of us since I’ve been busy getting business back on track with Geno.
I invited Marco and El to brunch today as a barrier between us to finish planning the wedding. You could cut the tension between Marco and El with a knife and I wonder what that’s about.
Luci walks in and I can’t believe how flawless she is in her white sweater and leggings on this chilly October morning. We have less than two weeks before our wedding and we need to form some sort of relationship. We can’t have a third party here with us for the rest of our lives.
El gawks over Luci the second she walks in. “Luci! You look fabulous, babe! White is totally your color. Alessandro, don’t plan anything tomorrow. Luci is trying on wedding dresses. Come sit down. I’m so excited to see you.” El drags Luci to sit down as far away from me as possible while giving El a genuine smile.
Luci must feel my gaze as she locks eyes with me, unsure of her emotions. The time we’ve had away from each other has turned her hate toward me down to a simmer. “I think it’s time to finish the details of our wedding. We have a lot to do and not a ton of time to do it. You deserve to have the wedding of your dreams. What would that entail?”
She closes her eyes, smiling dreamily at the thoughts running through her head. “I love the garden. I know it’ll be colder in a couple of weeks, but you said you had outdoor heaters. Also, I’ve thought about adding more colorful flowers to the garden. Maybe we could plant those and then continue recreating your mamma’s garden in the spring. That’s all I need from you. The only other thing is my dress, which El said is her job to help me with.”
Seeing that sweet smile on her face makes my heart skip a beat. I’ve never seen her this magnificent and I wish I could express that to her. “If that’s what would make your face continue to light up like that, you can have whoever you want. I want to give you a good life, Luci.” Her eye contact breaks with me while she fidgets with her necklace, an obvious nervous habit, or when she’s deep in thought.
Marco breaks in, always picking the worst time for his ridiculous comments. “Do you have any hot friends coming? I know your mom is single. Is she hot?”
“Shut the fuck up, Marco! No one wants to deal with your stupid playboy attitude. Ugh! Stupido ragazzo.” The last part she tries to mutter to herself, but El’s voice carries, regardless of how quiet she tries to be. Her statement causes the two of them to break out into a loud and passionate argument.
They’re too distracted to notice when I slip away, grabbing Luci on my way out, and shushing her as she goes to argue with me. I shut us away in the library before I let her arm go, forcing her to talk to me as I block the door.
“I don’t get you. First, you want to keep me prisoner, then I can roam around, and we have this wonderful dinner. Then the second Geno gets here, you become a royal jerk. Now that he’s gone, you want to be nice? Is this the kind of marriage I should expect with you? Constantly wondering what version of you I’ll get.” While her words are harsh, she’s right.
I take a second to calm myself, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I want to scream at her, but I know that will only manage to make things worse. “I want to be good to you. I can’t promise the love story you want. What I can promise is that I will do anything and everything to make sure you and our children have the stability they deserve. When I marry you, I will promise to be faithful and give you a good life.”
“That’s the problem, Alessandro. I want a man who’s going to love me so much it hurts. So passionately that it comes off as crazy. The way my nonno loves the ladies in his life.” What she doesn’t know is that I can see that happening between us, at least for me, and that wasn’t supposed to happen. Luci is only meant to be a collection like the others before her. Nothing more, nothing less.
I let her slip by me to open the door to the hallway. El and Marco’s fight continues as loud as it was before we snuck off. “Luci.” She turns around, waiting for my response. “You’ll sleep in bed with me tonight.”
“Whatever.” She leaves the room, no doubt escaping to the garden, regardless of how cold it is outside.
That night I come into my room to see her in bed, wearing one of my T-shirts. It sets my dick off, hardening instantly. She lifts her head in my direction as I walk over, hovering over her before leaning in to kiss her. Pure desire kicks in as she wraps her hands around my neck, opening her legs to let me lay between them. We don’t take the time to undress as I pull myself out and thrust into her. The passion in this moment is intense. The rush we both have, making sure we could be together as one, is exhilarating. Only our heavy breathing can be heard between us.
The moment we both come, a single tear falls down her face as I wipe it away, wondering what she’s thinking. She doesn’t fight me when I pull her close as she falls asleep. Her breathing evens out as I say the words I desperately wish I could say while she’s awake. The words I can only find the courage to say when she’s asleep.
“I’m sorry, Luci. I let Geno get into my head and I took it out on you. You’d understand more than anyone how much I thrive on his approval. I want you here. I need you here. I’ve craved you since day one.” I place a kiss on her temple, holding her as I fall asleep.