Chapter 30
This was crazy.
Marissa shouldn’t be sneaking around with a client, but here she was with a weekend bag inside of Bruno’s home for the second weekend in a row. Like all new lovers, they couldn’t get enough of each other and had sex multiple times each night they were together, until they were both exhausted.
She placed her bag on the chair near his bed and then left the bedroom. In the living room, she paused. Bruno had put out new photos.
Last weekend he showed her pictures of his family and told funny stories of growing up with six brothers and sisters. She knew the names of both parents and would easily recognize them if she ran into one of them around town.
What caught her eye was a black-and-white close-up of Bruno holding a baby nestled against his chest. Beside him sat Audra, laughing, her attention captured by someone to the right of the camera lens.
Marissa didn’t recognize the baby. She hadn’t seen a picture of her in any of the other frames, in the photo album, or the battery powered picture frame that automatically scrolled through dozens of photos of the family.
What made Marissa stop and stare was the care with which Bruno cradled the child, his large hand naturally supporting her head while she slept against his chest. She looked comfortable. In fact, she knew the baby was comfortable because she’d fallen asleep on his chest several times herself.
Emotion clogged her throat. From the way he talked about his sister’s kids and the gentle way he held this little girl, he’d probably be a great father one day. She pushed aside the sense of longing that filled her and went to find him.
Bruno was in his domain, the kitchen, newly remodeled within the past year. A showpiece with a huge island in the middle with a sink, a large stainless steel refrigerator, and a separate standing freezer with double doors. He also had double ovens, a pasta maker, and there was fettuccine hanging from a drying rack on the counter as if he’d made the pasta right before she arrived.
But there was no mess to be seen on the counters. Everything was spotless. The only other evidence that he had been working in the kitchen was the bowl in front of the meat grinder, filled with meat. No surprise, he ground his own beef.
He stood in front of the refrigerator with the door open.
“You added a new picture on the bookshelf. Whose baby are you holding?”
Bruno glanced over his shoulder. “One of the newest members of our family. Remember Ivy mentioned Audra and Damon adopted? They now have an 18-month-old boy and his three-month-old sister. The picture was taken when they brought them to Sunday dinner at my mother’s house. For some reason she took to me. When anyone else tried to hold her, she cried, so I held her until she fell asleep.”
“That’s wonderful they were able to keep the siblings together.”
“They agreed to an open adoption, so the kids will have contact with their biological parents, as well.” He removed items from the refrigerator. “Are you ready to get to work?”
“Yes, sir.”
Cooking with Bruno was one of Marissa’s favorite parts of their times together. She had learned a lot already. He had taught her better knife and chopping methods and the basics of making a good gravy. She was slowly learning techniques that she wished she had learned growing up but hadn’t because of her less-than-stellar upbringing.
Tonight’s menu was simple comfort food—meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, and a salad with homemade dressing. They worked together with ease, their movements as smooth and efficient as if they had been choreographed ahead of time.
As they cooked, they caught up with the happenings during the week. She told him about several clients she’d recently acquired, and he shared the business mishaps that had occupied his time. When they finished, instead of eating on the back patio like they did last time, they took their food to the most unusual and interesting part of his house—the tower.
The first time she came to his house, she had expected a mansion, but Bruno lived in a one-story home with a basement. He did not, in fact, have a dungeon down there. The house was exactly the kind of place she imagined for her and Theo, though theirs would be much smaller, of course, and wouldn’t have the extra bedroom suite, game room, office, man cave, and theater room in a huge lower level like his did.
But she’d have a yard where she could plant flowers, and instead of the tiny bedrooms at the apartment, she and Theo would have nice-sized rooms with plenty of space. Then she could decorate her home with all the great finds she had purchased at Home Goods. She needed to get in touch with her loan officer soon to find out how much house she could afford.
With careful steps, they accessed the tower through a door in the middle of the house, up a winding staircase. Bruno had placed two chairs and a small table with a votive candle on top for them to eat dinner.
During the day, they could see for miles with the naked eye, but he also had a telescope that allowed them to see even farther.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Marissa said, as she sat down. “Do you spy on your neighbors from up here?”
“Not at all,” he replied. Then he smirked. “Well, maybe a little.”
They shared a laugh.
“I have something to tell you,” he continued.
“What’s that?”
“I asked Post-Praft about lowering the price point on the line of spices and prepared foods I’m going to lend my name to, to make them more affordable for the average consumer. They balked initially, but my business manager called earlier and said they’re sending signals that they’re willing to do as we asked instead of walking away from the deal.”
“That’s wonderful!”
He smiled across the table at her. “The idea came from you, and I’ll be glad if they agree. Thank you for helping me to see another perspective.”
“My pleasure.” Marissa placed a piece of meatloaf in her mouth and sighed. “Best meatloaf I’ve ever had. I wish I’d had the opportunity to experience more home-cooked meals when I was growing up.”
Bruno shot a look in her direction. “You rarely talk about your past.”
“I didn’t have the best upbringing.” A dull ache filled her chest.
“I’d like to know more.”
Marissa was never really good about opening up, but keeping that part of her life from him was silly, especially since she knew so much about his life.
She took a deep breath to work up the courage she needed to open up. Using her fork, she pushed a piece of lettuce around on her plate.
“My mother was an alcoholic. Not the raging kind. The I-don’t-give-a-crap-about-anything—including my kids—kind. She was an unhappy drunk who often let my brother and I know how much she hated being a mother.”
“That’s why you never drink,” Bruno guessed.
Marissa nodded. “I’ve tried alcoholic beverages before, but the taste and the way they make people behave turn me off. I’d rather not indulge. As for my father, he worked hard at his job. He did not work hard at being a good parent.”
Bruno dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “What did he do?”
“He worked in sales—commission-based for a home improvement company. Supposedly he often stayed late at the office and traveled out of town on business a lot. He’d be gone the entire weekend. Later, we found out that he was actually going to a diner or his favorite sports bar instead to avoid the chaos at home. And those business trips? He had simply checked into a hotel for the weekend and left me and my brother alone with my mother.”
Bruno had stopped eating. “That must have been hard on you kids.”
Marissa nodded. “John and I learned to survive on our own. We had to, with an irresponsible drunk of a mother and a father who ignored us and left us alone to fend for ourselves.” She hated how the bitterness had crept into her voice.
Bruno placed a comforting hand over hers.
“I’m okay—now—but our life wasn’t easy. I’m a few years older than my brother and have always looked out for him. I learned how to do as much as possible because I had to help take care of him. We ate a lot of canned food, especially beans because they were filling. We ate beans a lot. There was a time I couldn’t look at them without feeling nauseous cause I’d eaten them so much as a kid, but I’ve gotten over my aversion,” she said with a laugh.
“I didn’t learn to cook until I was an adult, with YouTube as my teacher.” She fell silent. “Sometimes I think about how chaotic our lives were. The neighbors used to take pity on us and give us food because my mother often forgot to feed us or she’d be passed out on a chair in the living room. Other times, a family member would take us in for a few days. Those were the best times, but they never lasted. We always had to return home and deal with the mess there. But something good came out of my upbringing, I guess. By figuring out life on our own, my brother and I learned to be independent.” Marissa shrugged.
“Where are your parents now?” Bruno asked.
“They divorced years ago, not long after John graduated from high school. My father remarried, and my mother moved back to Texas to live with her parents. She’s been sober for seven years.”
“That’s good at least. How is your relationship with your parents nowadays?”
“Our relationship isn’t great, but they’re my parents. Be thankful for the parents you have. The situation could always be worse.” Marissa placed a piece of potato in her mouth.
“I am appreciative of my parents. We had all our needs met growing up. My father has been amazing, and we hit the jackpot with my second mother,” Bruno said.
A twinge of jealousy pricked her chest. His home life had changed for the better, but hers and her brother’s had remained unstable throughout their childhood. As adults, they both did what they could to create a better life for their children.
After dinner, while Bruno lingered at the table sipping wine, Marissa went to the telescope and looked through the eyepiece.
“I can’t see well,” she murmured.
“I probably need to adjust the focus.”
Bruno’s chair scraped back, and then he was behind her. “My niece and nephew often come up here and mess with this.”
The heat from his body touched her back. He reached around to adjust the focus, and she leaned against his chest.
“There you go.” Bruno spoke in a low voice, close to her ear.
“Thank you.”
She looked through the telescope and saw the other homes for miles. She saw the highway she came in on, as well as the mall nearby. Shifting the lens to the sky, she surveyed the moon and the stars above.
“I love this,” she whispered.
“So do I. Coming up here is a nice escape. Sometimes when I’m alone, I bring up a glass of wine and sit back and lose myself in my thoughts. This spot is a great place to think.”
Marissa turned to face him and looped her arms around his neck. Bruno lowered his mouth to hers, and they kissed softly.
He smoothed his hands over her hips. “You remember I told you that Ethan is getting married soon?”
“Mhmm. To… Skye, right? The woman he was involved with for a long time?” Marissa raised up on her toes and nipped the corner of his lip with her teeth.
“That’s right. The wedding is in a few weeks, and I’d like you to be my guest.”
Whoa. She lowered onto her feet.
“Say yes.”
A warm sensation stirred in her chest. She didn’t want to overthink the invitation, but going to a wedding and meeting a man’s family had to mean something—didn’t it?
“I would love to go.”
A gorgeous smile spread on his face.
“So I get to meet your family?”
“Yes, the entire Connor-Santana clan will be there. You’ve been warned.”
She laughed. He always talked about his family as if they were problematic, but she heard the affection in his voice and knew how much he loved them.
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll come prepared.”
Bruno squeezed her tight and kissed her again.