Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Kellan
Idrew in a deep breath as I turned off the van and met Giana’s amber gaze.
There was so much more life blazing in their fiery depths than there was when I laid eyes on her a couple of months ago.
I only hoped this wouldn’t send her back into the dark abyss of grief she’d clawed her way out of.
The afternoon sun was setting, the orange and red hues flaring across the horizon like they shone for the woman by my side and her alone.
The swathes of warm light bathed her face, making her glow with an ethereal incandescence that far outweighed any mere mortal.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I studied her, memorizing every line and furrow as she frowned.
I hated when her lips curled down. I would pay any price I could to keep a smile on her face, but that wasn’t how life worked.
The pain, sorrow, and suffering were unavoidable, but they helped make the joyous moments only that much sweeter.
“Yes.” She gave me a sweet smile that didn’t meet her eyes and I took her hand.
I knew she didn’t want to be here, but she was forcing herself to face this for some reason.
Whatever it was, I would be with her every step of the way, refusing to let her face the horrors in this world alone. We were her demons after all.
I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles, loving the way she melted under me when I touched her.
Lifting her hand, I pressed a kiss to her soft skin before reluctantly letting it drop.
It was like the cloud that had loomed over her dissipated as pink spread over her cheeks.
She reached for her door, but I was already out of the car and racing to hold it open for her.
“You know I can open doors for myself, right?” She chuckled, her eyes warm and smile adoring.
“I know, but that shouldn’t mean you have to, at least not when I’m here.” I gave her my hand, which she gratefully took, her smile growing as her cheeks turned pink. She was so perfect for me—for us. My angel and devil wrapped up into one breathtaking package.
Her smile slowly dropped as we turned to the burned-out husk of the diner.
Yellow caution tape was draped around the diner, cordoning off the area from any curious onlookers.
Her lips thinned as she scanned the building she had grown up in.
There were wretched memories hidden in its walls along with some fond ones.
But I knew what got to her the most was the anxiety the fire evoked.
She didn’t want to show any signs of weakness, but even though we called her our little devil, she was still human.
“Hey.” I crooked a finger under her chin and spun her to face me. Shadows loomed in the depths of her fiery orbs that I would do anything to chase away. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
She was so withdrawn into herself when she came striding into my shop because she had no one she could trust, no one she could tell the entire truth to. We worked to bring her out of her shell over the last couple of months, and I wouldn’t let her sink back into the depths of her subconscious.
“I wish I didn’t have to come back here, but I know I have to. I have to face the fear; I need to reclaim it before it swallows me whole.”
I pulled her into my chest, my arms banding around her as I tucked her head under my chin.
“You are the bravest person I know, angel. You’ve had to overcome so much in such a short amount of time.
It’s okay to falter sometimes because the three of us will always be right by your side, helping you get back on your feet. ”
She exhaled a shaky breath, her cheek brushing against my chest as she nodded. I held her for another moment before she pulled away and straightened her shoulders.
“My fighter.” I smiled and ran my thumb over her lower lip.
Fuck, that was a bad idea; my cock jumped at the sight of her mouth pulling down, imagining her lips wrapped around my length.
I really had to get a hold of myself. Otherwise I was going to keep her tied to the bed.
I withdrew, not missing her playful smirk, her eyes dancing with mirth.
Well, at least it pulled her out of her thoughts.
I would deal with the uncomfortable weight of my hard cock pressing against my jeans just to put a smile on her face.
Our fingers threaded together as we walked toward the charred remains of her family’s restaurant. I studied her expression, but it turned wistful as she stooped to run her hand through the ashes.
“I think I’m going to focus on how fires can be transformational. They can decimate, leaving only scorched earth behind. We can view it as destruction or as a new beginning, a resurrection, making way for something bigger and better.”
“I guess it’s a little like you then.” I grinned at the furrow that formed between her brows. “You’re burning the Barone’s influence and reach until there’s nothing but ashes left in your wake in the hopes of building something new.”
“I like that.” She returned my smile, her eyes glittering as though light shone from within them, chasing the shadows away at least for tonight.
Ashes fell from between her fingers, some of the blackened soot drifting through the air on an invisible gust of wind that played through Giana’s hair, sending the locks swirling around her face as if she were truly some immortal being.
“How are you feeling today about your parents leaving?”
She shrugged, but it wasn’t to hide her emotions, more like she would rather not linger on them.
“I hadn’t spoken to them in the past six years, so it doesn’t feel any different now that they’re gone.
I keep thinking that I should feel something: anger, betrayal, sorrow. But really, all I feel is relief.”
Her shoulders slumped like she really had shed the weight they’d placed on her back at far too young an age.
“I’m grateful I won’t have to worry if I’ll see their faces around a street corner.
Relief that Angelo won’t get the opportunity to use them against me like Tommaso when he tried to at the engagement party, but mostly there’s relief that I don’t have to figure out how I feel, like they removed the pressure.
They were always the ones in power; they took, they ordered, they looked down upon me, but now I have the power.
I can choose whether or not I want them in my life, and having a choice is the most freeing feeling in the world. ”
I tugged her closer, my fingers threading through her hair and cradling the back of her head like she was the most precious person in the world—because she was.
I hadn’t realized how much she needed that.
The freedom to make her own decisions, the power to take her life into her own hands.
She played by the rules for so many years, first her parents, and then Tommaso.
She was my fighter, except I didn’t want her to have to take on that burden anymore. I wanted to take that weight off her shoulders and carry it for you.
“I know your answer already, but is there anything I can say to keep you from finishing this? I would do anything to keep you safe, angel.” I cupped her cheek, the curve fitting in my palm perfectly.
I closed my eyes, battling back the image of her sprawled on the floor, fighting for each inch before the smoke stole her consciousness away.
My expression must’ve betrayed where my mind had wandered, since she placed her hand tenderly over the one holding the face. “I wish there was, but I couldn’t live with myself if I sat this out and one of you got hurt.”
Fear skittered up my spine at the thought of her rushing in without us, especially after what just happened at the bookstore.
I knew my little devil. I knew how long it took her to realize that she didn’t have to do everything on her own.
And I knew that if we tried to keep her from this fight, she’d just rush in anyway because that had always been who my Giana was.
She gave up her whole life just to keep us safe, and there was no way she was going to let us handle this for her.
I had to push the selfish thought of keeping her cocooned and safe at home out of my head because it would only lead to disaster. No matter how much the thought of her in danger after everything she’d been through made my chest ache.
“I’m grateful that you feel free with us. I know we can be overwhelming and overbearing at times, especially when it’s your safety at jeopardy. But all you need to do is tell us, and we’ll ease up.”
“I know, Kellan.” She pressed her mouth to mine, the sweet kiss sending desire zinging through my veins. I would never be able to get enough of this woman. “That’s why I love you all so much.”
“I love you too,” I whispered the words against her lips before deepening the kiss. Our tongues twined in a seductive dance, making me wish I could sweep her off her feet and take her back to the van. I was addicted to Giana Bardot, and I knew that I’d never get enough of her.
Her smile was soft and adoring as we pulled away and I wrapped her up against my chest and closed my eyes, soaking in her warmth and sweet vanilla scent.
“Did you think about what you want this place to be?” I brushed my lips over the crown of her head.
“I did.” She grinned up at me, a hint of a mischievous glint sparkling in her eyes, but her expression sobered in the next moment. “And I think I need your help.”
“Anything for you.” I kissed her forehead, and she sank back into my arms. The two of us just soaked in each other’s love before we had to get back to real life.
What wouldn’t I do for this woman? Nothing was the answer. I would give her anything she could ever dream of until the day my soul departed this mortal coil.