Chapter 23 ~ Alexander
That didn’t quite go as I had planned. But then again, I deserved everything she had to say.
I put the tray on the kitchen counter quietly.
Every instinct in my body tells me to throw it across the room and smash every dish on the table.
I look down at her plate and see she only ate some fruit and two bites out of her toast.
I’m such a dick.
I don’t even really know why I took her tray.
She probably wasn’t done eating, but I wanted to get out of there before she said something she would regret later.
Isabella doesn’t understand; she doesn’t have all the information, but she will.
What she said about me was true, I did it all and if ordered, I would have killed her.
I scrape her plate into the trash and rinse it under the tap.
Piling everything back on the tray and drying my hands on a dish towel.
I lean against the counter and fold my arms over my chest. I hope she calls Anna; she needs someone to help her through this and right now it’s not me.
After the weekend, I’ll probably drop off those letters and let her read them.
I’m not exactly sure what I can do to make anything better but leave.
It’s probably the best bet; she’s so pissed off right now.
A smirk breaks out on my face, and I’m glad she can’t see it.
Butterscotch smelling, asshole?
Oh, man, that was cute. Even pissed and giving me shit, she was vibrant and alive; her eyes a bright jade green. Not the subdued little bunny that cowers. And I want her to be strong; I want her to have a voice she never got to use. I’ll make it up to her and keep my silent promise to Angelo.
I go to the door and take one look back at her closed bedroom door. I want to check on her again, but I might get a cup upside the head, so I’ll leave and head to the house.
I walk past the stacked lounge chairs, thinking about where I might have gone wrong, where I set her off. I thought the conversation was going smoothly until I mentioned her apartment.
I don’t know why she would want to keep it. She is not leaving me, not again, so what was the big deal? I’m bringing everything here for her. Sebastian and Carlos should be home on Sunday with the truck, and she can decide where she wants everything to go.
I wanted Sebastian to make sure the movers packed all her plants very carefully.
I didn’t get much of a glimpse in there after she punched me in the throat, but Sebastian did send me a picture and she does have a lot of plants.
I didn’t know she liked plants. Then again, there are probably a million things about Isabella I don’t know or didn’t take the time to know. But all of that’s going to change.
I go straight through to the kitchen with the tray and set it on the counter.
“Good morning, Rose.” I smile at her.
Rose spins around from the counter, and for once, she doesn’t yell or drop anything. I’ve been trying to be much gentler around her. Maybe she’s like Isabella. My demeanor makes her feel skittish, so I’m trying my best to be less aggressive and blunt around her.
“Yes, Mr. Russo, what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if I could put it in a request for Isabella’s dinner tonight?”
Rose wipes her hands on a tea towel across her shoulder and says, “Yes, anything? What would you like?”
I can’t help the grin on my face. “She has a craving for butterscotch pudding. Can you make sure that she has a bowl sent with her dinner each night?”
Rose wrinkles her brow and looks at me with puzzlement.
“Of course, I can do that for her. Maybe now that she’s pregnant, she might crave different things.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for that. Anything that she needs, anything that she’s craving, just let me know and I’ll make sure that she has it.
” Her smile beams up at me, and I thank her and head to my office.
The smile on my face almost hurts my cheeks as I cross the foyer. She may hate me; she may not want me around. But she said I smell like butterscotch, and I’m going to make sure that scent never leaves her nose. Like the scent of lilies that haunted me, she will smell me every day.
I open my laptop and bring up my emails.
Most of its organization work now since I sold the club to Christopher.
He’s actually doing really, really well.
I was quite surprised. He was pretty upset that one day when things went south, but he’s handling everything like a pro now.
Marcus has a new manager, so he has more time off.
I still run Silk, but mostly I just run in and do what needs to be done and leave.
I don’t take in any performances, and I gave my apartment to Christopher.
I want to be here with Isabella as close as she will let me be.
I send a quick email off to my father. I want him to know my plans for the letter and Isabella.
I’ll let her decide if she wants to talk about it, but I think it’s best if all three of us have a meeting.
He can explain everything to her; he was there and was the one to find her and save her.
My hands grip the arms of my chair. I want to punch Robert all over again.
But I stopped for her. I stopped because she would be upset that I went that far and beat her father to death.
I will prove to her that I love her. Not for money or power, not for any of the reasons she thinks. I love who she is, how sweet and kind she is. She doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame her. But I do love her now that I know and understand what love is.
An idea strikes, and I call up all the companies and start my strategy.
This is going to piss her off even more or bring her to me.
Either way, I’ll get her to talk to me one way or the other, but I’ll wait till after her weekend with Anna.
I can almost say I feel like a kid when I would piss off one of my brothers.
Oh, I’d love to be there to see her face.
I spent the day in my office, and then I told Rose I’d have dinner in my room, as I’ve had for the past few months.
I just didn’t know where to eat. This was the only place that she has never been in and that brought me some sort of sad comfort.
I put on a game and got out of my suit and pulled on my track pants and t-shirt.
I’m on my third beer, and look at my watch.
9:45. I smile. The girls will be watching a movie, talking, or still talking or whatever girls do.
I open my door and cross the hall, slipping into her room and taking a seat at her window in the dark to watch her house.
The living room lights are on, and I can see shadows passing by every once and awhile.
I sip my beer and watch her house like a stalker. I didn’t install any cameras inside.
I knew I’d be obsessed, and she needed to be herself without my unwanted intrusion. She didn’t know I had cameras in here, but it didn’t stop me from missing everything. I missed it all. I want her to come to me, to accept me on her terms. I take another sip of beer and bring my phone out.
Alexander: Good night, Mrs. Russo.
I don’t expect a reply, but it won’t stop me from reminding her I am here and I’m not going away. I sip my beer and watch as the lights start to go off. Nite, bunny.
~ ~ ~
First thing in the morning, I texted her.
Alexander: Good morning, Mrs. Russo.
No reply and I smile. She will get a text every night and every morning. She’s all I think about, and I want her to think about me even if it makes her mad.
Her things arrived from her apartment on Sunday afternoon; Sebastian calmed Mrs. Schmidt down and promised her we would visit.
We will. She will want to meet the baby, and by the sound of Isabella, Mrs. Schmidt has become more than just the neighbor next door.
I put most of her things in my garage, the plants I had shelving delivered on Saturday, and Danny and I made the library her half-assed atrium.
Rose said she would take care of the plants till I told Isabella they were here.
I want this week to win her attention, for the better, I’m hoping.
I go about my day and keep checking my watch. I can’t wait for 1:00 p.m. I try to concentrate on work, but it’s hard. I want to see her face when she opens that door.
One o’clock arrives, and like a child, I run up the stairs to her room and wait, sitting in her window.
The delivery should be here any minute. I scheduled them all, and I want to watch her open the door for every single one.
This delivery includes a Harry Potter phone case, a new pair of Harry Potter slippers (her other pair were destroyed in the snow), and a one-liter jar of Werther’s Original candies.
As if on cue, the truck comes around the corner and parks at the garage door.
He gets out, and as I instructed, they wrapped the box in soft pink paper with a big white satin bow on top.
He knocks on the door, and she opens it.
My heart stops. I haven’t seen her all weekend.
The girls hung out and never left the house.
Anna left this morning for work, but Isabella stayed inside.
She is so pretty. Her blond hair is curling to her shoulders, and she has on a pair of leggings and a cream sweater. She holds her little belly and smiles at the delivery man. She takes the box and her brow creases as she looks over it and closes the door.
I leave the window and go back to work. Every night I sit and watch her house till the lights turn off and every night I send my text.
Alexander: Good night, Mrs. Russo. No reply.
Tuesday
Alexander: Good morning, Mrs. Russo. No reply.
I sit in her window and wait. It’s 2:00 p.m. Today’s delivery includes a giant can of caramel popcorn, the complete set of Harry Potter movies, and a set of colored pencils and a sketch pad.
She opens the door, smiles at the delivery man, takes the box and closes the door.