Chapter 28 #2
Wax seals, stationery sets, pink fluffy heart pens, Ghostface memorabilia, a Regency-style choker, a parasol, and a delicate pink fan. There are also a plethora of bath products designed for sensitive skin that aren’t overly scented.
It's obvious that most of the guys were given instructions for what to buy, but Rafe is always the oddball of the group. His gifts are usually gags of some sort, and this year is no exception. When I open the bag, I find a plushy…of him. He had his actual face printed onto it.
“To keep the monsters away.” He tosses me a wink.
“With a mug like that, how could it not?” Michele chuckles.
Angelo and Abella exchange a glance as Romeo strolls over and plops down on the lounge beside me, man-spreading as he casually leans back and examines the plushy.
“Let me see it.”
There seems to be a weird shift in the room as all the brothers pause to watch. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I hand it over to Romeo.
He pulls a Sharpie out of his pocket, yanks off the cap, and starts drawing.
A minute later, he hands the plushy back to me, and somehow, in that time, he’s turned Rafe’s face into a caricature of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.
“Fixed it.” Romeo leans back with a smirk as Rafe flips him off.
“Don’t be jealous because my face is prettier than yours,” Rafe says.
Romeo lets that remark bounce right off him, as he should. There’s no denying the Vitale men are all gods in their own right, each of them unfairly gifted in the looks department. But for me, Romeo has always been the standout.
“Alright, field trip’s over,” Angelo tells his brothers. “We have business to handle.”
Rafe and Michele groan, and Angelo sighs. “You can thank Romeo for this.”
I don’t know what they’re talking about, but none of them look very enthused about whatever it is.
Angelo checks on his sleeping daughter in her portable bassinet, then gives Abella a lingering kiss.
On his way out, Cristian does a walk-by, swiping the drink from Chantel’s hand and pouring it down his throat in one go.
“Rude,” she huffs.
He gives her a look and strolls to the door without a word. Rafe and Michele join him, and Romeo waits until the last minute to get up from the lounge. Before he does, his thigh bumps against mine, and I glance over at him.
“Have fun at your party, Gabriela. Don’t miss me too much.”
“Have fun at your secret boys-only club meeting. Don’t get too murder-y.”
He cracks a smile as he rises, and my heart does another weird little flip. Despite my resolve not to, I watch him walk away—at least until Abella appears beside me.
“Where are they going?” I ask once the door’s closed behind them.
She chews on her lip, like she’s not sure she should tell me, which only makes me more curious. Typically, the men in our lives don’t keep us apprised of their business activities. But I think Angelo tells her more than most men in the Cosa Nostra, as long as it’s nothing that would endanger her.
“Did you hear about all those missing men on the news?” She lowers her voice, taking a seat beside me.
“No.” I frown. “Should I have?”
I’ve been so busy between school and Eros, I’ve hardly had time to look at the headlines.
“There were some pretty notable names. Local businessmen, Society members. Some of them were on the island last year for that dinner. Do you remember?”
“You mean the one where we caught you giving Angelo a blowie in the garden?”
“Not the point.” Abella rolls her eyes. “But yes, it was that one.”
“I vaguely remember them being there, but I wasn’t paying close attention.”
“Well, they had some kind of dealings with the Vitales. But apparently their yacht sank somewhere, and they’ve been searching for them. Anyway, Angelo has been annoyed about the whole ordeal because it’s thrown a wrench into everything.”
“That makes sense, I guess. But why were you hesitant to tell me?”
“I didn’t want to upset you,” she says. “Because some of them are connected to Imperium.”
That information makes me feel slightly nauseous. “Do you think they were intentionally disappeared?”
“I’m not sure,” Abella admits, but I can tell the thought has crossed her mind.
“Did Romeo ever get back to you about what he might have found?”
“He and Angelo said they were handling it.” She offers me an apologetic shrug. “I know you wanted to use Aegis to deal with it if we could, but honestly, I think this might be for the best. The guys will figure out how to take care of the situation since there are so many people involved.”
I nod, but I’m wondering if they already have. It could be a coincidence that those men went missing, but in our world, things are rarely coincidental. In any case, I don’t want to think about it or feel guilty for what happened. If they were involved in some way, that’s on them.
“We’re going to eat in a few minutes,” Abella says. “But there’s one more thing I want to show you first.”
“Okay.” I give her a questioning glance as she gestures for me to get up.
I follow her down the hall and into my workspace, stopping short once we enter the room.
“Oh my God—” The words die on my lips as I glance around, trying to process what I’m seeing.
Yesterday, I was worrying about how I would complete my senior collection with the tools I have. And somehow, in that short period of time, the space has been completely transformed, with everything I could possibly need.
A brand new drafting table and chair, a cutting table, fabric racks, Pantone color guides, a Wacom tablet, an LED lightbox, and every design and construction tool that’s probably ever existed.
Each discovery is more exciting than the last, but the thing that tips me over the edge is the Bernina 790 Pro Sewing Machine.
“I can’t believe you guys did all of this.” I sob, embarrassed when tears start to leak from my eyes.
“We didn’t,” Abella confesses.
I blink at her in confusion, and she offers me a watery smile as she tries to hold back her own emotions.
“I came in here earlier to grab one of your markers, and that’s when I saw it. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know what half this stuff was.”
As I glance around the room again, I realize these are all the things I put on my Pinterest board—as a far-fetched dream. If my friends didn’t do this, there’s only one other explanation.
“Eros,” I whisper.
This had to have cost a fortune. The sewing machine alone is five figures.
“Oh God. Did he really do this?”
Abella seems to understand I’m in shock, so she gives me a minute before she breaks the silence.
“It’s a really nice gift,” she offers.
“It’s everything I could ever want,” I choke out. “But it’s too much.”
“Why?” She examines me.
“It’s so much money.”
“You deserve this, Gabi,” she says softly. “And clearly, he wanted you to have it. It’s hardly going to put a dent in his bank account, so don’t worry about that.”
I let out a shaky exhalation, unsettled by the fact that she knows exactly who did this. But if everything goes to plan, I’ll know by the end of this weekend, too.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Yes. I think so. I just need to text him.”
“Alright, I’ll give you some privacy. When you’re done, we’ll eat.”
I thank her and pull my phone from my dress pocket as she leaves the room. It takes me a minute to figure out what I want to say, but in the end, I settle on the truth.
BiteSizedGabi: I honestly don’t even know how to thank you for something like this. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
Eros415: Seeing you happy is enough.
Those words trigger another flutter in my chest, because I know he genuinely means them.
Unlike the other men in my life, he doesn’t mock me for my dream or treat it like a dumb hobby.
He told me he wanted me to do what I love.
But it isn’t just that. It’s the fact that he set up the space exactly as I would have wanted it.
He chose the colors I like. He even labeled the drawers on the new cabinet the way I would have.
He pays attention to all the little things. He takes care of me. He makes me feel warm, safe, and…loved.
That thought slams into me with terrifying clarity.
I don’t want this to be casual.
I think I actually want him…to love me.