Chapter 32
Lorenzo
When I walked into the condo, using the back elevator, I wasn’t trying to sneak up on Vanessa and Dani.
Maintenance had been fixing an issue with the main elevator, and rather than wait, since only one elevator goes up to my floor, I had gone around to my private elevator, not wanting to wait to pick up Vanessa and get our weekend started.
My plan was to show her how much I loved her and convince her that we were worth fighting for. That even though she’d be living across the country, I wanted to be with her.
But then I listened to her tell Dani that life was too short not to follow her dreams, and it reminded me that Vanessa deserved to follow her dreams and not have them weighed down by me and Leo.
She had told me once that after graduation, she wanted to get a job with a fashion designer and that most headquarters were in New York and Los Angeles.
If she thinks that I’m in Harbor Point, waiting for her, she’s not going to follow her dreams. And she’s worked too hard to throw it all away for anyone, including me.
At first, the age difference kept me from touching her because I didn’t want to look like a creeper, but as I got to know her, her age was pushed aside and replaced by her personality and selflessness.
She’s far more mature than most people her age.
So, I stopped focusing on her age and let myself see her for who she was—a beautiful, caring woman on the inside and out.
But as I listened to her tell Dani to follow her dreams, I was reminded not only of her age, but mine.
We’re in two different places in our lives.
I already went to college and followed my dreams. I get up every day and do what I love.
I want to find someone to share my life with, but not at the expense of the other person’s dreams, and if I were to tell Vanessa that I was willing to wait for her, that’s what I would be doing.
Every decision she made would be tainted, and we’d always wonder if the choices she made about her future were what she genuinely wanted or if she was compromising to be with me.
This trip was supposed to serve as a way to show her that what was happening between us was real and could be just the beginning, but now, despite it tearing me apart inside, I know it has to be our goodbye because I love Vanessa too much not to let her walk away.
“Lorenzo,” Vanessa gasps when we step into the Presidential Suite at the Hard Rock Hotel.
It’s not my favorite hotel, and in my opinion, it’s overrated, but it has a legal casino, and I thought it would be fun to wine and dine her and gamble the weekend away.
“What are we doing here?” she asks, taking in the twelve-hundred-square-foot suite, complete with a living room, dining room, and wet bar.
“Well …” I say, snaking my arm around her waist from behind and pulling her into my chest.
She smells like her signature floral scent, which I learned is Tom Ford Rose—a gift from one of the parties she attended with the designer she interned with. She joked that she was careful with it because once it ran out, she’d never be able to afford to replace it.
“We’ve spent the past few months playing cards, so I thought it’d be cool to watch you play with people who are worthy opponents.”
She spins around and looks up at me with wide eyes, and now that I know our time is limited, I find myself trying to memorize every detail about her.
The way her violet eyes sparkle when she’s happy and turn almost gray when she’s upset.
Her face is damn near flawless, except for a beauty mark that rests on her cheek, which adds a touch of character.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she says.
“I know, but”—I swallow down the lump of emotion and say the words I don’t want to say, but know are necessary—“with the threat gone, I imagine you’re going to be heading back to Seattle soon, so I wanted this weekend with you.”
Several emotions flit across Vanessa’s features before she settles on a soft yet sad smile. “Yeah,” she rasps. “I’m, uh, planning to go back after Christmas … if that’s okay. It will be Nicole’s first Christmas without her dad, and even though he was a piece of shit, it’s still hard for her. And …”
Tears prick her eyes, and all I want is to pull her close and tell her not to leave, but since I can’t do that, I gently wipe away the tear that escapes.
“Sorry,” she chokes out. “I just … I’m going to really miss Leo, so I was hoping, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to spend Christmas with him.”
Fuck, this woman. Why does she have to be fifteen years younger than me and still in college? Why did I have to meet her now instead of at a different time, when we were both able to be in a relationship? This is the worst case of right person, wrong time, and it fucking sucks.
“What about me?” I joke, trying to keep the conversation light so we don’t ruin our weekend.
“What about you?” she asks, confusion laced in her tone.
“You said you’re going to miss Leo, so you want to spend Christmas with him. What about me, Wild Card?” I reach around and tug gently on her ponytail, tilting her face up. “You going to miss me?”
She chokes out a laugh, mixed with a hint of a sob, and more tears fill her eyes. “Maybe just a little.”
Unable to go another second without my mouth on hers, I cradle her head and curve my lips around hers.
Tasting, coaxing, devouring. The kiss is filled with desperation.
Both of us hoping to convey everything we can’t say.
And when I pull back—knowing if I don’t, we’ll never make our dinner reservations—Vanessa is breathing heavily, her eyes filled with heat.
“Lorenzo,” she breathes.
“We have all weekend, baby.” I caress her lips once more. “But we have dinner plans, and then we’re going to the casino, which means you need to get dressed.”
She hits me with an adorable pout but nods.
“Fine, but if I internally combust from being so worked up, I’m blaming you.”
I chuckle. “I’ll take care of you later, I promise.”
Since I’m already dressed from work, I freshen up and brush my teeth while Vanessa gets ready, and then I check in with Matteo.
Lorenzo
Any news on the DNA?
While Matteo said the picture pretty much confirmed it was Leysa who died in the fire, he’s not taking any chances. This bitch had played us too many times. So, he sent Kaleb to Colombia to get her DNA so it can be run against the body and prove it’s her.
Matteo
Hughe said they gotta send it out, so it’s going to take a few weeks.
Lorenzo
K, thanks.
I would never admit it out loud, but there was a small part of me that was hoping it wasn’t her, and then Vanessa would be forced to stay with us longer.
But Matteo said the woman he saw, as well as the picture of the burned face, matches Leysa, so the DNA is just to give everyone peace of mind.
So, unless something crazy happens between now and Christmas, Vanessa said she’ll be heading back to Seattle on December 26.
The click-clack of heels against the marble floor has me pocketing my phone so I can focus on Vanessa. I glance up, and I’m damn near knocked on my ass by the sight in front of me.
“How do I look?” she asks, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. “Am I casino-worthy?”
She’s wearing a sleeveless burgundy satin dress that dips low in the center, showing off the swells of her perky breasts. It’s short and tight, highlighting every perfect curve on her body. And she’s paired it with black stilettos that accentuate her toned calves and thighs.
Her hair is down in waves, and her makeup is on the heavier side with some black shit on her lids, making her violet eyes pop. But her lips … she kept them bare, with only a hint of gloss.
“Marry me,” I half joke, making her throw her head back in laughter.
“Lorenzo!” she chides. “I’m serious. I made this dress the other day, and I’m not sure about the way it drapes across the front.”
“You look stunning.” I pull her into my arms. “Everything about the dress is perfect. Including the woman wearing it.”
She flushes a beautiful shade of pink, and I wonder how I’m going to live without this woman in my life when she leaves.
“I’m going to need to stop someone to take a picture of us,” I murmur, nuzzling my face into her neck so I can inhale her floral scent.
Reluctantly, I pull back, and when my eyes land on her again, I remember something. “I have a gift for you.”
I grab the square black box from my luggage and hand it to her.
“What is it?” she asks, glancing from the box to me.
“Open it.”
She gently unties the gold ribbon and then pops the box open, gasping when she sees what’s inside.
“Lorenzo,” she breathes, “this is—”
“A symbol of our time together,” I finish, refusing to let her say something ridiculous, like it’s too much.
Inside is a thin platinum necklace with a pendant of the queen of hearts playing card hanging in the middle.
“When I was trying to figure out which card to have made, I looked up the meanings since a wild card can be any card, aside from the joker.” I take the necklace out of the box and lay the card in my hand.
“I looked up queen of hearts, and it said that it represents a woman who has stolen hearts with kindness and beauty.” My eyes meet hers.
“And I couldn’t think of a more fitting card to represent you. ”
Tears brim her lids. “This is beautiful,” she chokes out.
“May I?” I lift it up, and she nods.
Turning around, she gathers her hair into her fingers and exposes her slim neck so I can put it on her. When she turns around, it rests in the center of her chest, right above her breasts.
“There’s something you need to know,” I tell her. “The necklace isn’t just a necklace. It’s a tracking device as well.”
Her eyes go comically wide. “What?”
“When I asked Kane for the jeweler he used when he had Bri’s wedding rings designed, he mentioned that his guy could also put a tracker in any piece of jewelry.
Bri has one in her wedding band. So do Peyton and Dani.
It’s how Kane was able to find Bri when she was kidnapped.
I would never use it to keep tabs on you … ”
“I know,” she says. “Thank you.” She wraps her arms around my neck. “For the beautiful necklace and for caring enough to want to make sure I’m safe.”
“I’ll never stop,” I murmur, needing her to know how I feel. “No matter where you are, I’ll never stop caring.”