Chapter 18 ROSE
ROSE
“You’re up early.” Dan stretches his arms as he walks into my kitchen wearing nothing but black boxer shorts, delicious ink and a dazzling half sleepy smile.
My heart zaps to life. The sight of him better than any morning coffee. “So are you.”
“Your couch wasn’t the comfiest.” He reaches around me and pinches a small square piece of toast from my plate. His scent surrounds me, making me dizzy, the scent that’s just him, a hint of his aftershave, fruity gum, and something intoxicating and manly.
“Nobody forced you to stay here.” I reluctantly grab another mug from the cupboard and pour him a coffee.
“What’s the plan today?” He takes another bite of his toast, or my toast, and chews it around his mouth as he eyes me. He seems brighter this morning, like he’s had a weight lifted. Meanwhile, I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. And he’s sitting at the top of it eating my toast.
“My plan is to iron Angelos’ clothes for the week, pack him a bag and get him to school before eight thirty, then I need to get to the airport. I have a flight at noon with a layover today.”
“I didn’t think you were working today.”
My eyes narrow. “You checked my flight schedule?”
He shrugs and reaches for another piece of toast.
I bat his hand away. “I’ll make you some if you’re hungry.”
“No, I’ll make you a proper breakfast. With your condition, you need more than a slice of toast.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m on call Monday to Friday when I’m not already working. It’s why Angelos is in boarding school since he went to secondary school, so I can work and not have to worry about childcare.”
“Where are you flying to?”
“Rome.”
He tenses. “I don’t want you going there.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ve asked specifically for Rome because I get to visit Mamma while she’s in hospital.”
“Rose.” He closes the distance between us and wraps his large hands around my arms, digging into the fleshy part around my biceps. “It’s not safe for you to be there.”
“How do you know? What the hell do you do, anyway?” I push against his chest, annoyed with how my palms tingle as they press against his skin and chest hair. “Don’t bother answering that. I won’t believe whatever you tell me.”
He places both hands on the worktop behind me, caging me in. “Right now, my only mission is to keep you and my son safe. That’s all you need to know. And I don’t want you flying to Rome. Damn it.”
His lip twitches as his face is inches from mine, his eyes darkening with anger but also pooling with something else that threatens to take me under.
It would be so easy to lose myself in his eyes like I did before.
But I’m not that girl. He took my innocence, crushed my fairy tales and left me hopeless.
The only thing that kept me going was my son.
“I have to go, Dan. I need to see my mother.” My voice wobbles. “I don’t know how long she has left. Surely you can understand that.”
He closes his eyes while grinding his back teeth. “Fine. But I’m coming with you. Book me a seat, would you?”
“I’m not your PA or a travel agent.” I roll my eyes as he reaches for his jacket, then opens his wallet and slides out a credit card.
“Just get me on the same flight.” His eyes narrow, as if daring me to give him any more lip.
“You hate flying.” I pinch my brow, trying to fathom this man.
“Yeah, I know.” His fingertip sweeps a loose strand of hair from my cheek and tucks it behind my ear as he gazes into my eyes. “But I’d fly to the ends of the earth to keep you safe.”
I swallow, my throat dry. “I thought you hated me.”
“I do.” His thumb runs along my bottom lip. “I hate you like I hate flying. But it’s something I have to endure.”
“I’m the one who has to endure you. Do you know what it’s like to look at my son and see the person I loathe every day?”
He cracks a smile. “You don’t loathe me that much. You practically called him the same name as me.”
“His name has nothing to do with you. I called him Angelos because he was the angel who gave me hope when I had none. You are the angel of death, leaving nothing but destruction in your wake.” I push against his chest again, but he’s unmovable.
“Are you gonna get out of my space? I have stuff to do and I need to book an Uber.”
He steps back, running a hand through his short brown hair and fisting it. “No need for an Uber. I’m driving my son to school.”
My chest cracks. It’s the most natural thing to say, only he’ll never be able to be his father. “Will you stop saying that. He could hear you.” I turn back to him. “And put a shirt on, would you?”
“Fine. But you need to tell him soon.”
“If you want to be a parent so much, you can start by ironing his school uniform.” My lips curve into a smile as I strut out of the kitchen like I’ve just won a game. At least I got out of the ironing. With his credit card in hand, my smile widens as a few mischievous thoughts run through my head.
“All set?” Dan says as he loads Angelos’ bag into the boot of his car.
“Nice car,” Angelos says.
“You can ride in the front if you like. Your Mum can sit in the back.” He quirks a grin in my direction.
“I didn’t want to sit next to you, anyway.” I slide into the back, behind the driver’s seat, while Angelos walks around the front of the car.
Dan holds my door. “This way you can stab me in the back like you’re used to.” He closes my door and slides behind the wheel.
I want to bite back with an equally venomous line, but Angelos jumps into the passenger seat in front.
The anger bubbling beneath my skin subsides when Dan reaches over Angelos and pulls his seatbelt across.
“Dude, I’m twelve, not two.” Angelos takes the clip from him and inserts it into the holster.
Dan chuckles and I can’t stop the smile from pushing my cheeks up and warming my heart at their interactions. We’re almost like a regular family.
Almost.
“So when’s your birthday, mate? What day?” Dan says as he drives down the road.
“Next Monday.”
“What are you doing for your birthday?”
Angelos shrugs. “I think I’m gonna hang with my mates at school.”
“I thought your mum would want to see you on your birthday.” Dan glances at me through the rear view mirror.
I let out a sigh. “I do, but Angelos said it’s lame to go out with your mother, so…”
“Mum, you said you were okay with me staying at school.”
Dan taps his fingers on the steering wheel. “You know, when I was your age, my mum wasn’t around anymore. She passed away when I was twelve and I’d do anything now to have dinner with her one last time.”
“Bruh, that’s some serious guilt trip.”
Dan chuckles. “How about me and your mum pick you up Monday and I promise to make it not suck?” He nods his head and I hear him whisper. “Your mum’s kinda lonely in the week. It gets her out of the house.”
“Sure.”
“So who’s your favourite player at City?”
I switch off as they talk about football and stare out the window as Dan drives through the country roads now we’re out of the city.
He keeps saying I betrayed him, but he’s the one who betrayed me.
Our whole past was built on a lie. He acted like my guardian angel as he rescued my bag from a thief.
I swear that was staged now. It was the perfect way for us to meet and for him to gain my trust. But he needn’t have bothered going to the trouble.
One smile from him and I was smitten. Butterflies would multiply in my stomach every time he looked at me, and once we had our first kiss, I was addicted.
He says I’m the spina velenosa, but he drip fed me tidbits like a master training his dog.
He trained me well, too, because I told him whatever it was he wanted to know.
His questions about my family weren’t so obvious, worked into general conversation, so they appeared innocent enough.
It was espionage at its finest. And he got his rocks off at the same time.
He and his brother probably had a good laugh at my expense. I was so easy in more ways than one.
The sun shines on my face and I close my eyes, transported back in time to the girl who believed in happy endings…
I clutch my book against me while I scan the Villa Borghese, looking for Dan. My heart lurches in my chest as he walks towards me, his smile warm, but the ink on his neck making him seem dark and dangerous.
I lift my phone to my face and check my reflection in the camera, pulling my hair over my cheek on one side. My stomach bubbles with excitement and I rush towards him in the rose garden. We’ve been meeting here every day since I was almost mugged last week.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Better now.” His voice is smooth, dipped in that low timbre that curls around my spine. His gaze trails down to the book in my arms. “Let me guess… Romeo and Juliet again?”
I blush, hugging it tighter. “Don’t judge. It’s for my essay.”
“I’m not judging.” He tucks his hands into the pockets of his trousers, walking slowly beside me as we enter the rows of blushing pink blooms. “English literature I’m guessing?”
“Literature class. We study all the greats—Shakespeare, Dante, Virgil. I want to teach literature. Share stories that matter… not just the ones everyone pretends to understand.”
We stroll through the rose garden, gravel crunching under our feet, the scent of blossoms clinging to the warm summer air, my dress fluttering with the breeze.
I peek at his hand near mine, our fingers just inches apart. I don’t mean to, but my pinky sways slightly towards his.
His does the same.
Our fingers brush lightly. The contact sends a flutter through my chest that I feel all the way to my toes.
“So what’s your essay about?” he asks, a small curve lifting the corner of his lips.
“I’m exploring loyalty—how love can pull you away from where you come from.”
Dan hums low in his throat, glancing sideways at me. “You think Juliet made the right choice?”