Chapter 32
A few days later, after spending most of the day at Oakwoods, we finally made it home. The house seemed quieter than usual, the lights were dimmed as if everyone was getting ready to either go out somewhere or go to bed.
Since the coast was clear, Arturo’s hands dug into my hips making me squeal in delight as he hit my ticklish spot.
“Stop it, someone will see,” I gasped, spinning to face him wearing a cheeky, boyish grin. “I like that.”
“Like what?” he asked, raising a brow.
“This,” I placed my finger against his lips, as he pressed a chaste kiss against my fingertip. “You should smile more.”
“Never had a reason to before,” he craned his head bringing his lips closer to mine, the warmth of his breath caused my skin to prickle. “Fuck, princess, the urge I have to bend you over this counter is fuckin’ killin’ me,” he growled.
“What’s stopping you?” I asked a little too eagerly.
“The kitchen’s no place for your first time, mi hermosa . And I ain’t takin’ you until I’ve worshipped every part of your body in your bed or mine,” he whispered against my lips, causing my whole body to shudder. It was as though he knew his words were enough to make me unravel.
“Bells, is that you?!” Luca shouted from what sounded like the top of the stairs.
“I’m in the kitchen,” I called back, wriggling out of Arturo’s grip.
“Finally, where the fuck have you been?! I’ve been calling you for hours!” He snapped, his face like thunder.
“I was at Oakwoods. What’s up?” I felt Arturo’s posture change behind me.
“What’s up?! Are you kidding me right now?!” He bellowed, expecting me to flinch but I didn’t. “Have you forgotten what fucking day it is?!”
“Luca, lower your tone,” Arturo warned, the harshness in his voice could have cut glass.
“This isn’t your business, Arturo, so stay out of it!” Luca was on a roll, words spilling from his mouth like acid.
“Hey! Don’t speak to him like that. Whatever issue you have is with me, not him.” I stepped closer to Luca as he stepped backwards.
“You’re out there gallivanting around without a care in the world while me and Theo are living through the worst day of the year!” Luca slammed his fist on the island, his mouth a thin line.
“Papa, I got them.” Theo came bounding into the kitchen holding a bouquet of white lilies.
Peyton’s favourites… Fuck…
“Theo, go and wait in the car.” Luca barked, making Theo jump. He didn’t respond and instead sprinted out the door to the garage clutching the flowers to his chest.
“Luca, I’m sorry?—”
“I don’t want to hear it.” He huffed, his eyes wild with grief.
He ran a hand through his hair as he seethed and stared daggers at me.
“You’re always here. You never forget! What’s the matter with you?
Were you so worried about yourself that you couldn’t be bothered to worry about Theo or me for even a second?
!” I’d never heard him sound so cold. “You’re so fucking selfish, Bella! ”
“Watch your fuckin’ mouth, Luca,” Arturo spat, he was visibly irritated. I knew playing the bodyguard and nothing else was stretching him to the limit.
“I already told you once, this isn’t your business. Know your fucking place!” I watched Arturo ball his fists up as they stormed toward each other.
“Enough!” I screamed. Luca looked down at me with a frown, his nostrils flaring as he pulled in deep, irate breaths.
“You seem to forget, Luca Giovanni Ricci, I was the one who cried with you.” I punctuated my point by stabbing him with my forefinger.
“I was the one who has been there day in and day out. I’ve been here every single day since she passed, helping you to raise Theo, so how dare you call me selfish?—”
“What on earth is going on here?!” My mother stepped into the kitchen, shock filling her expression.
“Your daughter! That’s what. The one day I fucking need her, and where is she?
Out spending time with people she clearly gives more shits about.
” I frowned and looked at Arturo as my throat began to choke with unshed tears.
“She’s a selfish bitch, who doesn’t care about anyone but herself.
” I couldn’t listen anymore, tears stung my eyes as I felt the world begin to crumble beneath me.
Looking up at my twin brother felt like looking at a stranger.
“Luca, don’t you dare speak that way about your sister!” My mother replied, shoving her way inside to stand before him.
“It’s fine, Ma,” I forced a smile before heading out of the kitchen, pausing on the stairs for a moment.
I could feel the tension between Arturo and Luca as I left, it was undeniable.
“You have no idea how wrong you are, Luca,” my mother scolded. “You are so far off base.”
“Am I? She doesn’t even remember Peyton.
She barely even grieved for her. But I guess I’m supposed to accept that, right?
Now that perfect little Isabella is going to take over from Papa, she’s got more “important shit” to worry about, is that it?
” Luca’s tone sliced through me. It hurt deeper than I’d have thought.
“Luca, you know that isn’t true. Isabella has been nothing but there for you since the day Peyton left us all.
For goodness sake, she stepped up for Theo when you were too broken to be a father!
” The kitchen went silent as Luca digested my mother’s words.
“And as for those more important things you so venomously referred to, she only took on this role that she didn’t want because you couldn’t handle being a leader and a parent.
Then the one time in five years that she forgets you treat her like shit?
I won’t stand for it. No son of mine will speak to his sister that way.
” Shock filled my body from the staircase.
My mother had never put Luca in his place the way she did just then.
Luca had always been the golden boy of the family.
Never getting in trouble. Always getting good grades and having an easy time in school.
Life for him had just been… easy, until it hadn’t.
Just as I was about to climb the steps my mother spoke again.
“And Luca, remember this… you didn’t just lose your fiancée, your sister lost her best friend. ”
“Peyton was the love of my life!” he screamed. My heart tore for him, but the lack of regret in his voice told me all I needed to hear.
“I apologise in advance, Ana, but I’ve heard enough of this shit.
” Arturo started and I knew it wouldn’t end well.
“Since I’ve been here I have only ever seen Bella care endlessly about her family, especially you and Theo, mate.
So, when exactly will you be the one to look after her, eh?
When will you realise she needs time to fuckin’ grieve just as much as you do?
!” Wow… “And I don’t think for one second Bella has ever given herself the chance to grieve properly.
Now if you’ll excuse me, Ana, I need to go and check on your daughter.
Christ knows she could do with a friend right about now. ”
“I wouldn’t, Arturo. My daughter doesn’t deal well when people try to help. She likes to be left alone.” I swiped stray tears from my face.
“What she wants and what she needs are two completely different things,” Arturo was firm and made his point clear. By that point, I couldn’t have stopped the tears from falling even if I’d wanted to.
I knew he was about to make his way towards where I sat on the stairs but I couldn’t move. I felt numb. Broken and betrayed. All those years I put Luca first, hiding my grief so he could lean on me for support finally came flooding in at a rapid speed.
“Bella?” Arturo whispered, I hadn’t even felt him approach me. “Come on, let’s go,” he scooped me into his arms, and carried me to my room, meeting my father on the way.
“Bells?! Are you okay?! What happened?!” My father’s words tumbled out of his mouth in a panic.
“Why don’t you go ask your son,” Arturo replied, holding me tighter against his chest.
“Arturo, you’re new to this family so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But today is a rough day for Luca?—”
“Doesn’t give him the right to speak his own sister like she’s shit on the bottom of his shoe. What he said was down right fucked up.” With that he barged into my room, leaving the door ajar as he popped me down on the bed.
“I will speak to your brother, Bells.” My father said from behind us.
I knew what Arturo had said had left him rattled, but he never crossed the line, neither of them did.
They both respected the boundaries while making their feelings known.
Papa’s respect for him was intact. “Would you mind keeping an eye on her, please?”
“Always,” came Arturo’s reply. And with that, my father was gone.
“I’m here, hermosa , let it all out,” Arturo sighed, as he enveloped me in his embrace.
“I can’t, I don’t know how.” And it was true. I didn’t know how to grieve. I’d spent so long hiding it. It was all I knew.
“You don’t have to hide anythin’ with me. I’m here. I will always be here.” There was something soothing about his voice, like he knew my pain so intimately.
“Arturo I feel so lost.” I stared down at my floor and felt the tears pour down my face.
“That’s okay… Being lost is good. Go with it.
” And for some reason those words brought me more comfort than I’d felt in years.
I leant against his shoulder and howled as I remembered my friend.
The late night sleepovers. Baking cookies for camping.
The first time we had gotten bad haircuts.
All of it. At one point I didn’t know where Peyton started and I ended.
For a long time, she’d been everything to me.
Arturo held me in his steady arms, comforting me until the sun finally went down and there were no more tears to cry.
“Talk to me,” he breathed, his fingers toying with the ends of my hair. “I know pain, Bella, I’ve suffered enough to know you’re hurtin’.”