Chapter 41
Marissa walked toward the stairs with two totes filled with groceries. As she neared the stairs, Bruno appeared with his hands stuffed into his pants pockets.
“Can we talk?”
She swallowed. When he left the other day, she never thought she’d see him again. “About what?”
“Us.”
She suddenly felt very, very tired. Life was a cruel bitch. One minute she had everything. The next minute she had nothing at all. The world had been pressing down on her for days, and she didn’t have the energy to do much at the moment. She wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for twelve hours but couldn’t.
Theo was back in school, and the bus would be dropping him off soon. Then she needed to review her budget. She’d gone over last week. She’d have to be more judicious about the treats she purchased for her son—at least for the time being. Without knowing when she’d get another job, she had to be careful and make her money stretch for as long as possible.
“Bruno, as I explained to you before, I have a lot going on, and I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with anything else. I’m sorry about what I said to you last time you were here. The mistake I made was mine and mine alone. Story of my life. I screwed up. I guess I thought I was old enough to know better by now. Theo will be home soon, so…”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked if we could talk, but you haven’t answered the question. Yes or no?” His voice was emotionless, and she couldn’t tell if he was angry at her or not.
Part of her wanted to say no, but she couldn’t bring herself to let the word leave her lips. She was curious about what he had to say, and frankly, it was good to see him. She missed him. She missed his dreamy gray eyes that almost always turned her knees to jelly when they focused on her for more than five seconds.
She missed his sense of humor and how he made her feel treasured and cared for. Like the night he insisted on driving her to the hospital because he knew she was falling apart with worry, and then he stayed for hours until they came out. She thought about that a lot—how he had stayed and he didn’t have to.
“Yes, we can talk, but Theo will be home soon.”
He extended his hand, and she gave him the bags.
“After you,” Bruno said.
Marissa led the way up the stairs. Inside the apartment, Bruno placed the groceries on the counter.
It felt strange to see him and not touch him, but she wasn’t sure what to do with her hands at the moment, so she clasped them in front of her.
“You shouldn’t have shut me out,” he said.
She nodded her agreement. She’d been emotional and not thinking straight. “I guess I had to separate myself from the fantasy of being with you. We had fun?—”
“We had more than fun. We were in a relationship. I gave you space because you asked me to, but we need to talk about what happened and how to move forward.”
“I don’t expect anything from you,” she said.
He frowned. “Maybe you’re saying that because you don’t want to be disappointed, but you should expect plenty from me. For God’s sake, I’m rich!”
Her brother had pretty much told her the same thing using different words.
He continued. “I’m sorry about what happened at your job, and despite what you said, I do feel responsible. I invited you to California, and that was the beginning of our relationship. Your life is upended because of me.”
Marissa shrugged. “I’m an adult. I knew what I was doing.”
“Which is why I don’t understand why you shut me out,” Bruno said.
“For self-preservation. What happened between us was thrilling and exciting—the most excitement I’ve ever experienced in my life. Your family was welcoming and treated me and my son as if we were part of the family.”
Her throat hurt with emotion as she thought about the wedding and Theo’s excitement about making new friends. The food, the castle-like mansion, and the fireworks. He’d talked about the wedding for days and had drawn a picture that alerted Chet to her relationship with Bruno.
“Then there was the other stuff—flying to L.A. for the James Beard Awards, the dinners, the gifts—all way beyond my wildest dreams. But I know all of that was only temporary, and I can’t concentrate on being wined and dined right now when I’m wondering if I’ll be able to pay my bills in six months.”
“Paying your bills is not something you should have to worry about,” Bruno said.
“But that’s my reality.”
“Your reality was also going on trips and receiving gifts from me, and I don’t know why you believe what happened between us was only temporary. I care deeply about you. I can’t sleep because I miss you and long to talk to you. The only reason I didn’t come sooner was because I wanted to respect your boundaries.”
Marissa laughed softly. “Everything you’re saying sounds wonderful, but you know my son and I are a package deal, right?”
His eyebrows snapped together. “I know.”
“Do you?”
“Of course!”
Shaking her head, Marissa walked away from him. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.”
“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I’m in love with you, Marissa. I can’t lose you.”
She swung around to face him.
“Yes, I love you,” Bruno confirmed.
“Th-that’s unexpected.”
“It shouldn’t be. You should have expected me to say that. You’ve become an important part of my life in a short time.”
“You told me that you don’t believe in love, and you think marriage is temporary.”
“I know what I said in our first meeting, but my opinion has changed since then.”
“You also said you didn’t want a woman with kids, do you remember that? Has your opinion about single mothers changed, because that was one of your deal breakers.” She had never forgotten what he said, and those words loomed in the back of her mind like a menacing shadow, warning her not to get attached.
“Yes, but?—”
“What am I supposed to think? If you don’t want to be the stepfather to another man’s child, then that’s a problem—for me and Theo. I have to think about him, and how he’ll be treated down the line when you’re tired of playing stepdaddy. I have to protect him. I know about parental hurt and disappointment, and I won’t do anything to cause him pain. He’s excited about new experiences, and I want him to experience as much as possible, but not if he’ll be hurt in the end.”
“You and Theo are part of my life now. If I never saw you and him again, it would kill me,” Bruno grated.
“So you just changed your mind about single mothers all of a sudden?” Marissa asked, skeptical.
“My reason for not wanting to date a woman with children was because I had bad experiences. One woman practically forced me into being her son’s stepfather. You never forced me onto your son. You’ve been careful and protective of him. In the other situation, the father tried to fight me because he accused me of trying to take his place. I have no desire to compete with Chet, but I don’t know if he feels the same way, and that’s something we’ll have to work through. I can’t lose you or Theo. I want both of you in my life.”
Hope fluttered in her chest, but she ruthlessly stifled it. “I’m sorry, Bruno. I’m just not sure.”
“How do you feel about me?” he asked.
“I care about you.”
“Do you love me?”
Marissa bit the inside of her bottom lip. She easily told her brother and her son that she loved them, but saying the same words to Bruno seemed dangerous. She’d made mistakes over the years and at times doubted her own judgment, but maybe—this time—she wouldn’t be making a mistake if she admitted her feelings.
“Yes, I love you. Very much,” she whispered.
“Then marry me.”
“What? I wasn’t trying to give you an ultimatum.”
Bruno moved closer and took her hands in his. “I went to see Arnie. He gave me a reference letter for you, and I paid the damages for the breach of contract. He won’t sue you.”
Her mouth fell open. “You did?”
“Yes, because I went to Executive Match to find a wife, and I found her. Since you enjoy bringing up what I’ve said in the past, you’ve also said you’re not spontaneous, but that’s not true. You were spontaneous when you went to L.A. with me.”
“Somehow you changed my mind.”
“And you changed mine. What I think about love and what I think about marriage. I have not, however, changed my mind about what I’d do when I found the right woman. I told you when I found the woman I wanted to marry, I wouldn’t wait. I want to get married right away. You said you love me, and I love you. Marry me. Let’s take more trips and spend more time with family. I need you. I need you to be here when I get back from my business trips. I need you to listen to my complaints and cheer on my accomplishments. Let me take care of you and Theo. Let’s take care of each other.”
“You’re serious.” She searched his face.
“I love you and Theo, and I want to be there for both of you. I want to be your anchor, and I don’t want you to have doubts about my intentions. I’ll keep my promises and give you the life you’ve dreamed of. Lean on me. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Those were the best words she’d ever heard.
Marissa flung her arms around his neck and melted into his embrace. The man of her dreams had arrived. He didn’t look or sound the way she had expected, but he was there nonetheless. Her soulmate.
“Is that a yes?” Bruno asked against her earlobe.
She laughed and nodded, so overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn’t speak. Finally, after an eternity, she whispered, “Yes.”
Bruno kissed her gently and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “You had me worried for a minute.”
“I can’t make things easy for you,” she joked.
They kissed, and as her body heated, Marissa whimpered quietly, happy to be in his arms again. Her days had been empty and bleak without him.
The sound of the school bus outside made her pull away. “Theo’s here.”
They both went to the window, and she watched as her son descended the bus with the other kids in the neighborhood. They all went their separate ways, and he started the climb up the stairs to the second floor.
Marissa opened the door and he rushed in, tossing his backpack on the floor.
When he saw Bruno, he gasped and his eyes widened. “Bruno!”
He raced over, and Bruno lifted him into a hug. “Hey, there.”
“Where have you been?” Theo asked, as he was placed back on his feet.
“I had some things to take care of.”
“Work?” Theo asked.
“Something like that.”
“Mommy lost her job,” he said in a solemn voice.
“She told me.”
“Are we still going to the game?” Theo asked tentatively.
Bruno dropped to his haunches. “Yes. I promised we would, and we will. You, me, Damon, Junior, and Tracy. We’ll be up in the stands cheering on the Braves.”
“Cool!”
He flung his arm around Bruno’s neck. “I missed you.”
Marissa covered her mouth and blinked back tears. Her son was so open and giving with affection.
Bruno hugged him and cradled the back of his head. “I missed you too.”