CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ROME
––––––––
That night, I dreamed of her.
I dreamed of our life together. Our home. Our conversations. I dreamed of having her bath water prepared for her when she got home from work. I dreamed of massaging her feet as she told me how her day went.
And if she complained about someone, I waited until I put her to bed, fucking her good until she was able to sleep well. Then I left the house in the dead of the night and hunted down those who’d stressed her out.
I dreamed of her massaging me after I’d had a particularly bad day. That massage turned sexual when her hands drifted across my abs, moving lower until my fucking phone rang, dragging me out of my sleep and the best wet dream I’d had in years.
Reaching across the nightstand, I grabbed my phone. I answered without opening my eyes, angry that I’d been pulled away from my faceless lover.
“What the fuck?” I growled.
“Damn. Who has pissed you off this early in the morning?” Raz asked.
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter.
“Why are you calling me this early in the morning, brother?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“I waited until I thought you were up. Normally, you’re awake by now.”
“What time is it?”
“It's after nine in the morning. Why are you still sleeping? That’s not like you.”
Fuck. Was it after nine? I rubbed my eyes, then slowly opened them, noting the morning light drifting into my bedroom. I hadn’t slept-in like this in a while.
“What do you want, Orazio?”
“Why are you still in bed?” he asked.
“You told me to rest and not work until I'm completely healed,” I reminded him. “Please don't tell me you want me to come to today's board meeting with you.”
“No.”
Relief washed through me. I had no desire to deal with board members right now. I’d had my fill of them during my time in Italy. Actually, I had no desire to return to the casinos at all. I needed a break. I just hadn’t told my brothers yet.
“I don’t need you at the board meeting this time,” Raz told me. “I have Cas and Leo with me.”
“Then why are you calling me when I should be resting?” I asked, turning onto my side slowly, trying not to aggravate my wound.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“What is it?”
“I need you to accompany Monique to a florist today, so she won't have to go alone.”
What the hell? Groaning, I closed my eyes. Not wedding stuff. Anything but that. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my day looking at flowers.
“Where are her friends?” I asked.
“They had a special order to deal with at their boutique today. So, Monique planned to go to the florist alone. But I don’t like the idea of her doing this by herself.
If I could, I would be there with her. But this damn meeting can’t be canceled or postponed.
And Monique wouldn’t change her date. She said the florist shop has been busy and she didn’t want to reschedule. ”
“It’s not like there’s only one florist in the city,” I told him. “Why does it have to be this one?”
“I think this one is one Julian’s girlfriend recommended to her.”
“Yeah... but...”
“You’re my brother and my groomsman,” he reminded me. “This is one of your duties. I don’t ask for much. But I need you on this one. I don’t want her handling wedding stuff by herself. It doesn’t sit right with me. Even if she says it’s okay, I don’t like it.”
Damn it. I got where he was coming from. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have understood. But I did now.
“Okay,” I mumbled. “I'll do it.”
“Thank you, Rome. I mean it.”
“Yeah, yeah. You owe me. I’ve got something I need to discuss with you and Cas later. It’s not important. So, no rush.”
“Call me when you’re ready to meet. Oh, and Monique’s appointment is at one. Don’t be late. And if she’s feeling chatty, talk to her. Don’t be all Silent Rome. And...”
“Send it to me in a text,” I muttered, then ended the call.
He was treating his fiancée like a houseplant with a list of instructions to make sure she stayed alive. Shaking my head, I turned over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. So much for spending my day working on codes.
Now I had to spend the day looking at flowers and listening to Monique talk about wedding décor. I loved and respected my sister-in-law. But she was in full bride mode, and every other word out of her mouth was something about the wedding.
This was going to be a long day.
At exactly twelve-thirty, I pulled into the driveway of Raz's beach house. The Gulf stretched behind the property, sunlight dancing across the water. I sat there for a moment and appreciated the view.
After I told Raz that I needed a break, I would move out to my own beach house and rest and relax. Hell, I didn’t have to wait until I told him. I could send some of the housekeeping staff out today to get the place ready.
First, I had to prepare for an afternoon of flowers.
Killing the engine, I climbed out and headed up the walkway. I knocked on the front door and waited. Moments later, the door opened. Monique stood on the other side, wearing a brown spring dress and beige sandals, holding a beige purse.
Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in waves, and she was sporting a huge grin. She looked like a woman ready to go shopping for wedding flowers. And apparently, flowers were important to brides.
“Good afternoon, Monique. You're looking as lovely as ever,” I told her.
Her smile widened.
“Thank you, Rome,” she said as she stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind her.
After locking it, she turned toward me.
“You're looking as handsome as ever. I’m sorry, Raz forced you to accompany me to the floral shop. I told him I was a big girl who could shop by herself. But he said I shouldn’t have to do wedding shopping alone.
If I’d protested, he would’ve canceled the board meeting to come with me. So, I gave in.”
I chuckled. “No problem. I'd rather be here with you than on bed rest.”
Not true. But that earned me another smile.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Better.”
That wasn't a lie. As we reached my vehicle, I opened the passenger-side door for her.
“Thank you,” she said as she climbed inside.
After closing the door, I walked around the front of the vehicle and got behind the wheel. Once I started the engine, Monique gave me the address to the florist. I plugged the address into the navigation system and pulled away from the beach house.
“Stefanie, Julian's girlfriend, recommended the shop to me,” Monique said.
I nodded while focusing on the road.
“I've been talking with the lady who owns the shop over the phone. But today is the first day I get to meet her.”
“Hopefully she lives up to the recommendation,” I said, being engaging, the way Raz told me to be.
“Oh, I'm sure she will.”
There was no missing the excitement in her voice. Monique was genuinely looking forward to this. I didn't understand it. But then again, I didn't understand wedding planning in general.
I’d listened as she talked to Raz about her plans for the wedding. Raz had seemed engrossed in the conversation, while it sounded like a foreign language to me.
Flowers.
Colors schemes.
Seating charts.
The entire process sounded exhausting. But Monique had seemed happy. And seeing her happy made Raz happy. And that part, I could understand. Monique continued talking as we drove.
“Raz is unable to go shopping with me because he's busy handling board meetings. And Meka and Toya had things to do at our boutique.”
I nodded.
“And the floral shop has been busy. Today was the only day she could fit me in to show me an array of the things I wanted to see. So I couldn't cancel.”
“What is it you're wanting to see?” I asked, trying to sound engaged, because women liked that.
Monique immediately listed the things she wanted.
“I need to look at flowers, and I want to look around the shop to see if I can get any inspiration from the things they have in the store. But since I have you with me, I specifically want a man's perspective on boutonnières and floral details for the men in the wedding party.”
I didn’t know what the fuck a boutonnière was. But I was about to find out.
“I'll help in any way I can,” I told her.
Monique beamed. “Thank you.”
The smile on her face made me realize something. Making women happy wasn't always complicated. Sometimes they didn't want grand gestures. Sometimes they just wanted someone willing to show up and participate in the things that mattered to them.
Interesting.
I should remember that. Especially for when I finally entered Juliet's life. When that day came, I intended to pay attention to the things that mattered to her. From the smallest to the largest. Even if they made absolutely no sense to me.
Like buying flowers when they grew naturally outside. You could just find a field and pick some. Or watching anime to fall asleep. Watching anime would keep me awake, not put me to sleep.
But if it mattered to Juliet, then it would matter to me, too. That thought stayed with me as I followed the navigation toward the florist. All the while, I listened as Monique explained why she was having two weddings.
One was for our family, who wanted her to have a traditional wedding as the don’s wife. The beach wedding was for her, Raz, and their closest family and friends. It would be more of a celebration with the people they loved.
When she asked me if I needed a plus-one invitation, I nearly drove off the road. The question surprised me and made me think of Juliet. If I could convince her to trust me and let me in, yeah, I would need that plus-one.
If not, then I’d be there alone, watching my brother commit his life to the woman he adored. Since Monique was waiting for an answer, I simply told her to give me some time to think about it. That pacified her for now.
When we pulled up to our destination, I realized I’d passed this place many times. There was a sandwich shop around the corner that I liked. I exited the vehicle, then opened Monique’s door and helped her out.