CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Buzz. My phone sounded. It was a text from Isla.
Isla: Dr. Vitale will call you after you arrive in Milan.
Of course, Rocco told her all about it. There was never even a minute of privacy.
“Who was that?” Rocco asked.
“Isla. She told me Dr. Vitale will call me.”
“I’ll call her back,” he said.
I frowned. “You don’t need to. I can—”
However, Rocco didn’t wait or tell me he wouldn’t. He walked over to the pilot and started speaking with him. I walked over to the stairs to the plane and had only passed them when he called to my back, “Go to the bedroom and rest.”
I clenched my jaw. Out of sight, out of mind? There was no time to argue; the press could be lurking. I hurried onto the plane, not stopping until I reached the back bedroom. Rest was impossible after everything that had happened.
Once we were airborne, I curled on my side, eyes fixed on the door, hoping Rocco would come but dreading it at the same time.
The change in him was stark: his voice hesitant, his touch absent.
Marjorie’s words from Cannes echoed in my mind: Rocco can leave you mighty cold in his shade.
I felt that chill now, loneliness seeping in.
Sleep was out of the question, so I tried to lose myself in a thriller, flipping through chapters before giving up.
My stomach rumbled. Was I really hungry, or was it nerves?
Could I actually be pregnant? I lifted my shirt and gently rubbed my belly. Hey, Baby Marini. Are you in there?
A sound near the door had me turning my head.
It was Rocco. He placed his arm along the doorpost, his profile dazzling.
He still made me feel like a teen with my first crush.
I wanted to play it cool under his steady gaze, but it was impossible.
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and I could see the hurt there, and my guilt and self-loathing made me want to hide.
“I was just, uhm…” I mumbled.
His eyes lowered to my hands, which were still on my abdomen, amplifying the elephant in the room. Our possible baby. That he doesn’t want…
His expression turned blank, and I quickly moved my hand away, averted my eyes, and mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Yeah, you keep saying.” He sighed heavily. “I understand why you did it—”
“It wasn’t as you think, Rocco—”
“You were trying to help me and everyone else. That’s what you always do.
But I thought of myself as not only your husband but also a friend you can confide in…
” He didn’t continue with his train of thought, but I knew what he meant.
I didn’t give him the grace that he deserved as a partner.
I swallowed hard. “I came back to get you to sit with us for the landing. Rick’s going to give a quick security brief because we expect the press will be there. Zane will take you to the hotel.”
“Where are you going?”
“I want to talk to Gunnar sooner rather than later. We’ll have a quick discussion, and I’ll meet you there. So…”
I rolled over and crawled off the bed, straightening my clothes that were mussed.
Rocco shook his head.
I blinked up at him, adjusting my clothes. “What?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
“You know you’re a little silly.” A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
Rocco walked over, and my pulse sped up as he leaned down, picked up a strand of hair, and moved it in front of my eye to show I had missed some paint.
“Do you need me to wash your hair?” he teased, which he’d said many times.
And I gave him the answer I always gave. “Maybe I do.”
He trailed his hand down my head, and I closed my eyes, hoping he’d hold me, but then he removed his hand, and I deflated.
Ding. I glanced over at the seatbelt light that was now on.
“Come on.” He walked to the door.
“Do you have any more news?”
“The board meeting may be in a couple of days to give us time to prepare.”
I stood up and put on my heels. “I want to go.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because it could get ugly.”
“I can handle it—”
“I can’t handle it, Adelina,” he said and grimaced. “I’ll lose my temper if they say anything to hurt you. And Mom may find out about the possible baby. You won’t be able to shake her.”
I squared my shoulders. “I’m tougher than you think.”
“You are. You’re the most practical woman I know…” He stared off.
I pulled my hair over my shoulder and flicked my gaze at him. “Is it really a bad thing? It was one of the things you admired about me.”
“I admire many things. But sometimes…” His voice trailed off, and my pulse sped up.
“Sometimes what?” I asked.
“Sometimes, I want to be your hero,” he muttered.
Our gazes connected, and my heart panged.
“You always are,” I said, my voice cracking. “Every day.”
He broke eye contact, and his expression went blank. “Come. We’re leaving.”
I followed him out of the room and strapped into a seat next to him.
A rush of excitement filled me at the prospect of seeing another city I had only read about. Rocco probably had a story or two he could share about his time here. Maybe another time.
Rick and Zane had a plan to exit first and work with security to get the press away. Gunnar and Isla would be on another plane nearby. We’d leave in separate cars.
Once we landed, they went to check. After ten minutes, they returned, and Rocco gestured for me to go ahead of him.
I walked down the stairs, putting my sunglasses on out of habit, especially when we encountered the press and photographers.
Another plane was already there with Gunnar, Isla, and a handsome man in a pressed suit with a colorful, printed T-shirt underneath.
He walked over to us, and Rocco appeared to my left.
His hand was light on my back. “Xander.”
The man waved both hands and came over to us. “Mr. Handsome. Good to see you.”
Xander hugged Rocco and gave me a wink over his shoulder.
Rocco’s smile broadened. “I didn’t know you were coming to Milan. Are Nadia and Paul here too?”
“Nope, just fabulous me,” Xander said and gestured down his body.
“We were celebrating Nadia’s mom’s birthday when you called Gunnar.
He told us he was heading to Milan.” He turned to me with a bright smile.
“And I came to meet your beautiful wife, bond, and become lifelong friends.” He extended his hand. “Hello, Adelina.”
I smiled and took his hand. “Nice to meet you, Xander.”
“I’ve been dying to dress you. We can shop or do what you usually do?”
I grinned and shrugged. “I paint most of the time.”
“I make prints,” Xander said. “Maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle.”
Gunnar came over and said, “Hello, Adelina. Rocco, you ready?”
“Xander, you’re booked at the same hotel,” Isla said as she stepped forward.
My phone buzzed, and all heads turned toward me. I opened my phone and checked. Lily Crane. “Oh, my goodness.”
“What is it?” Rocco stepped closer to me.
“It’s Lily,” I said and bit my lip.
He gave me a soft smile. “All you can do is answer.”
“True.” I took a deep breath and said, “Hello?”
“Hello, Adelina.” Her tone was pleasant. “Are you still in Florence?”
“No, we’re in Milan. We’re on the tarmac.”
“I love Milan. I’m back in the British Virgin Islands at our house here.”
“Uhm, that’s great,” I squeaked.
“I guess you want me to get to the point,” she mused.
“No, uh, I mean, we can talk about whatever you want,” I said and bit my bottom lip.
“Well, allow me to put you at rest. We want you to illustrate the Brenna Strongborne and the Shadow Prince series.”
My hand tightened on the phone, and I looked at Rocco and gave him the thumbs up. “Oh, my God. Really?”
“Yes, and let me tell you, there were award-winning finalists for this series. But those paintings you sent photos of…they were so stunning and far above anything we’d ever encountered. You made us believe the story was real.”
I touched my stomach. “Wow. Thank you; I’m honored.”
“We’ll be putting together an offer.”
“Thank you so much.”
“You won’t be thanking me once you see the schedule and the amount of work,” Lily said jokingly. “But congratulations, Adelina. You deserve it. We’ll talk soon.”
“Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Goodbye,” she said, and I repeated it, and we hung up.
I let out a scream and raised my hands in the air.
Rocco grabbed me around the waist and spun me in a circle. “I knew it. I’m so proud of you.” I held on to him, inhaling his spicy ginger scent. “How does it feel?” he said when he let me go.
Rocco knew how much this meant, my lifelong dream finally taking flight.
Suddenly, I was a teen, back in that thrift store parking lot, a sketchpad from the dollar store in my lap and a battered copy of William Sleator’s Into the Dream beside me.
That book taught me to imagine worlds beyond what I could see, to draw not just what was in front of me but what lived in my mind.
I’d pictured myself with wings, soaring through endless sky, promising myself that one day I’d fly away.
Now, I was being paid to create dreams. It was more than I’d ever dared hope for. “It feels amazing.”
“I’m proud of you, Adelina,” he said as he lightly wrapped his arms around me again, and I clung to him, squeezing his waist.
“I love you, Superman,” I whispered, and for a few moments, there wasn’t anything other than us, two people entwined by duty and fate. But what grew from that was love. My love for him was undeniable. Only love could hurt this much.
Rocco let me go, and I stepped back and hid my eyes. I couldn’t bear to see anything but love back.
“Hey, Rocco,” Xander said, stepping forward to stand next to me. “How about we celebrate?”
I shook my head at Xander. “It’s not a good time—”
“No,” Rocco said, interrupting me.
Xander’s gaze shifted between the two of us, and his brows lifted. “Maybe you two would prefer to stay in?”
“No,” Rocco said to him. “We’ll celebrate.”
I looked at Rocco, then raised my brows and said what we both knew. There was no room for a spur-of-the-moment change to his schedule.
“Don’t worry. We’ll make it work,” he said. “We celebrate our wins.”
I wanted to rush over and jump all over him with kisses and hugs, but I wasn’t sure how he’d react.
“Rocco, Xander, we have to leave now,” Isla said and cleared her throat.
Zane’s hand reached for my arm. “Let’s go.”
“But aren’t we going together?”
“We are, but in separate cars. I’d like to talk to Gunnar.”
I swallowed, nodded, and left without a word. Once inside the car, I stole a glance at him out the window. Rocco hung back and waited until Zane climbed inside, and even that small gesture gave me a rope to hold onto. All I could do was try to win back his trust, but I had no idea how.