Chapter 2
2
GAbrIELLA
“ I hope you don’t mind hanging out with me.” Vivienne shook her head with a soft laugh. “Your brother has taken his protectiveness to a new level ever since we found out that I was pregnant.”
“I was actually looking forward to getting some quality girl time without Rafa hovering,” I assured her.
I adored my sisters, but since we were the same age, it hadn’t taken me long to feel closer to Vivienne than them. Lucia was only two years younger than me, but there was a big difference between almost eighteen and twenty in our world. She hadn’t been allowed to spread her wings much yet, so I felt our age difference more deeply when I returned from New York. Although I’d stayed with our cousin Nic—who was the head of The Family, the boss——between art school and interning at our gallery there, House of Verità, I’d still had the chance to broaden my horizons while I was there.
And Chiara was seven years younger than me. She was the most sheltered of us all because she had only just become a teenager and was the baby of our family.
Vivienne giggled. “But he does it so well.”
Considering all of the practice he’d gotten with Lucia, Chiara, and me, I wasn’t surprised. “He really does.”
As far as I was concerned, Vivienne was the best thing that had happened to my brother. It was all due to her that Rafa was happier than I’d ever seen him…and the baby she was carrying.
She leaned forward and lowered her voice, a conspiratorial gleam in her eye. “The best girl talk is about boys. But I’m assuming you don’t want to hear any of the dirty details about your brother and me.”
The instinctive retching sound I made confirmed she was right, but just in case, I also answered, “Absolutely not.”
“That’s what I thought.” She settled her elbow on the table between us and propped her chin against her palm. “I guess that leaves us with George. How are things going with him?”
That was a tough question to answer. I had been looking forward to being allowed to date for years before it finally happened, so I should’ve been thrilled to talk about my first boyfriend. Instead, I didn’t feel an ounce of enthusiasm. Which was sadly also true for all of the dates George had taken me on since he first asked me out. Probably because he wasn’t the man who had starred in my every fantasy for the past four years.
It also didn’t help that George wasn’t going to earn any boyfriend of the year awards anytime soon. Except maybe for being the most boring one ever.
There were no spontaneous kisses, no heated glances. Maybe I’d hoped that being involved with someone like him would make me forget the unattainable man who I'd spent countless nights dreaming about. Clearly, that wasn’t working out.
“Could be better,” I mumbled into my coffee cup. It also chafed that Domenico was right. George was a spineless sap.
Vivienne’s eyes narrowed. “That isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for the guy. I don’t really have any dating experience beyond your brother since my jerk of an ex-fiancé doesn’t count, but I’m a good listener.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with George,” I mumbled, trying to find the words to explain how complicated my situation was without confessing my crush on Domenico. “It’s nice to go out on dates, but he doesn’t really get me.”
Vivienne rested her hand over the barely noticeable bump of her belly. “You deserve to be with someone who’ll sweep you off your feet, Gabbi. Like Rafa did with me.”
“I know, but I thought maybe he was moving so slow because he’s old-fashioned.” Heaving a sigh, I shrugged. “Although we go out on dates by ourselves, he basically treats me like we’re courting, as though it’s more than a hundred years ago and he doesn’t want to break any rules.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I wouldn’t like that at all.”
“He hasn’t even tried to kiss me yet,” I confessed.
Vivienne’s hand dropped to her side as her eyes widened. “Really?”
I nodded. “Not even a peck on the cheek.”
“Dang.” She let out a low whistle. “That’s a long time to go without making a single move.”
“Tell me about it,” I grumbled.
Vivienne winced. “I hate to ask, but do you even want him to try at this point?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Not really. I’m kind of over dating now.”
She tucked a lock of her long blond hair behind her ear, offering me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, Gabbi. I know you had high hopes.”
I shrugged and forced a smile. “I’m just glad Rafa has finally stopped treating me like a kid, for the most part.”
“He worries about you.”
“I know,” I replied, my tone softening. The last thing I wanted was to put any stress on my brother when he was finally settling down and living the life he deserved.
Vivienne gave me a knowing look and raised an eyebrow. “And I have to admit, there’s been this niggling thought in the back of my head that he has good reason to be concerned.”
My breath stalled in my chest, making it hard to sound unaffected as I murmured, “I can’t imagine why.”
She quirked a brow, and her expression clearly said she wasn’t buying what I was selling. “Mm-hmm.”
If my brother ever needed to break someone, he should just bring in his pregnant wife and let her stare at them. In the four years that I had been crushing on Domenico, I hadn’t told a soul. But all it took was a minute of her dubious look before I cracked.
“Fine, I’ve basically been in love with Domenico my entire life,” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest in a protective gesture. “But there isn’t anything for Rafa to worry about. It’s not as though Domenico will ever make a move on me. He basically runs in the opposite direction anytime I walk into a room.”
“I don’t know,” Vivienne muttered, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve only known him for a few months, but Domenico doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who avoids someone just for the heck of it. He’s too disciplined for that so there has to be a reason.”
I rolled my eyes with a snort. “Yeah, it’s because he feels the chemistry between us too but refuses to act on it. I’m sure there’s some macho crap in his head about not wanting to betray my brother, but I think Rafa would come around to the idea of us. Not that I’ve ever been able to talk to Domenico about any of this when he’s too busy pushing me away on the rare times he isn’t avoiding me.”
My heart ached as I remembered how hurt I’d been when he told me that he hadn’t even noticed that I was at a family dinner a few days ago.
“I don’t know, Gabbi.” Vivienne tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “You’ve lived in this life longer than me, but even I get how taboo it is for an underboss’s bodyguard to date his sister. Rafa sees Domenico's darker parts, just like Domenico sees his. I understand why Rafa would struggle to let someone draw you deeper into this world. And as much as I know he tries, I can imagine how hard it is for Rafa to see you as a grown woman rather than his baby sister, who he feels he needs to protect from the harsher realities of being a DeLuca. And that’s all without adding in the extra complication of Rafa and Domenico being best friends.”
My shoulders slumped. “I understand that in my head, but my heart stubbornly refuses to listen to reason. I’ve tried for years to get over Domenico, but I just haven’t been able to let go of my dream of building a family with him someday.”
She rested her hand over her belly again, her eyes turning thoughtful. “If you can picture the children you’d have with Domenico, then you have to at least try to find out if he feels the same way. If it turns out that he really loves you how you deserve and would do anything to protect you, I think you’re right about Rafa coming around. Eventually. With lots of help from me.”
I reached out and squeezed her other hand. “You’re the best, but I’ve been trying ever since I got back home to get Domenico to acknowledge the chemistry between us. He hasn’t given me a single opening.”
Vivienne rubbed her palms together. “We just need to figure out a way to get him alone, away from Rafa’s watchful eye. That’s the only way he’ll ever open up to you, without my darling, overprotective husband around to remind him of what’s at stake. Then you can finally test the waters with Domenico and see if he feels the same way about you.”
“Sounds like a great plan to me, but I just can’t picture any situation where that would happen.” I let out a deep sigh. “Not when Domenico is in charge of Rafa’s safety and avoiding me like the plague.”
“Don’t give up hope yet. The universe put Rafa in my path right when I needed him. Maybe the perfect opportunity will drop in your lap, too.”