Chapter 11
GIANA
Byron walksinto the restaurant wearing a burnt-orange button-up shirt. The color suits him. Not many people get away with that color, but with his tanned skin and the way the sleeves follow the contour of his powerful arms, he could wear anything and still look good. Behind him, a man in a black suit enters and remains near the corner. He scans the room, then returns his gaze to Byron.
Unseen but near if he needs him.
Byron lifts his chin as he sees us at a table at the back of the room at a table he requested. Before he manages another step, Jessica obstructs his path.
Did she dine in this restaurant?
“Jessica and her sister are here.” Paige sounds as surprised as me. I go to wave at her, but she turns to Byron, hugs him, and leaves one manicured hand on his shoulder. It appears she is introducing him to her sister. Is there something between them?
“Oh dear,” Paige murmurs from behind me. There’s a part of me that is concerned. Eyes forward, I watch to see what happens next. Byron lifts Jessica’s hand and drops it off his shoulder. Then there is a deliberate step back to add distance between them.
I can just make out what they’re saying. He is not rude but tells both girls in a strong voice that he is late for his date.
Date.
I breathe out a long, slow breath. I shouldn’t be worried since we’re not together-together, more getting to know each other again. But shit, I had a hands-off-my-man moment, and I have no right to think of Byron as mine.
“Hey, man.” Mason stands and shakes his hand. “What was that about?”
He kisses Paige on the cheek. “Jessica being Jessica.”
“She can come on fast and be overfriendly,” Paige says. “But I’m sure she is harmless.”
“I disagree.” Byron rounds the table to me. From behind, he wraps both hands around my shoulders and leans his chin on my head. His affection is the answer to my misplaced insecurities. I squeeze his arm that lingers around my chest, then he kisses me before taking a seat.
“I think Jessica is lonely. She likes you, so it’s not a bad thing.”
“Gigi has a point,” Mason quips. “Remember when she tried to ruin you at school?”
“No, you have it wrong,” Paige interjects. “She liked him and was trying to garnish attention.”
“Likes me, hates me, I’m doomed either way,” Byron moans.
“All the attention on the poor NBA star.” Mason pokes fun at him. “Where’s a decent violinist when you need one?”
“What? You think my life is easy?”
Mason huffs out a laugh. “No one’s life is easy, but you have it easier than others with money being thrown at you,” he ribs.
“Millions. Kazillions,” Paige adds and laughs.
Byron shifts in his seat and straightens his back. “All right then. Let’s start with ever since I was a teenager, I’ve had to train every day to the point where sometimes I’d lie in bed and wish the pain away. I can’t eat what I like because I need to stay in shape and maintain peak fitness, so I’ve been on a diet for the last ten years.”
“Oh yeah, I couldn’t do that.” Paige shakes her head. “If I stick to a diet for six months, I celebrate as though I’ve won the lottery.”
I giggle at Paige. “And I’ve just eaten my way around Italy, indulging in pizza and wine for the past six years.”
Mason pulls a face. “Still not good enough to earn any sympathy.”
“Game on,” Byron begins. “I’ve never had a girlfriend since Gigi left me.”
I widen my eyes at him. Paige giggles.
Mason coughs. “That by right, was all your doing.”
“Thank you,” I say with a smile and like how we are making light humor about this. It’s airing dirty laundry.
“I can’t have a normal life without a fan wanting to get in my face with tips about how to win the game, improve my shoot, or why am I such an idiot, every time I go out.” I look over his shoulder, and his security guard is now only feet away while stopping three girls from getting closer to us. Not once does Byron turn to his security guard. He keeps talking as though it happens all the time, and he simply ignores it.
Mason’s gaze lifts and watches the girls for a few moments. They request a selfie. I look over my shoulder and flinch at their raised cells, even if it means getting a photo of the back of his head.
“Being popular is hard. Very hard. All those girls…” Mason shakes his head. “What do you do?” he asks incredulously.
Oh shit.I stifle a laugh.
“You, my friend, do not have one empathetic bone in your body.”
Mason pops a shoulder.
“Take my place of work. On the court, I am abused with every cuss word imaginable, screamed at to work harder, only with more colorful adjectives, or if they’re being nice, they say to pull my finger out and stop being a crybaby when I’m knocked to the floor. After falling into the crowd, I’ve had popcorn poured on my head, and these are fans. Someone spat on me when I walked down the tunnel to the locker room on an away game. Not a fan.”
“Eww,” I moan.
We all stare at Byron. “I could go on.” He adjusts his shirt collar as though it screens him from the scrutinizing eyes waiting for him to make a mistake. “The fame is not as glamorous as you might think.”
“Until you receive that paycheck,” Mason adds and grins. “Good try, big fella. You almost had me feeling sorry for you.”
Byron lightly thumps the table. “Points for trying, though.”
I giggle because I didn’t know if he was serious or not.
Mason raises his knuckles, and they fist pump. “Anyway, how’s your new niece?”
“Tiny. I barely recognize my brother.”
“Did you take a photo?” I ask.
“No. We were barely allowed to breathe around Summer.”
I smile at his dramatics. “But it’s understandable, right? She’s just two days old.”
His arm rests over the back of my chair. “Yeah. I held her, though. It felt awkward holding something that small and fragile.”
“Fragile,” Mason repeats. “There’s understanding right there.” He turns to Paige. “We’d be the same.”
We?
“Already thinking about a family?” Byron asks the question on my tongue. “What have I missed? A decade?”
Mason laughs. “Paige and I know what we each want and decided to plan a future together.” Paige stares at him with starry eyes as though he just asked her to marry him.
It takes a moment for me to catch up.
“So not a proposal, but… more an understanding of a future together?” Byron quips. He looks at me, a dent between his brow.
Is he thinking about us?
“Do you want to order any drinks?” the server asks.
A timely interruption. “An Aperol spritz for me, please.” I turn to Paige. She agrees. “Make it two.”
Mason stares at Byron. “I’ll have some water.” It’s as though he knows his friend isn’t going to drink alcohol because of his training schedule.
“What’s our choice in bottled water?”
“We have Evian, Antipodes, and we just received an order of NEVAS,” the server says.
“The German water?”
“I believe so, sir.” The poor server isn’t educated on water like Byron.
Byron grins at him. “I’ll have a bottle, please.”
The server leaves us, and Mason groans. “It’s more expensive than whiskey.”
“Not my whiskey.”
“You’re paying for the water to have special packaging and for the bottles to be recycled at an acceptable level.”
Byron shakes his head. “It’s premium water and the unique fine bubbles tingle my taste buds.”
“Now you have my attention.”
He raises a brow at me. “It comes from two artesian springs with natural mineralization and is sealed with a cork so it gets to us in pristine quality.”
“Like champagne, and probably the same cost, but without the desired effect.” I can’t help but smirk at Byron. “You’re so fancy. I’ll stick to basic spring water.”
“It’s not being fancy. It’s healthy, Gigi.”
“I know.” I pat his thigh, all solid muscle. He frowns at me. “I understand.” I lean in close. “You don’t get legs of steel from being complacent like me.”
His lips quirk. “Do you want to feel them later?” he whispers.
I do.
“Depends on what time we finish here,” I whisper. “I have to be up early to paint.”
“Okay, it was great seeing you two.” Byron pushes up from his chair.
“Stop it.” I slap his rear, and my fingers sting. In six years, Byron has transformed to having a freaking superhero body. It’s like having my own Thor.
He sits and leans in to kiss my neck. “I love your neck.”
I giggle. “Why?”
“Because it leads me here.” With one finger, he turns my face and kisses my lips. “And here…” His head lowers, and before he gets a chance, I nudge him to behave.
“Do not give this man anything other than water, please,” I say to Mason. He grins, shaking his head at his friend. Paige is staring at Byron wide-eyed. “He’s a breast man,” I whisper.
“I believe so. You two best get a room.”
“Yes, we will,” Byron says in his low, sexy voice.
“Okay.” I push Byron’s cheek so he is looking forward. “What are we all going to eat? And I mean food.”
Mason and Byron groan as though I’m a fun-killer.
“I forgot to mention that we’re planning a trip to The Bahamas,” Mason announces. “Why don’t the two of you join us?”
Byron rubs the side of his jaw. “Unless it’s in the offseason, I can’t go anywhere.”
“If it’s between my trips to Italy, I might be able to meet you both there for a couple of days.”
“I would like that,” Paige adds. “Maybe we could do it around Byron’s schedule when he plays Miami in Florida. Get a few days off to meet us?”
Byron stiffens beside me. It’s hard for anyone to understand the level of commitment it takes to be an elite player in the NBA.
Mason is aware. “It sounds like fun, but Byron can’t drop everything just for us in the middle of the season,” he says gently to Paige.
Eyes wide, she mouths, Oh.
“While you’re at the top of my list of importance…” Byron begins, “… my list differs from Coach’s. His list includes my shooting consistency, which relies on extra trainings outside of team trainings, my ball handling drills, and my defensive drills so I’m one of the best point guards in the league. He wants other teams to fear me so we have an upper hand on game day.”
“Do they… fear you?” The words are out before Paige can recover.
“Do you fear me?” he asks in a serious voice.
Paige giggles. “No, because I know you. You’re a big softie.”
Opposite the table to Byron, I watch Mason’s eyes round.
Byron remains quiet. All his life, he has worked to be respected on the court, and that does not include being known as a big softie.
“What we know and yet cannot see behind his handsome face and big heart is an undeniable determination larger than Mont Blanc. Byron is unstoppable, and that should be feared.”
Byron’s eyes narrow at my comparison rather than appreciating the compliment. I realize my mistake. I could have compared him to any massive mountain—Mount Everest or K2—but my mind went straight to Italy, and Byron noticed.
“Right.” Mason leans forward. “The high school final when you were a junior was a game I’ll never forget. I bet that game was a turning point for your basketball future. All thoughts of robotic engineering were put on hold.”
I gape at Byron. “You wanted to study robotics?” I shake my head. “Of course. You were the math whiz.” Byron and I were not in many classes together as he focused on math, physics, and all the numbers while I was in the creative units.
“I thought robotics was cool.” He pops his shoulders, and it confuses me as to why he’s being dismissive. “But while I love math and physics, the adrenaline rush on the court was more addictive and a bigger challenge.”
Mason snorts. “Only you’d say that. You’re a freak of nature, physically and intellectually. You could do either with equal perfection.”
Byron stares at his friend. He looks down and shifts in his seat before glancing back at Mason. “Perfection. It’s a hard word to live up to.”
I need to lighten the mood again. With a cheeky smirk, I say, “There has to be something you’re bad at.”
The drop in his shoulders is subtle, but I see it before the slow blink. “There’s a long list. The latest addition is holding a baby. Do you know how awkward that is?” He raises his large hands slightly in the air. “Two is shopping for said baby. I haven’t a clue what to get a little girl that has everything before she’s twenty-four-hours old.”
I rub his thigh. “I could paint something for her bedroom.”
A smile grows on Byron’s face. “Gigi, you’re the real genius. It’s perfect.”
I laugh. “Well, if you want to first go baby shopping, I can help you. It will take me a couple of days to finish the art.”
Byron kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Thanks for saving me a world of embarrassment at the family dinner next weekend.”
I appreciate his excitement. It’s the gentle kiss on my cheek leaving a tingle that I shouldn’t read into. He picks up my hand from under the table and squeezes it. Thank you, he mouths.
Two words and warmth expands within—a sign it’s safe to lower my guard because this feels right. Physically, I allowed Byron to penetrate my walls. His touch heals me in ways no one else can. And I understand sex can be without strings. The stolen glances where I catch snippets of how he feels warns me there is hope. Maybe it’s appreciation of being part of a friendship. We were friends, after all.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper. “I’m sure you’ll return the favor one day.”
My cell chimes with a sound I set specifically for Isabella. “Excuse me. I should take this.” I push up from the table and head outside. “Hello.” The background music makes it hard to hear. It must be after three in the morning there.
“Giana,” she says, dragging out my name. “Austin Cisterna is here, and he requests you come to Italy next weekend.” Her slight slurring is not missed.
Isabella has had far too many glasses of bubbles. “The filmmaker?”
“Sì, stellina.”
“Why would he request my presence?”
“Because our designs are being worn on his biggest star.”
Oh my God.
“Are you messing with me?”
“Why would I do that? I love you, my stellina. I’ll call you tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait to share the news. Clarissa Carrington will be wearing Leto Designs in three scenes!”
“Congratulations!” I shout. My lips hurt from a tight smile. “That’s amazing.”
“It is. Ciao, Gigi.”
My cell turns blank. I spin around and look up to the twilight sky, hoping to see stars, but it’s too early and harder to see in the middle of the city. I’m looking for a sign. Do I rush over and be with Isabella or allow her to make the decision since it is her designs? I love that she wants me involved. I also know she wants me to return to Italy, and while the excitement is still bubbling in my chest, I need to assess everything before I make a rash decision. When the enthusiasm settles, I know my anxiety will rise. The fear of leaving Dad will overwhelm my rational thinking. I’ll be forced to choose between making a life in LA or returning to Italy, where my career can thrive and also feels like home.
Dante. I won’t be able to escape him. I remember how convincing he is and also how much he hurt me. But Isabella offers me a future no one else can.
I stare through the glass to the man who is slowly stealing my attention away from Italy and more toward staying in LA.
I spin around to the sound of car horns and sirens. The sound messes with my thoughts, and I suck in a deep breath. No decision will be made tonight.
“Hey, are you okay?” A protective hand rests on my waist.
I look up to Byron. “I just received some exciting news.”
“Yeah?” His eyes sparkle. It’s a tiny thing, and my chest flutters that he wants to share in my joy.
“Leto Designs will be in Austin Cisterna’s upcoming movie. The main star will wear our designs in three scenes. Isabella wants me back there soon.”
His brow furrows. “There as in Italy?”
“Yes.”
“So the movie isn’t being made in LA?”
“He’s an Italian producer.” My frown matches Byron’s.
He takes both my hands in his. “This is big for you?”
“It’s my artwork on the designs.” I hope he understands the importance. Pride grows in my chest as the realization settles in, and a tear wells in my eye. I laugh once and swipe it away. “I’m supposed to be happy.”
“You’re overwhelmed.” He rests both hands on my shoulders and waits until I look into his soothing eyes. “What’s worrying you? I’m sensing something other than excitement.”
I close my eyes, then slowly open them. Byron will see through any lies. “Leaving my father.” He waits. “And… going back to a country I love. Isabella will try to convince me to stay.”
His breath hitches. He takes a while to answer. “Do you want me to go with you?”
He would go with me?
“It’s fine. It’s for a few days to be present at the meetings before the final shooting begins.” Then it dawns on me. “Imagine if I’m invited to the red-carpet screenings?”
“Then, if it’s okay with you, I’d be honored to be your partner for the night. I’ll drop everything to share a special moment with you.” He pulls me in for a hug. “Congratulations, Gigi.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. While the film release won’t be for many months, possibly a year, my thoughts whirl as to where Byron and I will be then. We are together now as if no time has passed, and while being with Byron is easy, my heart warns me it’s not ready to be hurt again so soon. He is trying to make amends for past mistakes, yet basketball still controls every decision he makes.
“Do you think you could get the time off to come?”
He nuzzles my neck. “Is it within the next four weeks?”
I close my eyes, enjoying the tingles shooting over my skin. “I believe so.”
“Then yes. If you need me to be alongside you, I can. Oh, and forget the artwork for Summer’s room. You’re under too much pressure. I’ll get Mom to buy something from me.”
“No,” I say, pulling away. “I want to do this. I’ll have it finished within the week.” I already have ideas using soft pastel colors.
He takes my face in his hands. “Only if you have time, Gi.” He kisses my cheek. “And I don’t want to upset Isabella, so I’ll get you home now.” Hoping Byron would take me to his for the night, I had caught a ride in with Mason and Paige. He kisses my lips. “Coach called early-morning training anyway. We could both use an early night.”
I let out a breath of disappointment. “Sure.”
He takes my hand, leads me to his sports car, and opens the door for me. The moment he closes the door, I’m hit with the scent of new leather seats. While Byron is excited for me, our careers in terms of financial rewards don’t even come close. And he is married to a game that rewards him with riches.
The initial silence on the drive home fails to hide the tension.
“I’m only away for a short time.” I reach across to lay a hand on his thigh. His strong muscles flex beneath my fingers.
“I know.” He doesn’t take his eyes off the road. The bright lights of his fancy dash reflect onto his face. His expression is tight, giving me nothing.
“I’m not going to see him,” I say quickly.
He jerks his head, giving me a quick glare before turning back to the road. “See who?”
“Dante. I thought maybe the idea of me seeing him again concerned you.”
“I wasn’t concerned, but I am now,” he murmurs.
“Why were you quiet if you weren’t thinking about my ex in Italy? When I mentioned him at the beach, you told me you wanted to know ‘everything about your opponent’.”
“Is he my opponent?”
“No. That’s why I said I wouldn’t see him.”
Byron makes a growly noise from his throat. “Then why bring him up?”
“Because he is Isabella’s nephew, and he’ll want to see me. I just want you to know that while I am nervous, I am not interested in him.”
“Why are you nervous, Giana?” he asks matter-of-factly.
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. If it wasn’t about him, then why the silence?”
“First, it does matter. And second, I was thinking about what my brother said about how I’m not free to make my own decisions.” He takes my hand in his lap and squeezes it. “But I’ll move heaven and earth to accompany you to Italy.”