Chapter 34 Nice Dinner
Roman
“No, we didn’t.”
I think my parents loved each other, but their marriage sometimes felt a little clinical, like it was an obligation or something. This makes sense, considering it was a marriage of convenience between their families.
“Do you think we’ll ever find ourselves in that position?” Tony asks, sounding nothing like himself.
I raise an eyebrow.
“Are you condescending to me, dude?”
He chuckles.
“Nah. Just wondering if I could find a woman as beautiful as Danielle.”
I raise my hand and hit him over the head.
“Are you trying to start a war?”
He shrugs.
“What? She’s hot.”
“She’s married to Christian D’Angelo,” I yell.
“Even hot.”
I groan softly. We’re shown to seats at a table with plenty of food.
“Dan,” Danielle warns as her son reaches for the food. “We need to say grace first.”
He sighs, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“You can say grace for that attitude, buddy,” Christian chuckles.
His brown eyes widen.
“I don’t want to. Uncle Carlo,” he yells, turning to his uncle standing next to him.
Carlo chuckles.
“Sorry, kid. You’re on your own.”
He pouts for a moment or two before sighing.
“Very well,” he sits down on the chair, puts his hands on the table, and clasps them together. “Thank you, Father, for this food. Thank you to my mom and dad, my sister, and my cousin Angel. Thank you to my aunts and uncles. Thank you for my dad’s new friends, too. Amen.”
“Amen,” we say in unison.
“Good job, Danny,” Carlo says, raising his hand to give him a high five. The kid returns it with a grin.
“Now you can dig,” Danielle tells him. “Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you. For inviting us,” I state.
Danielle grins. I swear, that woman never stops smiling.
“Please, Roman. Although I don’t know much about you. Or your family. Christian can be annoyingly silent.”
I shrug.
“I don’t have much to say. I have a mom and a little sister. Two cousins, and that ass…” I quickly stop myself before I utter a curse word in front of the kids. “Sorry,” I say sheepishly. I’m not used to watching my words.
“It’s okay,” Danielle says easily.
“And then there’s Tony,” I correct myself.
“Smooth,” the asshole next to me mutters.
“Actually, I know your sister. Rose is a brilliant potter. We run in the same circles in the art world.”
“Yeah, she mentioned you a couple of times.”
“Honey, you should see some of Rose’s work,” she tells her husband excitedly. “Things a girl can make with her own hands.”
“I saw a couple, love,” he tells her.
Christian’s eyes practically glow when he looks at her. It’s crazy that he can be so warm and human with them while still running his organization with an iron fist.
Honestly, I can't imagine myself in the same situation. If I'm lucky, I'll marry a woman I have no feelings for, other than duty and honor, like my parents. Maybe in a few years we'll have kids of our own.
And while part of me might hope for the kind of life the D'Angelos have found, I doubt it's possible. We all have blood on our hands. Some people are lucky enough to find some semblance of peace and love away from it all.
Others are doomed to live their lives wondering what it's like to be truly alive.
Elena.
A YEAR LATER
Before you leave, start the car once, twice, three times.
The road is clear, not a single car in sight, allowing me to drive the way I want. The wind swirls around me, and I take a deep breath as the clean air hits my nostrils. Somehow, I even manage to smile. I continue driving down the straight, narrow road, only stopping when my phone starts ringing.
“Hi,” I say, a little out of breath, stopping the car.
“Where are you?”
“I went for a drive. Why? How are you?”
Kiara sighs. I count down the three seconds before she speaks.
“They know.”
And that's how my heart stops.
“Who knows what?” I ask, although I can guess what she's talking about.
“They know we’re back, Elena. I just got a text from Michael asking why we came back to New York without telling anyone. I think he has a tracking device on our phones, or he hacked us, or he has a program that tells him as soon as we enter the country. Either way, he’s already told your brother. And if I’m pretty sure he’s going to call you soon.”
My eyes are closing.
“Shit.”
“Yeah. I just wanted to let you know. I’m so sorry, Elena,” she says quietly. “But it’s not like you could avoid them forever.”
I run my fingers through my hair, hating the way my hands are shaking.
“I was hoping for at least a couple of days,” I groan. “Damn, Michael and his stupid hacking skills. I’m not ready, Ki.”
We’ve been in New York for five hours. I thought I’d have more time.
“I know, sugar. But we already talked about this. Do you need me there?”
“No. No, I’m not telling them yet,” I say, suddenly making a decision.
Kiara pauses for a moment.
“Elena, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I need more time.” At least let me get a feel for the situation. I need to know how everyone is doing before I drop a bomb on them. I'm going home to see them first.
"Okay," Kiara sighs. "You have a point. We'll wait here for you."
"Yeah. Love. Bye."
She was right. Almost as soon as I hang up, Tony's name flashes across my phone. I take another deep breath before answering.
"Hi, big brother," I greet, summoning as much joy as I can.
"First of all, you won't let me come to the UK to see you. And now you’re coming home without saying a word. What the hell is going on, Elena?”
Well, he sounds crazy. Okay.
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” I say quietly. “And Michael ruined everything. I came home because I missed everyone. Why? Is that a crime?”
“No, but it would have been nice to know you were getting on a damn plane and flying across the Atlantic.”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Yeah, it fucking won’t. You’re coming home, right?”
I look up at the sky, taking in the view.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I’m going home.”
“Okay, princess. See you soon.”
He hangs up, and I start the car again, this time heading home. I wasn’t lying when I said I missed it. The past year has been one of the hardest years of my life. I didn’t realize how important my family was until I had to go through one of the hardest things in my life without them.
Roman will be pleased to know that he was right. I need them. And I should never have spent all these years trying to ignore that fact. But now I can only hope that he doesn’t kill me first.