Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
I crossed my arms and lifted my chin. “I watch movies,” I insisted.
His smile faded into something more serious. “Thank you, Ren. This matters.”
“You’re welcome. Ready to get out of here?”
He nodded and started gathering Mattie and his belongings while I found Toni near the front door.
She hugged me tight. “Take care of yourself, Serenity. You matter too.”
I squeezed her back and nodded. “I promise I will. I’ll also be in touch regularly.” I watched Toni slip into the passenger seat of a sleek black SUV that I knew her billionaire husband demanded carry her to and from the office. I was suddenly incredibly thankful for his foresight.
Enzo settled Mattie in the backseat while I fastened my seatbelt in the passenger seat, and then we were on our way back to Lucky.
The house came into view as the sun dipped low, light spilling through the trees. It felt like home.
That realization unsettled me because I wasn’t sure how, or when, it happened.
And I wasn’t sure what it would cost to make it true.
Chapter 18
Enzo
Mattie was already asleep, and the house was finally quiet. Another long day wound down into a peaceful kind of quiet I knew wouldn’t last long.
Ren and I sat on the sofa with a bottle of wine between us, her feet tucked into my lap like no time at all had passed. It was like this was any other Saturday night where we’d stay inside with wine and pizza, turning on a movie that acted as background noise while we talked, lost in each other. She leaned against the armrest facing me, relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen at all since she came back into my life. Her shoulders were loose and her guard lowered just enough that I could sneak in if I wanted to.
I did. Really fucking badly.
The stem of my glass rolled back and forth between my fingers while I watched her talk.
“The nanny was fresh out of college and eager to prove herself, and I’d just taken on a new family with three kids, all under the age of five. They were chaotic and rambunctious, but she was determined. One hour later, I was driving to the other side of Houston to help her out.” She threw her head back and laughed. “I handled it with what I’d like to say was grace, but the minute I was back in my old office, I cried like a baby.”
“I’m sure you were the epitome of grace.”
She laughed again, smiling all the way up to those blue eyes that haunted my dreams even now. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
I leaned in and listened to her the way I used to, like she was the only other person in the world. I listened to the story as if our time here wasn’t limited. “You love your job.”
“I do,” she sighed, pausing to take a long sip from her glass. “This wine is incredible, Enzo.”
“Thanks, it’s from one of my vineyards.”
Her brows shot up. “One of?”
“Yes. I have two in Napa Valley and one large one back in Italy.”
She watched me thoughtfully. “So you know a thing or two about wine?”
“You could say that,” I replied in a teasing voice.
“Well, it’s delicious. And this is nice,” she smiled and raised her glass. “To a rare moment of quiet.”
I raised mine, too. “To the rare moment lasting longer than a moment.” It was better than reminding her that moments like this were fleeting in my life.
“Is that your way of saying the moment won’t last?”
I nodded.
Ren burst out laughing. “Sheesh, Enzo, you really know how to kill a moment.”
“I’m honest,” I said lightly, though my chest tightened. “That’s all.”
She shifted, curling her toes against my thigh. The contact was casual yet intimate. And dangerous. “You really have changed,” she said after a beat.
“So have you.” It wasn’t just her beauty, either. She had earned confidence, and she was so at ease with herself it made me want to know everything I’d missed over the years.
She hummed as if she was considering my words. “I think I like who you are now, Enzo.”
Her words shocked the hell out of me, and I had no fucking clue how to respond, but there was this feeling deep down that I should say something. I opened my mouth, still unsure what to say, when there was a knock at the door. Three sharp raps cut through the moment, effectively killing it.
Ren tensed and her toes dug into my thighs.
I was already on my feet, unlocking the small drawer on the coffee table where one of my guns was located. “Stay here.”
Ren stared at me, finally nodding when she realized I wouldn’t move until she heard and understood me.
I crept to the door, gun aimed at the center. I stepped to the side wall and opened the panel that revealed the security video monitors, and I saw Luca staring directly into the camera. When I opened the door, his expression was tight, his brows drawn together and his lips pressed into a flat white line.