Page 108 of Love Him Like Water

Just as she wanted, we stopped for her to grab the coffees, and then she snuggled up against me the whole way home.

And nothing had ever fucking felt more right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Lore

I was surprised how willing Nico was to let me leave with Renzo after that epic weepathon I’d had all over him.

But as Renzo moved into the hall, Nico had sighed hard and turned to me.

“I wouldn’t let you leave with him if he didn’t look fucking wrecked when he showed up at the door,” he said. “But if that man makes you cry like that again, I’m putting a bullet in his head.”

“I don’t think he will,” I said.

“He better not. You deserve someone who knows what he’s got.”

The thing was, I felt like Renzo did.

If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have gone back with him, wouldn’t have welcomed heartbreak like that again.

I genuinely was starting to believe that Renzo just didn’t know how to show his feelings, not that he didn’t have them.

We’d driven home mostly in silence after Renzo stole sips off of my frozen coffee as he trailed those delicious little circles across my scalp.

It wasn’t until we were inside the apartment again, and we were sitting in the living room together waiting for delivery since we’d both missed meals with all the craziness, that he pulled my legs over his lap and admitted, “I gotta warn you ahead of time that you’re gonna wake up alone tomorrow,” he said, voice tense, like he was expecting me to explode, thinking he was already walking back all of his promises.

“Because of whatever that serious thing is going down inside of that building?” I asked.

“Yeah, exactly that,” he agreed, fingers sifting through my hair, then moving down to rub my neck. I wanted to unfurl like a cat under his touch. But I was trying to focus.

“I’m not expecting you to be home all of the time,” I said. “I grew up in a mafia family. I understand how things come up sometimes.”

“Hopefully, when this shit is cleared up, I won’t be as busy.”

“Famous last words of a boss,” I said, giving him a knowing smile.

“That’s the fucking truth,” he agreed, digging into a knot in my shoulder that had me tensing, then relaxing, as it eased. “But I’m gonna be around more.”

“I know,” I agreed, not needing him to keep insisting over and over. Time would prove his promises true.

“Why did Nico sound so surprised that you would be cooking when he comes over?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t… I don’t really cook much,” I admitted. “But my brothers are always grumbly about it because they say I’m the best cook in the family.”

“In a family that big, that’s gotta be high praise. Why don’t you cook?”

“It usually makes me sad,” I admitted. “I used to cook with my mom all the time. So, it always brings back memories.”

“Don’t want you cooking for me if it makes you sad, mouse.”

“No,” I insisted. “No, I want to. The last time… when I cooked… that was the first time in a long time when I wasn’t sad, just… excited.”

“And I couldn’t even fucking come home to eat it.”

“You know better now,” I said, thinking of his words back at Nico’s place.

“Yeah,” he agreed, his hands starting to drift lower, making a low whimper escape me.

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