Page 53 of Buying Angel

He smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips. “That sounds like an amazing idea.”

Chapter Thirty-One

GABRIELLA-ROSE

IT HAS BEEN A couple of weeks since the excitement at the office, and things had calmed down a lot. I had been spending quality time with Hudson and Nico, both individually and together. I also made sure that they spent time alone together. I didn’t want them to lose what they had before I came along. Their relationship was just as important as ours.

I had spent some time with Gino, as he had taken me shopping when Nico and Hudson had been away working for a couple of days and didn’t want to leave me alone. I had gotten to know him while they were away and realized how similar he was to Nico. It was as if they were brothers in their outlook on life and how they felt about each other. I still felt the strong connection to him that I’d had the day Viktor had come into the office. It was the same connection I’d felt with Nico, and I’d decided that it wasn’t something I should just ignore, as that could cause more problems than admitting it.

When the boys came back, I decided it was time for us to all sit down and talk about Gino. I wanted to know how they felt about possibly bringing another person into our relationship. To me, it didn’t matter if I had feelings for someone else. If Hudson and Nico said they didn’t want it, then that was the end of the matter. At least I would know in my heart that I had been honest with them so they would be aware of how I felt. I had two men that I loved with all my heart, and I didn’t want to lose them. My heart was big enough to let one more person in, but theirs might not have been.

We were all sitting together in the living room when I decided that we needed to have this discussion.

“Can I speak to you both about something?”

They looked at each other nervously before Hudson spoke.

“What do you need to speak about, as if we didn’t already know?”

I looked at both of them in confusion.

Hudson continued to speak. “I’m guessing this is about Gino and his feelings toward you and Nico. We had a quick chat the other day, when Gino was looking after you while we were talking to Viktor. We decided to leave the discussion for a while because Nico wasn’t sure, but from the sound of your silence, I’m guessing Nico was right.”

It never ceased to amaze me that these two men knew me better than myself at times.

“Well, it appears you were right about Gaby, Nico, but I think we need to talk about how you feel about Gino. We both know he has liked you, possibly even loved you, for a long while. What are your feelings toward him?”

I watched as Nico looked at Hudson and then lowered his eyes before he spoke.

“I guess, if I’m honest, I have always been attracted to him. But didn’t realize that he liked me until after we got into our relationship. You were mine, and I loved you. I still love you and always will. I didn’t want to consider a relationship with another man because I had you. You know I would never do anything that I thought might hurt you, and I have never done anything with anyone without your knowledge, which was one reason why I got myself so upset the other day, because I hadn’t told you that I was going to spend the afternoon in bed with Rosa. I know I’m not really making much sense. I guess what I am trying to say is I’m open to a relationship with Gino, but we would all have to agree, and it would be on the same terms as we have with Rosa. We are exclusive to each other within the group. If you, Rosa, or Gino aren’t happy with that, then nothing happens and we stay happy as we are.”

I was pleased that Nico had finally told us his true feelings for Gino. I could see that it had taken a lot for him to admit that to Hudson. He never wanted to break the relationship he had, and he thought that having feelings for Gino would cause a rift between them. I could totally understand that, because of my own feelings toward Nico, and now Gino, when I was already in a relationship. I got up from my seat and stepped over to Nico, sitting down on his lap and giving him a hug.

“Okay, well, now that we have that much established, I’m going to ask you the same question, Gaby. What are your feelings toward Gino?”

I looked up at Nico. It had been the exact question that he had asked me the day Viktor had come into the office. I hadn’t been able to give him an honest answer that day. I hadn’t even been sure myself with everything that had gone on. Now, however, my mind was a lot clearer.

“I’m going to be honest with you too. Yes, there is an attraction on my part. It feels the same as when I first met Nico. An invisible force pulling me toward him. However, none of my feelings or Nico’s count without you telling us how you feel about it, Hudson. This affects you the most, because I’m guessing you have no feelings toward Gino at all. Plus, we don’t know Gino’s thoughts on the situation.”

I watched as Hudson sat there thinking about it. I was glad he wasn’t just saying the first thing that came into his head, and was considering it carefully. I rested my head on Nico’s chest, his hand gently stroking through my hair, while we both waited anxiously for an answer. I wasn’t sure what to expect as Hudson went to speak. I just hoped that he didn’t lose it completely.

“You’re right, Gaby. I do have the most to lose, but also a lot to gain from this. I only ever want to see you both happy, and knowing your feelings toward Gino, I’m not sure if you can both be happy without him. For the moment, though, our focus needs to be getting Vincent out of your life. My suggestion is we keep things as they are unless Gino confesses his true feelings to any of us. We can sit down and discuss it together then and go from there. What do you think?”

I had to agree that Vincent was a more pressing situation for us all than our feelings for Gino. Gino would always be around, being Nico’s underboss. With me spending time with him, he might eventually crack and finally tell us all the truth.

It was Nico who answered Hudson’s question. “I agree that keeping Rosa safe from Vincent is the most important. But you need to be honest with us, Hud. If we do decide to bring Gino into our relationship, you need to tell us if it’s not working. However, I’m not going to say any more until we get to the moment in time. For now, I agree to keep things as they are.”

I agreed with both of them, happy in the knowledge that everything was out in the open between us. Only time would tell if our dynamic changed in the future or not.

I HAD GONE BACK to working in the office every day after a short break to calm myself from what had happened in here before. The first day was quite nerve-wracking, but after a couple of days, I was completely back in the swing of things. Nico or Gino would always pop their head in if they were around, and one of them would always be here in the office if Hudson was out at a meeting. I finally felt safe again to be in here and wasn’t worried about anyone hurting me.

Hudson and Nico were discussing some business in Hudson’s office, and I had just brought them coffee. It was late in the afternoon and I knew they weren’t expecting any visitors, so it took me by surprise when I heard the elevator door open and someone start walking toward the office. Before I could register who it was, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked around to see Hudson standing there.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Please don’t get worried. Viktor is about to walk in the office. He just wants to talk to you and apologize.”

I could feel my anxiety rising as I watched him walk in. Even with Hudson holding me, the thoughts of the last time he had walked in here with his men ran through his head. I watched as he stopped quite a distance away from me, obviously acknowledging my discomfort. He looked over at Nico by the door to Hudson’s office, and then at Hudson, before he directly addressed me.

“I’m sorry for the circumstances of our last meeting, Miss Quinn. I am not here to cause you any harm today. I just wanted to speak to you.”

---