Page 84 of Now and Forever

As we made our way through the living room and down the hallway toward the library, I realized how quiet the apartment was. “Where’s Contessa?”

“Upstairs.”

With my hand still in his, I twisted around taking in the now-familiar surroundings. Where my next question came from, I honestly didn’t know. “Is she alone upstairs?”

Dario’s dark stare bore down on me. “No.”

I stopped walking. “Who is with her?”

We were at the library entrance. Dario opened the tall door. “Come in.”

“You’re scaring me.” I did as he said, entering the library and took a sideways seat on one of the chaises.

Dario took the chaise next to me and sat facing me. He inhaled. “Contessa isn’t alone. Jasmine is upstairs with her.”

“Jasmine?” I repeated the name. “The girl with Aléjandro at the wedding?”

“Yeah. I shut that shit down.”

“Is that why Dante beat him up? Because he was with that girl?”

“Part of it,” Dario admitted.

I stood. “The girl is a child. Who is she and why is she here?” My nose scrunched. “Are you and she…?”

Dario moved to his feet. “Fuck no. Jasmine is Josie’s sister.”

I was trying to make sense out of what didn’t make sense. “Josie’s sister.”

He reached for my hands. “When Josie moved into this apartment, she brought her little sister.” He shook his head. “They had a shitty childhood to put it mildly. When Josie turned nineteen, she applied for and was granted custody of Jasmine. At the time, Jasmine was only five. She tried to raise her the best she could.”

My knees bent as I retook my seat. Dario had my complete attention.

He sat across from me, his knees spread and elbows on his legs. He looked down. “Jasmine was seven when they moved in here,” he went on. “When Josie was killed…”

I saw the pain the sentence invoked.

“…when she died…I kept Jasmine. She was a minor. I called in a few favors with court officials and became her guardian. She was still in high school. This was the only real home she knew.”

Tears threatened to come, stinging my eyes as I smiled. “You love her.”

Dario looked up and shrugged. “I don’t think I’m capable of that emotion. I care about her.” The tips of his lips curled. “She came in here and turned this place upside down. A precocious little girl.” His smile faded. “She’s an adult now—eighteen. I’m no longer legally responsible for her.”

“You don’t stop caring for someone based on a piece of paper or date on a calendar.” A realization hit me. “When did she move out?”

“May, after her graduation.”

“After her graduation—this spring. She moved out because of me.” I knew I was right. “That explains why Contessa didn’t like me before she knew me. She blamed me for Jasmine’s eviction.”

Dario’s voice rose. “I didn’t evict her. She moved to New York for college.”

“She lives in New York?” I asked. “How did Aléjandro find her as a wedding date?”

Dario shook his head. “She said she met him at a café in SoHo. They started talking and realized they had common friends. I didn’t invite her to the wedding?—”

“Why not?”

Dario inhaled, his nostrils flaring. “She’s part of Josie.”

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