Page 42 of Vow to Me

He tips his head back and stares at the ceiling as if he’s praying to the lord to give him strength. It goes on for so long I’m aboutto ask him what the hell is so interesting about it but his dark gaze pins me in places and keeps my mouth quiet before I can.

“The last thing I want to do it change you, you’re fucking perfect just the way you are. You don’t like anything in these stores? That’s fine, I’ll take you somewhere else. You want to order online? Also fine. What’s not fine is having six or seven outfits because you left the rest of your things back in Chicago. What’s not fine is you thinking I’m doing this for any reason other than to spoil you. I’ve done nothing but accept every single thing about you, Izzy. I love how you’re nothing like the spoilt little princesses you grew up with, I love that you have a backbone and don’t take any shit, from anyone, including me. I love that you challenge me and aren’t afraid to speak your mind.”

He steps in front of me grasps my chin with his thumb and forefinger to tip my head up so my eyes clash with him and the sincerity in his gaze makes me heart ache. His words hit me right in the chest and it has my throat closing and my eyes stinging. I blink away the sensation before tears can start to fall.

How did I find a man that knows me so perfectly and accepts all of me? From anarranged marriage,no less.

A tidal wave of emotions hit me, and I realize that the one thing I never thought would happen, happened. It came out of nowhere and the realization threatens to bring me to my knees.

Holy shit.

How?

I made a promise to myself years ago that I wouldn’t allow myself to fall in love. After seeing the change in my father after he lostMama, I vowed to never fall for a man, to let a man change me, for better or worse. I stare into Luca’s eyes, he's looking at me so intently, the kindness in his gaze showing that every word he just said to me is the truth.

Oh fuck.

What does this mean?

Do I tell him? What if he doesn’t feel the same? We were forced into his union after all, what if he thinks its fucking ridiculous that I could love him after such a short amount of time? What if he—

He must sense the change in my demeanor and sense me panicking because his voice cuts through my thoughts, bringing them to a screeching halt before I can spiral even further.

“What just happened? Where did you go?” he asks, and I stare at him with wide eyes and no answers to his questions. I swallow the lump in my throat but can’t bring myself to answer him, I can’t. I just fuckingcan’t.

What would I even say?Oh. don’t worry, I just realized I’m in love with you, thanks for buying me all the dresses and shoes and shit.I think the fuck not.

I shake my head and pray he doesn’t push it further. Luckily, he takes the hint that I can’t voice my thoughts right now and instead changes the subject, guiding me out of the store and towards the little café we planned on going to for lunch.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Luca

We’ve been on my family’s island for a week, and things haven’t been the same between us since that first day when I took Izzy shopping. She’s pulling away, closing herself off and I fucking hate it. I have no idea what went wrong, but something happened.

We’ve still been sleeping wrapped up in each other on a night, we’ve been having sex as we usually would now that I’m certain she’s fully recovered. We've been doing everything we usually would, but it’s as if she’s closed herself off emotionally to me. We used to lay in bed at night and talk about shit; we would be open with each other and talk about the past and the future and everything in between. We’d talk about the big things, the little things, the things that make us both who we are and those little details that we’d have in common that have no real meaning but came together and fused us as one.

But now? Now she’s a fucking closed book and I have no idea what started it… or how to fucking fix it.

I stand in the doorway of the dining room, watching her where she sits at the table working on her laptop. She’s in her element, oblivious to me standing here watching her for the last fiveminutes. Whatever she’s working on has her brows furrowed and irritation coiling through her if the straightness of her spine and her tense shoulders and any indication.

I walk over and close the lid of her laptop; her head snaps up and she stares at me with angry eyes.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she snaps.

“We need to talk.” I shrug nonchalantly, acting as though her attitude towards me lately hasn’t bothered me in the slightest when really, it’s been tearing me up inside wondering where we went wrong.

“What about?” she sighs.

“What the fuck is going on, Iz? We were fine before we came her, now we're on our honeymoon and you’re acting as if it’s an inconvenience being near me unless were intimate. What the fuck happened?”

She swallows and her eyes dart around us as if she’s looking for an escape.

Not fucking happening. You don’t get to run and hide from me, baby.

“Just fucking talk to me, would you?” I say when I’ve had enough of waiting.

“What the fuck is your problem Luca? What do you want me to say? Everything is fine, you always need to fucking fix everything.”

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