Page 44 of Inevitable

I look down at my pajama clad lap and then around the room. “Now? I was just hoping sometime later this week.”

She scoffs and I hear her get into a car in the background. “I haven’t seen you in over a month and now that you are finally off of house arrest, we are hanging out, right now.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Alright, I’ll text you the address,” I say before I hang up.

I stretch my body a little as a delicious ache is felt through my muscles from the last night, before I slide out of bed. Seeing as I don’t really know how it works to have visitors come, I figured it was best to talk to Luca first to avoid Kiki being shot at. I bound down the stairs to find him at the breakfast table drinking his coffee and reading some papers. I drop into his lap and loop my arms around his neck planting a big kiss on his lips.

“Buongiorno mio amore,” I sing.

“Buongiorno. Praticare il tuo italiano?” He asks.

I sigh and shrug. “I am trying but it is so hard.”

He chuckles and places a soft kiss on my neck while drawing soft circles on my thigh.

“You will get there, learning a new language is hard for anyone.”

“I guess. So, I was wondering if it would be okay if I went out shopping with my friend Kiki for the Gala?”

“Of course, Benjamin and Freddy will go with you.

“Okay, and it is alright that she is coming here, right?”

I watch as his eyebrows furrow and a frown appear. He sets down the paper he was reading and turns his body to better face me. “Angel, why would you feel like you need to ask? This is your home. You can have anyone you want over at any time.”

I shrug seemingly uncomfortable. We have never really had the talk. We kind of jumped a few steps. Or all of the steps really.

“I don’t know. I just didn’t know how you felt about having people in your house-”

“Our house,” he interjects. I blush at that and bury my face into his neck. He pulls me back to look at him. “Angel, have I not made it clear that this is your home? This is forever for me. I want to give you everything you could possibly desire in this world. What do you want?”

I cock my head slightly confused. “What do you mean?”

“What do you want? If you could have anything in the world at your fingertips, what would it be? Is there a car that you have always wanted? Clothes? Jewelry? You can have anything.” His face is earnest, and I think he really means it. But that makes me pull away slightly, causing his hands to slip from my hips. I twist my face into a disappointed frown as I look at him.

“Do you really think any of that stuff actually matters to me? Luca, you saw how I grew up. My father gave my mother and I every materialistic thing we could dream of, but all I ever really wanted was to be loved by him, to be cared for genuinely. That’s all I want now.

“I want a family to love and who loves me. I want to run my mother’s company, not just for me but for her. I want to be happy every day of my life. That is what matters to me. I know that certain things are limited for us and I am okay with that, because everything that matters is right here already,” I say placing my hand over his heart.

“You are sorprendente, Angel,” he says. Reverence thickly coating his words as his eyes swim with admiration.

“Sorprendente? That’s amazing right?” I ask with a teasing smile.

“Si,” he murmurs, pulling me in for a gentle kiss, nipping my lower lip before reluctantly pulling away.

“I have to go, I will try to be home for dinner,” he says. I nod hopping up off of his lap and going to pour some coffee. His arms snake around my stomach and he whispers, “Ti amo mi Angelo.”

I smile and turn around to face him. “I love you.”

“I will see you soon, have Kiki over today and have some fun. Invite over anyone, anytime Angel.”

“Do you think Alessandro could come over sometime?” I ask.

He lifts an eyebrow in question. “Giovanni’s boy? How do you know him?”

“Uh I don’t actually. He just told me about him and…I don’t know I guess I just wanted to get to know him and Giovanni better. Have you spent much time with him?”

He lets out a big laugh. “Yes, considering I am Alessandro’s god father and was the best man at Gio and Isabelle’s wedding, I'd say we are familiar.”