Page 55 of Code Name: Dante

He shook his head. “Florida was a possibility I quickly eliminated.”

“Why?”

“Hotbed of organized crime.”

I nodded. “That makes sense. So…was there anywhere you settled on?”

“The building across the street from Method Tea and Coffee held the most appeal. Until you moved back to Gloversville.”

My cheeks flushed, and he kissed me.

“This is all I want, Lark. A life where you and I wake up in each other’s arms. I wouldn’t care where it was. Even Gloversville.”

I knew what he meant. While it was my home, mainly because of Gram, it wasn’t an easy place to live. So many storefronts still sat empty. Once-magnificent homes had fallen into disrepair. Restaurants barely scraped by, and even the Perfect Fit would never do the kind of business Method Tea and Coffee had.

“I don’t think I’d want to stay,” I said.

Alessandro put his fingers on my chin and tilted my face so our eyes met. “What about you? I know you want to travel to Florence. Would you want to live there?”

I thought it over for a couple of minutes and shook my head. “I guess I don’t know where I’d want to live.”

“Maybe home isn’t a place as much as it is who you’re with. Wherever you are, is where I’d be happy.” His voice dropped lower, more intimate. “I’ve spent so many years pretending to be someone else, living a life that wasn’t really mine. With you, for the first time, I feel like I can just be myself.”

The sound of movement in the hallway made us both tense, reality intruding on our peaceful bubble. Footsteps approached, then passed by. “Gram must be up,” I whispered.

“We should probably…” He gestured vaguely at our position, though his arms didn’t loosen their hold.

“Yeah.” Neither of us moved. The warmth of the bed, the comfort of being together—it made the outside world seem distant, less important. I traced the line of his jaw with my finger, memorizing the feel of him. “I mean, I’m not ashamed of this—of us. But maybe flaunting it isn’t the best idea right now.”

“Agreed.” He kissed me softly, lingering just long enough to make my heart race. His lips were warm and gentle against mine, carrying promises of more moments like this in our future. “You go first. I’ll wait a few minutes.”

I slipped out of bed reluctantly, already missing his warmth. The wood floor was cool under my feet as I headed for the bathroom, trying to move quietly through the still-sleeping house. But when I reached the hallway, I came face-to-face with Gram. She stood frozen, one hand gripping her cane, the other pressed against the wall as though for support.

Her eyes darted past me to where Alessandro was still visible in my bed, and I watched as multiple emotions crossed her face—shock, disappointment, and something deeper, more painful.

Without a word, she turned and stalked to her room, slamming the door behind her with enough force that the sound echoed through the quiet house, shattering the morning’s peace.

“Gram, wait!” I followed her, pushing the door open before she could lock it. The sunlight streaming through her window caught the tears in her eyes, making them glitter like broken glass. “Please, just listen?—”

“Listen?” She whirled to face me, her body trembling with emotion. The cane clattered to the floor, forgotten in her distress. “I’ve spent my entire life protecting you and your mother, and this is how you repay me? By taking up with a Castellano?”

“He’s not?—”

“Don’t tell me what he’s not!” Her voice cracked. The sound was raw, wounded, like something torn from deep inside her. “I’ve sacrificed everything to keep you safe, and neither of you ever appreciated it. The constant fear, the secrets—” Her eyes widened when she realized she’d gone too far. Said more than she meant to.

My temper rose to meet hers. “Don’t stop now, Gram. No one wants you to keep your secrets. Not anymore and especially not me. Tell me all the things you’ve done. So I know,” I demanded.

My idyllic morning with Alessandro felt like a distant dream now, replaced by the same questions that had plagued me when I woke in the middle of the night. It was only feeling the protective arms of the man beside me that had allowed me to go back to sleep.

My eyes met hers. “What were you protecting me from? My father? You know who he is, don’t you? Shouldn’t I know? Why does my entire life have to be a mystery to me? It’smylife, Gram.”

“You have no idea what I’ve had to do, what I’ve had to live with?—”

“Then, tell me!” The shouted words burst out of me, fueled by years of questions and half-truths. Like the slamming door, they echoed off the walls, filling the room with the weight of everything unsaid between us.

When she stood silent, I took a deep breath, knowing that once I spoke the words, I wouldn’t be able to take them back. But what was I afraid of? Knowing the truth? Could it be worse than all the things I’d imagined? “Alessandro and I have a theory that our mothers disappeared together. That they’re still alive somewhere?—”

Gram’s face drained of color so quickly I thought she might faint. She swayed slightly, gripping the bed for support. At that moment, she looked every one of her years, and then some. The strong woman who’d raised me, who had weathered every storm life threw at her, seemed fragile, breakable.

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