Page 85 of Love Redesigned
I shot him a look. “Seriously?”
“I know it sounds ridiculous. And I’ve been meaning to sell one or the other.”
“The other,” I said emphatically. “Sell the other one and keep this one. It’s beautiful.”
“It was a graduation present from my mother,” he said simply.
I looked over and noticed how tightly he gripped the steering wheel, his eyes hyper-focused on the road in front of him. Was that why he never drove it? Because it was a gift from his Mom? Or maybe that was the reason he couldn’t sell it? I suddenly felt, quite keenly, just how much Alex had kept hidden over the years. The realization felt a little like a punch to the gut. What hadn’t he told me? Why had I never realized how hard working for Alicio must have been for him?
I let my mind wander back to the night we’d gone to seeHamilton. I’d kissed him in the theater, but it had been brief. Heartfelt, yes. But brief. But then, after the show, he’d kissed me on the stairs of my apartment building, and it had nearly been my undoing.
We’d stood hand in hand, me one step above him so that our faces were nearly level. “I loved watching you watch the show,” he’d whispered softly. “It makes me happy to see you happy.”
With sudden clarity, I reframed so many of our experiences in New York through that filter. Alex watchingme, happy because I was happy. He’d smiled through the fashion shows and the galas, the highbrow parties in elite clubs. He’d used his influence to get us into places that I never would have had access to on my own. But never because it was truly what he felt passionate about. He’d done it for me. All of it.
“You okay?”
I looked up, heat flooding my cheeks as if, just by looking at me, Alex had been able to follow my train of thought. “I’m fine,” I managed to squeak.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
“Right. Okay.” I rubbed my hands together, willing my nerves to settle. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alex
We pulled down the long, pebbled driveway that led to Alicio’s home on the remote Florida island. He’d always called it the summer house, but I’d spent just as many of my summers growing up in Manhattan as I had lounging around the Keys. It was more like Alicio liked theideaof a summer home more than he did the actual use of one. Though I had to admit, it did make a great backdrop for a wedding.
Dani craned her neck, looking out the passenger window at the looming mansion. “Wow,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
We pulled to a stop just outside the front door and climbed out of the car. The housewasbeautiful. The kind of beautiful I appreciated. It had a more subdued grandeur than Alicio’s home in Manhattan. Natural wood and stone, large windows, earth tones. It blended naturally into the lush landscape of the island, the beach just yards beyond the edge of the finely landscaped grounds. I should have wanted to go inside but I held back, feeling a familiar tension spreading through my shoulders and neck.
“You okay?” Dani said.
I forced a smile. She would hate knowing how uncomfortable I was. “Sure. You ready?”
We headed up the neatly manicured pathway to the front steps. We’d left our overnight bags in the car—best not to look too presumptuous when first arriving—so my hands were free. Free, andtrembling.Before I could shove them into my pockets, Dani reached out and took one, squeezing it gently, before lacing her fingers with mine.
I glanced at her, catching her eye, and she smiled, just slightly. “You look like you could use a little steadying.”
Without dropping Dani’s hand, I rang the front bell. A long moment later, it swung open.
“Deliveries for the wedding are to be taken to the—Oh.” Alicio’s long-time housekeeper Elaine shot me a dour look. “Alexander. I didn’t expect you,” she said.
“Hello, Elaine.” I offered her my best smile. She’d always liked me, but there was no telling how much the family’s overall discontent with me had trickled down to those in their employ. “Can we come in?”
She backed up and opened the door wide, motioning us into the entryway.
“This is my girlfriend, Dani,” I said, proud that I hadn’t hesitated on the wordgirlfriend.
Dani reached out and shook Elaine’s hand. “Hello,” she said.
“How are you?” I asked. “I hope everything is going well for you.”
She shrugged, crossing her arms across her chest. “Things are fine.”
So Iwason her bad list. Might as well get right to it then. “Right. Well, I was hoping we could use my old rooms tonight. Will that be a problem?”
