Page 15 of Escaping the King
“He'll come back, honey.”Eve looked at me.I was a little confused about what she meant.
“Carlo?Yeah, I know.”
She shook her head and set her hand on mine.“No, Stefan.He'll come back.I'm sure of it.And then you guys can work this out.”
I set my other hand on top of hers.“He won't come back.And even if he did,” my eyes drifted over to the empty doorway.“I don't want to see him.Ever again.”
Her shoulders slumped, and the pain in her eyes broke my heart.“He loves you, Giselle.So much.I don't know why he's acting like such an idiot.I mean, I do know why.”Her eyes stuck to mine.We both knew what she meant.Stefan was jealous about the whole Carlo/baby making/marriage agenda.
“None of that's really under my control.I mean, I'm not really sure why Carlo needs a baby first.It must be some kind of mafia-land rule or something.”
Eve's eyes widened and her top teeth bit into her bottom lip.She looked more worried than before.
Anyway, whatever the reason was for the Sovrano baby rush—it wasn't my problem.Not anymore.
None of this would be after tonight.
“I think we should call Nick and Stefan over after supper.To—” her eyes fell to the floor and then back up, “talk about their world.Now that you know about it.They should explain a few things to you.”
Yeah.
I'd get right on that.
As soon as I was packed up and a billion miles away from here.
“Tomorrow, okay?”I tried to barter with my best friend and crossed my fingers it would work.
“You said we'd talk about it as soon as we got home.And we've been home almost a day.”
I stood and groaned from my legs stretching for the first time in an hour.“Tomorrow.I need a good night's sleep.I think we all do.This jetlag is no joke.”Eve had to believe that I was in favor of having this discussion with the three mobsters in my life.
Even though I really, really, really was not.
I mean, who the heck would be?
Good grief.
“Are you okay with—” she stumbled a bit over her words.“Are you scared?Or freaked out at all?I know when I first found out about—” she stopped for a minute like she was weighing her words, “about Nick's world, it scared me.A lot.I wanted to run away from him as far as I could go.So, I get it if you've got those same feelings.”
Luckily, I was able to hold in the sarcastic laugh I felt bubbling up inside of me.
Was I scared of living back in mafia-land again?
Well, technically, I'd never left.
Eve didn't know that, though.And in order to stop her from calling a meeting of all the mafia dudes in her life—I needed to quash any anxieties and worries she was having about me freaking out about this news.
I shook my head and smiled down at her.“Evie, I'm deeply in love with Carlo,” I told her the truth.“I've never loved anyone like I love him.”
Also, the truth.
“I have visions of us sitting on the veranda when we're old.”
This was also true.I often imagined us sitting on the veranda at his house in Chicago.
“I still think he needs to explain why he's kept me from all of this—” I took a deep breath in, “information.But you know I'd never leave him.Or you.”
Now those were all lies.
