Page 28 of Fragile Union

I nod. "As I'll ever be. I need to freshen up." I tell him as I get up off his lap. "Can you tidy up a little?" I ask as I bite my lip and glance around the room.

He stands up behind me, his hand going to my hip. "I've got it, Hol, go do whatever you need to, then we'll leave."

I give him a soft smile and walk toward the door. I need to find a bathroom and get cleaned up. Once I'm behind the safety of the locked bathroom door, I realise that I told him that I loved him and I got nothing in return. It hurts. Fucking stings. Tears well in my eyes.

Then his words run through my mind.

"You're important to me."

"Probably the most important thing."

"I smile with you."

He may not love me, but he shows me how much he cares about me. This isn't like my parents' marriage; this is far from it. My husband cares about me and I love him.

That's good enough for me. I can love a man that doesn't love me but cares deeply for me.

Ten

ROMERO

"A little heads up, Rome," Dante begins as Holly and I walk toward him. "Georgina is here."

Holly tenses beside me. Fucking Georgina. What the fuck is she doing here?

"Who invited that viper?" Alessio asks and I see the way he's glancing at Holly, he's worried about her. Georgina is the type of woman that will use any weakness against you. Since we had words about his behavior toward my wife, he's changed. He's finally seen the error of his ways. Finally owning up and becoming the man I knew him to be.

"Fuck knows," Dante says, "Makenna's on the warpath. She's ready to tear her head off."

My hand moves to Holly's waist and I pull her into my side. "Doll face?" I murmur.

My brothers moved away giving us some privacy.

"Have you spoken to her since the wedding?" She asks me, her voice void of emotion. I fucking hate that I can't tell what she's thinking.

"No, I haven't. I wouldn't do that to you." I'm pissed that she even asked me that shit.

"Rome," she says softly, "this is all new to me. Loving someone isn't easy, especially you. I'm not like her; I don't know how to play the stupid games she plays. Okay?"

Fuck. She's so open and honest. "Holly, no one," I say so that only she can hear me, my grip on her hip tightening, I pull her into me. Not giving a fuck who sees us right now. "No one but you has ever said that to me."

She tilts her head, as though she's studying me. "Said what?"

Fuck.

"That they love me," I tell her honestly.

She blinks furiously, as though she's trying to stop herself from crying. "I do," she says fiercely. "I love you so much that it hurts. I hate that you've never felt love before. I despise your family, Rome. Even my brothers love me, and they let me know it. I don't give a fuck if you're men. That's no excuse."

"Babe..."

She shakes her head, "No. Listen, please," her pleading is something I can't ignore. "I get it, Rome, you're not able to love me and while it's shit, it hurts, I also know that you care a fucking lot about me and that's more than enough for me. But I'm going to love you. I'm always going to. No one can stop me. So,please, don't hurt me."

I rest my forehead against hers wondering how the fuck I got so lucky to have someone so fucking pure to be in my life.

"You've not spoken to her and I trust you. So, let's go in there, make an appearance and then we can go home. Because I'm going to want to have a replay of what happened in my office," she says with a grin.

I'm not sure what love is. If I were capable of it, I'd love Holly in a fucking heartbeat. She's the only woman in this world who gets all of me. Every single fucking piece of me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

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