Page 76 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

He held up a shopping bag. “Luca sent me over to drop this off for Lizzie.”

“At 6:30 in the morning?”

“I’ve been waiting here since last night.”

I closed my eyes against the pain of his disappointment.

“Thanks for dropping off Lizzie’s package,” I said. He stared at me like he could puzzle out my secrets if he looked hard enough. Those days were long gone, though.

He stretched a hand toward me, then dropped it. “Miss Russo, I know you don’t want your family to know about Accardi’s threats, but they would move heaven and earth to help you.”

I laughed bitterly. “My father will snatch me out of this apartment and lock Lizzie and me in that house until I agree to marry a man of his choosing. And you know it.”

“Is that what you think?”

I walked to the door, gently pushing my hand against the small of his back, trying to hide how much I wanted to touch him. I ached to run my hands up his body and take refuge in his arms. But no. Not anymore. Never again.

“Thanks for coming by, Lorenzo.”

He looked down at me one last time, his brow furrowed. “Miss Russo, please, tell me you’re not being irresponsible and leaving your kid at home so you can fuck around.”

Better he think I was sleeping around and being irresponsible than getting wind of what was really happening. “Lorenzo, please leave.” When he didn’t move, I opened the door for him. “Get out of my apartment,” I snarled.

As soon as I was alone in my living room, I collapsed against the couch and gave into my fury and my tears. When would I be free?

29

SOFIA

“Thanks for watching Lizzie,”I said to Ana as I ran my fingers through my hair one final time.

“You look great,” she reassured me. “Total transformation from an hour ago.”

I’d called her, still crying after my conversation with Lorenzo, and asked if she could watch Lizzie so I could go on a last-minute date with Nick. Of course, she agreed. When she heard the panic in my voice, she came over, dried my tears, forced me into the shower, and got me ready.

When Nick knocked on the door, Ana greeted him as I tried to feed Lizzie a PB&J. She wasn’t interested, and I sighed. Just what I needed—failing as a mother in front of my date, who was also my kid’s pediatrician.And a man whose heart I am about to break.

It’s for the best.Nick deserved a woman who could fall in love with him unreservedly, who brought more to the table than a pretty face and someone else’s kid.

Lizzie struggled out of her booster seat so she could run to Nick. “Up!” she greeted him. He swung her into his arms and buried his face in her neck, giving her raspberries until she squealed with joy.

He settled her on his hip, then walked over to drop a kiss on my temple. “Hey there, beautiful.”

I smiled at him, trying to keep the torment out of my eyes. “Hey there. Ana’s going to watch Lizzie.”

“Mamma’s going on a date,” Lizzie whispered to him.

He grinned down at her, his green eyes alight with laughter. “Is she now?”

I flushed. “I am,” I whispered. Lizzie happily moved into my arms when I held them out to her, and I kissed her cheek before setting her down. “I’ll be home soon.”

I shared a long look with Ana, who hadn’t asked a single question about my tears earlier. She simply held me until I could put myself back together. She nodded. “We’ll be fine. I’m going to stuff her with sugar and caffeine and then hand her back to you when you get home. It’s gonna be great.”

“Super,” I muttered. As soon as we entered the elevator, Nick pressed me against the wall and kissed me, his tongue stroking against my lips until I opened them. God, kissing him felt like coming home, sweet, comforting, and absolutely right. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, needing to touch him with every bit of my skin, press up against him with my entire body, determined to enjoy him while I still could.

Too soon, the elevator dinged, and he pulled away, dropping a sweet kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Fuck, Sofia, I missed you.”

“It’s been less than a day,” I responded, intending for it to come out dryly but instead sounding exactly as breathless and needy as I felt.

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