I wrapped my fingers around the medallion, and I sucked in a deep breath to center myself. “Remember when Tavia’s uncle gave me a concussion?” Again, she nodded. “And the guy who saved me?”
“The stalker?” she exclaimed. “You hooked up with your stalker?”
“He’s not a stalker,” I snipped at her before slowly inhaling. “He’s not like that. G was only protecting me. He saved me over and over again. And considering he saved you and Tavia that day as well, you don’t get to judge him either.”
She held up her hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. You’re protective of this guy. I’m sorry. Please continue.”
“I love him, Lexa,” I confessed, putting my entire heart in every word. “It started out as a crush, I admit that. Infatuation with the guy who was my own personal superhero. But it grew into so much more. I love him more than anything or anyone. He’s the other half of my soul, and I…I can’t live without him.”
Her metallic-blue eyes softened before narrowing once again. “If you love him so much, where the hell is he?”
“We did hook up in Rome, and it was the best time of my life. But I came home alone.”
Not a lie. I just couldn’t tell her the whole truth. She wouldn’t understand. Hell, I didn’t even understand, but I had to stay positive that Gian would come back for me. “I needed to talk to you and my parents. Get you all on board to show him that we stand a chance.”
“Like you said, this guy has protected you over the years, Mon.” She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t we be on board with you being with a guy who can obviously take care of you?”
“G is Gian Fontana,” I whispered, keeping my eyes glued to her face.
Lexa went deathly pale at the mention of his name. “No,” she breathed, then jumped to her feet. Frantically, she looked around the room, then moved closer to Finn’s bassinet. “No,” she repeated, her voice growing stronger. “You can’t be in love with him. He’s a monster, Monroe. Every person in that family is.”
“No,” I cried. “He’s not like any of those evil bastards. Gian is a good man, Lexa. I swear to you, he would never harm you or anyone else I love.”
“You’re delusional!” she snapped at me. “This guy is playing games with you, Mon. He made you fall in love with him. You’re brainwashed or something. This is a game to him. A man like him, he’s incapable of loving you. In any way. They are all sociopaths. Killers. Monsters.”
“You’ve never even met him,” I reminded her, blinking back tears of frustration.
“I don’t need to meet him to know what he’s like.” With noticeably trembling fingers, she touched her scar. “Stay away from him, Monroe. Don’t let him near you or your baby ever again. He will turn your child into a monster just like the rest of them.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “No,” I denied. “He loves me. Gian would do anything to protect me. Yes, I’ll admit he’s a hard man, but so is my dad. Just like your dad. But he isn’t bad. He feels things just like you and me. He has compassion and love in him. And I know that he hates himself for sharing DNA with the man who hurt you. Please, Lexa. I know this is a lot to take in, but give him a chance. He… He suffered too.” I blinked back tears, remembering everything Gian confessed to me about his time with his father before Enzo was killed. “You’re not the only one with scars. When Gian was five, his father hit him with a glass bottle. It shattered and nearly took out his eye. He has a scar that goes from his brow down to his cheek.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head several times before opening them again. “I can’t tell you who to love. I truly wish I could right now, but I can’t. If you love him, okay, that’s on you. But don’t ever ask me to give this man a chance again. I can’t accept him as part of our family. I won’t ever be able to trust him, and you shouldn’t either.”
“I love him. I want to live the rest of my life with him,” I told her, my voice not quivering once because out of all the uncertainties in my life right then, that was the one thing that was the complete truth.
“Then you can’t be a part of my life, Monroe,” she told me in a hard voice. “Make your choice. Because if you pick him, know that you’re giving up our relationship.”
Chapter 12
Monroe
Lexa’s words were still echoing in my head days later when I walked into the campus café to wait for Mila. I’d been avoiding my sister for over a week because I didn’t know how to tell her about Gian. But then after the talk with Lexa, I didn’t want Mila to condemn him like our cousin had.
Yet, with each day that passed with no word from him, no sign that he was coming back for me, I had to wonder if maybe I’d gotten it all wrong.
No, I scolded myself as I fought back tears and sat down at a table away from the counter and the overly curious assistant manager who seemed to be all alone in the café at the moment. Traffic was almost nonexistent this time of day, and I was the only patron. That was why Mila had asked to meet me now, so she could grill me.
I knew it was time to stop hiding. I couldn’t continue to keep my twin in the dark. She always said we were two halves of a whole, and I had to agree with her. But if I was honest, her strength had always been something I was a little jealous of.
“Mon.”
I startled at the sound of Mila’s voice and only then realized I was still crying. I blinked at her, trying to stop the flow of tears, and told her to get herself something to drink.
My stomach growled hungrily, and I called out, “And something sweet to eat. Then we can talk.”
While she was at the counter ordering, I tried to stop crying, but by the time she reached me, I knew I probably looked hideous.
“Tell me why you’re crying, Mon,” she commanded as she took her seat across from me and picked up her drink.