She was grateful he couldn’t see the smile that now tilted her lips in the dark.
With the purring in her ear, it wasn’t going to take long for her to drift to sleep in a sea filled with dreams. Just as she was nodding off, she heard his voice, which seemed to hold a bit of guilt of his own.
“I didn’t want to ever get married either… I just wanted you to know that.”
Kat could have taken it as an insult, like she had meant it when she’d thrown those hateful words at him earlier, but she didn’t. Instead, she knew all too well what he meant.
This time when she would drift off to sea, it wouldn’t be just her; it would be both of them, as they sat in the same boat. Together.
* * *
Waking up the next day felt very different for her. Strangely, she couldn’t stop smiling as she took her shower, and by the time she put on her oversized Metallica shirt, black skinny jeans, and she exited the bathroom, she realized it might have felt very different for the both of them—on account of the overwhelming aroma of eggs and bacon.
Turning the corner, she found a fully-suited Drago taking the eggs out of the pan.
“That’s a lot of—” She took in the excessive amount, putting only two eggs and two strips of bacon on a plate that was laid out. “Meat. How is all this going to get eate—”
Amo came through the door as if he followed a scented trail. Taking a plate, he began stacking a massive amount on it. Then Drago took the healthy amount of food that was left, then they all took a seat at the kitchen island.
She knew body builders needed to eat a lot of food, but DAMN.
“I mostly just have protein shakes, so Amo can take you to the grocery store today if you would like, to get you whatever you want.”
Kat nodded as she watched the two put away the meat-filled plates like they were in sync and almost starved to death.
Downing a glass of water, Drago checked his watch before getting up to put his plate in the sink. Then he came to Katarina and stood beside her.
When she looked up at him from the stool she sat on, her heart might’ve skipped a beat. Or two.
He reached down into his pocket, retrieving his leather billfold and opening it. “You can keep this till I can get you your own, after I add you to my bank account.”
Amo dropped his silver fork out of his hand so suddenly it almost broke the plate underneath, judging from the loud clack.
Staring down at the black card that had the name Drago De Santis on it, she almost choked.
“From now on, when you want something, you don’t have to ask anyone for it. Not even me.”
Did he just— Did he— Kat had to actually grab her chest at the complete loss of words, wondering if she had heard him correctly. The fucking rabbit hole she’d fallen into was starting to get confus—
The lips that took hers weren’t hard this time. They were soft. Sweet. Kind. And most of all, tender.
“Don’t wait up for me, sweetheart,” he told her just like yesterday, before he left her in mostly the same way. Speechless. Except this time, she didn’t feel the rage. It was worse and the beginning of…
Oh God.
What is that?
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
Love.
Thirty
It’s Getting Really Weird Down Here
Kat tapped her fingers in a rolling motion, staring down at the black credit card while she replayed the last few minutes over and over again in her head. It’s getting really weird down here.
The way he was acting toward her was… kinda sweet. Even though she was being the biggest witch there was since they had gotten married. Which was now really, really making her feel guilty. I mean, he just trusted a Luciano with his bank card, for Christ’s sake.
It certainly was becoming a new world, and Amo, who had stopped eating seeming to lose his appetite, was seeing it too.
Getting up, he took the rest of his uneaten food to the trash. The shock on his face and his reaction at what unfolded pretty much said it all about how he still felt for the Lucianos, but she tried to not let it bug her.
She didn’t know if it hit all married couples, but suddenly, she felt this urge… to make him happy? Oh God, what is wrong with me?
She took a breath still staring at the card, wondering if the thought of making him happy was a good idea. She supposed the guilt of being such a witch yesterday caught up to her, when she took out her new cell phone with her new contacts and made a call, but the person she needed help from now was different.