“I think it’s best that you go,” Alex said.
“Roman doesn’t know what it means to care, even when he does. He says that he doesn’t have feelings for you, but I saw his face when you got shot, Alex. He cares, in his own way. You’ve just got to give him time. Give him a chance.”
Antonio removed his hand and got to his feet.
She watched him, curious what his game was, but he left without another word.
Taking a sip of the hot chocolate he’d brought her, she was pleasantly surprised. It was sweet, just the way she liked it, with just the right amount of chocolate. It was … delicious.
She took another sip and stared at the door.
There was no way she was going to cave that easily. Roman had said he didn’t love her, that he might one day care about her, but she was a job to him. An order. Their marriage was a contract of peace and of loyalty, nothing more.
After finishing off the hot chocolate, she threw the blankets back. Rather than go and immediately brush her teeth, she grabbed the cup and made her way downstairs toward the kitchen.
The house was so silent, a complete contrast to when the kids were up. It had been an exciting couple of days for them, at least that was what she was told. She adored all the kids here and with her present, she noticed little Stuart had started to come out of his shell, which was good.
Placing the cup in the sink, she stared into it at the drying remnants of hot chocolate in the bottom. She refused to leave it for anyone else, so she grabbed the scrubbing brush, turned on the warm water, and cleaned the cup.
After she placed it on the drainer, she found a kitchen towel and got to drying it. Millie would often get her in the kitchen growing up, helping out with chores. Teaching her what it was like to run a house.
“One day, this is going to be all yours. You’re going to need to know how to run things smoothly.”
Alex doubted that she would own her father’s house. She always pictured herself somewhere else, like this place. Her father’s place was so large, and the rooms so empty.
“I thought I told you that you needed to rest.”
She spun around at the sound of Roman’s voice. “You startled me.” She stared at him, seeing his hair was a little damp from being outside. They had no choice earlier to bring the kids inside as the sunshine had turned to a sudden downpour, and it had been raining most of the day.
The kids were gutted as Roman promised them a round of baseball. He’d even insisted Marlo, Cash, and Antonio would help.
With how wet Roman looked, she figured it was still raining.
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I am all rested out.”
He took a step toward her, and she rolled her eyes.
“You keep doing that,” he said.
She placed the cup back in its place, in the cupboard just above her head. When she moved, Roman was already there, trapping her between the counter and his rock-solid body.
“I keep doing what?” she asked.
“Rolling those pretty eyes.”
She was not going to focus on the fact he said her eyes were pretty. “You keep saying the same things, Roman. How is … everything?” she asked.
“Fine. Your dad misses you and told me to tell you that he is doing everything in his power to make it safe, and so am I.”
She nodded.
He was so close. The shocking blue of his eyes startled her. They were … intense, beautiful, and she couldn’t look away.
Licking her dry lips, she tried to think of something to say, anything, but the silence was so deafening, and her heart started to race.
“I missed you,” he said.