“Why are you smiling like an idiot?” Marko asked, leaning close to me.
“She wants me.”
“Yeah, like she wants gonorrhea. Seriously Lo, you need to rethink your approach.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I know how to handle her.”
Marko sighed, rolling his eyes. “I’ll let the hospital know to expect you.”
“No need. She will be in my bed by the end of the week.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Enzo chuckled, shaking his head.
Marko added. “Donnie isn’t like your other girls Lorenzo. She isn’t going to fall for your stupid one-liners. She isn’t a one-night stand for you to get your rocks off. She’s the real deal. The marrying kind.”
“I know,” I clearly agreed.
“Wait a minute,” Marko said, turning to face me. “Look me dead in the eye and say that.”
Doing as he asked, I looked at him and said, “I am going to marry her, Marko. Mark my words. She will have my ring on her finger.”
“Holy shit,” Marko gasped. “You actually mean that. Well, I’ll be damned. I never thought I would live to see the day. Wow. When are you going to tell the family?”
“I’m not.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have to do this on my own.”
“Dude, with your track record, you will need help. She won’t even look at you. Fuck man, she just kicked you in the nuts for kissing her. Trust me, you will need all the help you can get.”
Marko said nothing more as I continued to stare at Donatella.
She truly was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
I still couldn’t believe that in the very short time I’ve known her, my feelings for her would become what they have. Everything about her fascinating, from her inability to handle her unruly hair to her comfortable everyday clothes. The woman seriously had no particular style to ascertain but that was one of the things that made her unique. She was magnificently intelligent and witty and she didn’t take any of my shit. I should know because I could dish it out. There was something simple about her, something innocent, venerable about her that drew me to her like a moth to a flame. Hearing her screams, seeing her tears broke me. I never wanted to see her like that again. She should be happy and smile often. Her world should be perfect and I wanted nothing more than to make sure she got that.
My whole life I lived a selfish life. If it didn’t concern me personally, I didn’t give a damn. It was almost refreshing that her wants and needs interested me more than my own. My selfish, childish ways were a thing of the past.
I had a singular purpose, now.
For the first time in my life, I wanted something more, someone who meant more than me. I would have her too. She didn’t know it yet but she was going to be mine.
Forever.
I just needed to make her see that I was worth the effort and accept that I was worthy of her love. That was something I was going to have to work on. It was an emotion I never believed I deserved. If I was completely honest with myself, I think I knew that first time when she showed up at the main house and leaned over the couch, throwing the pillow off my face. Looking up into her beautiful eyes, I knew.
I knew she was meant to be mine.
Always.
Since that moment, I’ve done everything I could to push her away, from being my usual obnoxious self, to being an egotistical asshole. I was nothing more than an ass to her. I felt ashamed for the way I acted. If my mother was alive, she would never let me hear the end of it. The fact was, that it was time for me to grow up. Gio had been on my ass for years now and now was the time to listen. I wanted something more in my life. I was tired of the parties and games. I wanted someone to love. Someone to share my life with. Someone who loved me as much as I wanted to love them. I knew Donatella was that woman. There was no one else like her in the world.
I just prayed that she gave me the chance to show her that I was more than she saw, that I could be more. That I wanted to be the man she needed. It was going to be a hard sell. I knew that. My past and my actions were totally against me. I didn’t have the best track record. In fact, I didn’t have one at all. I just needed to up my game.
She never said a single word to me on the drive from the airport to the family compound. I didn’t expect her to. She was angry. I got that but this silent treatment wasn’t helping my cause. I needed to find a way to get her to talk. Something that wouldn’t infuriate her more because I was damn sure my balls couldn’t take another hit.
Walking into my family home, Gio didn’t waste a minute issuing orders, “Lorenzo and Donatella, my office now.”