“What you heard? It was nothing!”
“It wasn’t nothing. I was right!”
“But you didn’t know that at the time, and now you’re involved. What if Tootsie and Zoe aren’t dead, and Marco finds out you spied on him and reported to Tootsie? You have to fucking think, Sasha.” He gripped the top of the cushion and dropped his head. “You need to stay out of this.” Rolling his shoulders, he lifted his dark eyes to me. “Promise me you’re done.”
“I promise,” I said with no hesitation.
Luca studied me before giving me a slight nod. He pushed off the couch and gathered me in his arms. “What the fuck was Tootsie thinking?”
The words “he loved her” were on the tip of my tongue, but that wouldn’t help a goddamn thing. So instead of talking, I burrowed my face into his chest. The smell of smoke, cologne, and perfume weaved into the fabric of his shirt.
“Let me get changed. I smell like a nightclub.”
I rested my cheek over his heart and took a deep breath. “I don’t mind.”
“Yeah, well, I need to wash off the day.” He squeezed me tight and then let go. Taking the stairs slowly, he sagged as he made his way to our room.
“I’ll be up in a minute.”
I turned off the tv and lights before I went upstairs. Passing the closed bathroom door, I went into the closet. My fingers skimmed the expensive fabric on Luca’s side as I thought about Tootsie. We’d already cut him from the wedding party because of his “extended absence.” I had no idea how Luca explained away months of him being gone—that wasn’t any of my business.
But now people would know.
The family would find out Luca had been hiding Zoe. I gripped the arm of a suit coat as worry filled me. How would this go?
“What are you doing in here?” Luca startled me, and I let out a scream. He dried his hair with a towel, frowning as I stood in the back of the closet, wrinkling one of his fine suits.
“Getting pajamas.” I reached into a drawer and took out the first oversized shirt in the pile.
We got dressed, both of us lost in our own worlds.
Moving in sync, we climbed into bed, shutting off the lights and curling into one another.
Luca kissed the top of my head, his damp hair brushing my forehead. “Night, Sasha.”
“Night. I love you.”
He exhaled, his body completely relaxing under me. “Love you.”
Luca fell asleep in a matter of minutes while I was wide awake, worrying. Had Tootsie gotten away? Or had they been caught after he called me?
It took me thirty minutes to work up the nerve to get out of bed. I slowly inched away from Luca until I was free of his hold. I rolled myself off the edge, landing lightly on my feet. Luca moved, and I froze like a statue.
When he let out a loud-ass snore, I shook my head and inched toward the door, stopping every so often to check over my shoulder. Sneaking around my own house felt ridiculous, but I made it to the kitchen with no problem. I kept the lights off and bounced on my feet as I called Tootsie.
He didn’t answer.
I sagged against the countertop with the phone clutched between both hands, devastated and unsure of what was to come.
THIRTEEN
"Just try on the princess dress, then your mom will leave you alone,” Ashley whispered, our heads pressed together in a rack of gowns.
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want to.”
“I don’t think that matters. Your mom is determined to see a princess, so you better give her a princess.”
I rolled my eyes and snatched the closest cupcake dress from the rack, and walked it to the consultant, Chloe. “Can we try this or something like this?”