With her hand flat on my chest, she tried to push herself away.
I didn’t let her. “I never planned on letting you go. I would have found excuses for you to have to remain here with me. This place isn’t mine any longer. It’s ours.”
“You tried to send me away.”
“I did. I thought it was for the best. But I realized the way for me to keep you safest was to stop fighting what was between us. I’ll protect you with my life.”
Her hand flattened on my chest, her body once again relaxing. “I’m not Teresa.”
I closed my eyes, regretting ever comparing her to a woman that wouldn’t have held a candle to the one in my arms. “I know. But this life is dangerous.”
“I’m not hiding anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ever since Dad and Kasey died, I’ve been hiding. Not standing up for myself, not going for what I want—taking a back seat to life. But with you, that all changed. I can be myself.”
“I like who you are. I would never want you to change.”
“I’m not helpless either. I’ve taken martial arts. Sure, I barely know how to shoot a gun, but I’ll learn.”
I chuckled at how fierce she sounded. I had no doubt she would master it—Hailey could do anything. “Do you want to go back to MIT and finish your degree?”
She traced small circles on my chest with the pad of her finger. “No. I should tell you the truth about why I dropped out. It wasn’t just because I didn’t know what to do with the rest of my life and I felt like I was wasting my time there. I could have majored in several things, and I would have been fine. I liked the classes, and the work was easy enough. I left because of a boy.”
She filled me in on what her jackass ex had talked her into doing for him with his grades and how he’d threatened to rat her out to the dean of students.
Anger burned inside me, and the need for vengeance had me seeing red.
“Stop.” She reached up and cupped my face. “He isn’t important. I don’t care about him. He holds no power over me.”
He’d hurt her, and I would find a way to make him pay. Maybe not that day, but soon.
“There can be no secrets between us.”
I gritted my teeth, knowing she explicitly referred to retaliation against her ex. “I agree.” And I would be honest with her about what I was going to do once I figured it out. For the time being, I forced myself to release the tension, focusing on us instead. There was more that I had to share with her. “I think I knew you were the one the moment I laid eyes on you in that basement, unapologetically faking your abduction. I love you, Hailey. And I’ll support your decision if I’m moving things too fast and you need to be on your own for a while. You could take the floor below me. But I’m not letting you go.”
When she shifted against me, it was to lie on top of me. She met my gaze and held it. “I don’t need space. I love you, too, Trey.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
TREY
Iweaved through cars on the highway with the sun still rising in the sky and shining into my eyes from the awkward angle, despite my sunglasses. Dante had called Stefano, and the guys were meeting at his house that morning to go over what they’d talked about. I was on my way there after a hurried breakfast with Hailey. We’d stayed in bed too long then had to rush when we realized the time. I couldn’t get enough of her body and already missed her by my side. But Allen’s funeral was later that day, so I’d dropped Hailey at her mom’s with a contingent of security that would ensure her safety from a reasonable distance.
She wanted to do it on her own, saying her mom would be even more difficult if she brought anyone with her before the proceedings. I’d agreed only because I had to go to the meeting and with the assurance that my guards would have eyes on her the entire time. As soon as I was done with my obligations, I planned to head over to where she was. When the funeral was over, she was going to pack some clothes to bring back to our lakefront home.
I pulled off Lake Shore Drive to a greystone similar to mine, where Stefano lived with Emiliana. After entering the code, I gained access to the lower-level parking. Several cars were already there. Once in the elevator, I pressed my hand to the scanner then hit the button for the top floor. It took seconds to arrive, and the doors opened soundlessly.
Emiliana passed me and took my place in the elevator. “Morning, Trey.”
“Morning.” I raised my eyebrows, wondering where she was off to, but she only grinned and hit the button to close the doors. The guys were all there—both my brothers, Stefano, Luc, Enzo, and Max. None of the Mafia women were, though. “Where’s Emiliana off to?”Are they going to the funeral?
“She’s meeting the girls for brunch. Then they’re going to Hailey’s to help her pack.”
“Why is this the first I’m hearing of that?” My fingers curled around my phone, and I started to pull it from my pocket to text Hailey.
Stefano smirked. “Because your sister just spoke with her about two minutes ago and found out she’s moving some of her stuff into your place after the funeral.”