I didn’t think life could get any better than it has over the last six weeks. Luca has grown so close with the kids, building a bond only children and their dad can have. It’s made me so happy. We haven’t told Olivia and Oliver the truth about Luca being their father. I don’t know what I’m waiting on. I think I’m waiting for something bad to happen. I’m afraid if I tell them, they will be so happy, and then something will go wrong.
Maybe Luca will change his mind, and then I’ll be left all alone again. It isn’t okay to live like that. It isn’t fair to Luca. I should be better than that to him. He deserves to have the kids know the truth, but how do I get past this fear of being left behind again?
The kids wouldn’t be the only ones devastated if Luca decided not to have anything to do with us. I can’t tell if my instincts are telling me to run or to take a chance. Everything is questionable because I did the one thing I told myself I wouldn’t do.
I fell in love with him.
I love Luca.
And that’s what makes this so much harder. How do I know he will stick around for the long haul? What if the novelty of the family dynamic becomes boring to him?
“Are you ready to see your new bakery?” Luca’s voice pulls me out of my deep thoughts of what-ifs and fear.
I turn my head to him and lift my brows. “What?”
“Are you okay?” He steps into my space. “You’ve been in your head all morning.”
“I’m just wondering if maybe we should tell the kids that you’re their father. We should do it.”
The grin taking over his face is so wide it reaches his eyes. He wraps his arms around me and squeezes me tight until I can’t breathe.
“I can’t….” I gasp. “Breathe.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m excited. I’m happy. I want that too. There might have been a few times when I almost slipped, but I didn’t. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn’t want to seem presumptuous.”
“Presumptuous? Luca, they are your children. You’re allowed to be.”
“Well, they are more yours than they are mine right now.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he places a finger over my lips.
“I mean, it’s only been you three for five years. Your relationship with them is solid. I’m new, I’m building a relationship with them, and I don’t want it to seem like I deserve the ‘Dad’ title out of the gate. I haven’t earned it.”
“You’ve earned it.” I’m appalled he would think that. “You’ve been better to us than anyone has in a long time. You’re a father, Luca. You have been a father. You’ve been amazing. I want them to know. Okay?”
“Okay.” He leans in and presses his forehead against mine.
The three little words are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t seem to speak them. I don’t rush it, I decide. The time will come. It doesn’t have to be right now.
“Let’s go see your new bakery.” He opens the front door, and a new Range Rover sits in the driveway with big red bow on it.
“Luca…” I say his name with wariness. “What is that? What is that!” I scream in excitement as I run to the sparkling black Range Rover.
My dream car.
“It’s the beginning of a new life,” he says, tossing me the keys. “You want to drive?”
I nearly choke and flatten my palm against the hood. “Are you kidding?” I open the driver’s side door so fast and hop in. “Oh my God, Luca. It’s gorgeous.” The leather seats are red, and there’s a B stitched in the middle of the seat and a golden B plate in the middle of the steering wheel.
“B?”
“Bianco,” he says as he buckles himself in. “Because you will be one day, very soon.”
Something about those words springs hope.
“This car is yours, Camilla. All yours,” he informs. He presses the button to start it and then taps on the screen in the middle of the dash. “Let’s go to your bakery.”
“The bow.” I point.
“Damn it.”
I snicker when he climbs out and yanks the ribbon off, tossing it in the driveway.
“Someone will clean it up,” he mumbles, getting back into the car.
When he buckles himself up, I press the gas and reach over to grab his hand. I can’t believe he did this for me.
“Thank you. I love how smooth it drives. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Consider it back pay for child support,” he teases, and I slap his arm.
“That’s not funny.”
“I know. I didn’t mean for it to sound that cruel,” he barks a laugh and kisses the top of my hand.
When we get through the gate, I take a left, driving to the bakery in my brand-new car. While we drive, I press a bunch of random buttons, flipping on the heated seats.
“Oh, butt warmers. I love those.”
“I have two perfectly fine butt warmers right here.” He lifts his hands in the air, and I laugh.
“You did not just say that.” Luca is so different when he isn’t in business mode all the time. I know he can be intense and scary, but over these last six weeks, he has been softer and gentle.
He’s adapted, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t do his job.
Just the other night, he came home with bloody knuckles, but he wouldn’t tell me what happened, and I didn’t ask. Why bother? I’ve been down this road before with my father. Anything they do that requires them to get blood on their hands means what they did was dangerous and illegal. The less I know, the better.
I took care of his wounds and went on with our night as if it didn’t happen.
And then he fucked me like he loved me but wished he hated me, and I had the best night’s sleep I ever had.
When I pull into a parking spot, I notice Cora outside talking to the police officer while a paramedic wraps her arm.
“Oh, my God.” I rush out of the car, not bothering to shut the door. “Cora!” I slither my way through a few people, stepping on broken glass. I look up at her coffee shop and notice it’s vandalized. The windows are shattered, the tables and chairs are broken, and the cushions to the booths are ripped.
I finally get my feet moving under me and notice the windows to my bakery are shattered too, but the inside looks fine.
I don’t care about any of that. I only want to get to Cora.
A paramedic is holding gauze to her face, and the white of it is turning red.
“She definitely has a possible concussion. We need to take you to the hospital, ma’am.”
“Cora, what happened? Are you okay?” I take her hand and gasp in horror when he pulls the gauze away from her head. There’s a giant cut. It’s red and takes up the majority of the left side of her face. Her left eye is turning a shade of purple, and there’s a fresh wrap on her arm.
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened,” she mumbles, exhausted, and there’s a slight slur to her words. “I was…just at…work,” she speaks slowly, leaning her weight against the side of the ambulance. “Then the windows shattered, and my face caught one of the…bricks that were thrown to break the glass.”
I don’t like how she has to pause when she speaks.
“We need to take her to the hospital. That’s where she’ll be if you need to see her.”
“Okay. Cora, I’m going to be right there, okay? I’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay.” She squeezes my hand before they strap her to the gurney to prepare for transport. “I’m so tired.”
“You need to keep your eyes open, okay? Don’t close them. No matter what,” I tell her just before the doors shut.
“She’ll be okay. I know the best doctor at the hospital. I’ll call him and make sure he is the one who treats her.” Luca wraps me against his side and kisses my temple.
“Thank you.” I already feel better knowing Luca will make sure she gets the best treatment possible.
“Camilla!”
I turn around to see Taylor running across the street. It’s felt like forever since I have seen him, but all my time has been spent with Luca and the kids.
“Taylor, hey,” I greet him in a side hug, but Luca doesn’t let go of my hand. “Did you see what happened?”
“No, I opened the store late because I had to go check on my mom this morning. What the hell? Is Cora okay? Who would do this?” he asks, taking in the scene of destruction.
“I don’t know, but I plan to find out.” Luca’s cold blue eyes cut to Taylor. “Whoever it was, better make sure I don’t find them because no one fucks with family.”
“You and Cora are related?” Taylor questions, kicking a piece of glass out from under his shoe.
“No, but we’re family because she is Camilla’s best friend, and whoever fucks with anyone Camilla cares about gets to deal with me.”
“I wouldn’t want to be on your bad side. Rumor has it they never find the bodies,” Taylor laughs it off, but Luca remains a statue.
“Those aren’t rumors.”
“Oookay.” Taylor grabs me by the arm and redirects me to the corner of the bakery, away from Luca.
Luca doesn’t take his eyes off me. He watches me like a hawk.
“Does that not bother you? How much he watches you?”
I shake my head. “No. It actually makes me feel safe, something I haven’t felt in a while.” I cross my eyes and readjust my feet, and more glass crunches under my boots.
At this rate, my bakery will never be up and running again. I already miss baking.
“Anyway, what’s going on? If you take too long, Luca will have questions soon.”
Taylor takes a step closer, and I take one back, turning my head to look at Luca, who has shortened the distance between us.
“Do you think this has anything to do with the fortune?”
“Why are you asking? That’s pretty specific, Taylor.”
“I’m asking because I’m worried about you and Cora, your kids. My shop. I think someone broke into my store too. They took something that was very important to me. And I think it’s whoever wants your fortune, so why don’t you just give it to them? If you don’t want it.”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t want it, Camilla. There are others that do. Just give it up already.”
I narrow my eyes at him and uncross my arms, wondering why he is so adamant about the money. “It isn’t that I don’t want it. It’s complicated. With all the questions, I’m starting to think you want it for yourself.”
He jerks back as if I slapped him. “What? How could you think that? No. I don’t care about the money, Camilla. I’m worried about what chaos it will bring to the street. Your shop. Cora.” He spread his arm out in the direction the ambulance went. “Cora is hurt because of this. I mean, how selfish can you really be to continue to let this happen?”
I don’t know what gets into me, but I slap him across the face. “How dare you,” I hiss at him, pointing a finger into his chest. His cheek became red, and his head is still turned, shocked that I slapped him. “You don’t get to call me selfish. I have given everything of myself to the people that need me. You don’t get to call me selfish.” I poked him in the chest again. “That money is the last thing from my father, and I might still be angry at him, but it’s what he left me. Me. So for this one time, this one moment, I’m allowed to be selfish. That fortune belongs to no one but me. No one else, so if someone wants to pick a fight, then let them fight.”
“And you’re willing to put your friends in harm’s way?”
“I’m not responsible for the actions of someone else.” I begin to walk away, and Taylor grabs me.
“I’m sorry. Okay? I’m so sorry. I’ve been worried and stressed out. Work has been slow, and I’ve been crunching numbers. It’s been hard, okay? I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m sorry.”
“I need some time, Taylor. I feel guilty enough as is, and I don’t need someone who I thought was my friend to make it worse.” Luca wraps his arms around my shoulder and guides me to the Range Rover.
“Let me see the keys.” He holds out his palm, and I don’t argue with him. I drop the keys in his hand, and he opens the passenger side for me to get in.
I buckle in and stare at the red blooming across my palm. I can’t believe I did that. I’ve never hit a person in my entire life, but Taylor was pushing all the wrong buttons. He was too pushy, too adamant about the fortune, and maybe I got so mad because I thought he was right. Maybe I am selfish. I can’t keep Cora at risk.
“You know he’s wrong, right? You’re the least selfish person I know.” Luca’s palm engulfs mine, and he brings it to his lips to kiss the burning flesh.
“I don’t know if he is wrong,” I exhale, leaning my head back against the seat. “I can’t believe I hit him.”
“It was sexy. I’ve wanted to hit that asshole ever since I met him.”
“Luca,” I warn him.
“What? I do this for a living, Beautiful Girl. Something about that guy doesn’t sit right with me.” Luca puts the car in drive and then pats his pockets, cursing.
“What is it?”
“I left my wallet at home. How about I drop you off at the hospital? I’ll be right behind you.”
“No. I don’t want to be alone. It will only take a few minutes. I bet the doctors won’t let us see her right now.”
“Okay. I just want you to know he’s wrong. And I’m sorry about the bakery. We will get it fixed.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t.” I press my forehead against the window and take in the destruction of the coffee shop and bakery as we make a U-turn to go home.
“Why would you say that? You love baking.”
“Not if it means people are getting hurt. Even Taylor is being affected by it.”
“How the hell is….” Luca pinches the bridge of his nose. “How is he being affected?”
“He said something important was stolen from his shop, and he’s really upset about it.”
Luca’s hand tightens on the steering wheel. “Don’t listen to him. He’s wrong. And his store hasn’t been vandalized. It’s yours that is the target, and someone knows about Cora being your friend too.”
He’s not telling me something. “Do you know who it is?”
“No, but I really do not like Taylor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had something to do with it. For me, can you stay clear of him until I figure it out?”
We pull into the driveway of the estate, and the gates open for us. “I don’t think that will be a problem, considering how I slapped him.”
“Good. Better than the barrel of my gun.”
“Luca!”
“I’m just saying.”
We climb out of the car and walk to the front door. Luca scans his finger, and the door opens for us.
“I can’t remember where I left it. Can you look down here, and I’ll look upstairs?”
“No problem.” I slap his ass and head into his office while he climbs upstairs to check the bedroom.
His office is clean and organized; nothing is out of place. The silver mac book is open, but the screen is black, and there is a calendar with handwritten notes on it.
Huh. I guess he likes to keep things old school. Most people use the calendar on their phones. I get on my hands and knees, checking the floor in case he dropped it.
Nothing.
“Damn it,” I mumble, getting back to my feet, then begin to dig through the drawers, which feels really invasive.
But then I come across a file with my name on it, and I flick my gaze to the door to make sure he isn’t there. My stomach turns for a moment, as it has for the past week, but then it passes. I’ve chalked it up to stress or when something makes me feel other than calm, but I know that’s not it. I always feel like this when I’m pregnant. I’m not sure without taking a test.
Seeing this file, I’m wondering if it’s a good thing I haven’t told the kids about him.
I grab it and take a deep breath, so I don’t puke all over his desk, then open it.
It’s only a few pieces of paper stapled together. I let out a relieved chuckle when I see it’s the paperwork for the building he bought from my dad.
“Anything?” he shouts from upstairs.
“No, sorry. Nothing down here.” I read the agreement and flip the page, then hold my breath when I see a clause in the agreement.
Luca Bianco is promised Camilla Thompson’s hand in marriage after the death of her father…
My heart slams against my chest, and everything around me sways. I stumble on my feet and sit down in the leather chair.
He can’t know I saw it, but maybe Luca is with me for all the wrong reasons too. Why would he do this without me knowing unless he didn’t want the fortune?
I close the file and tuck it where I found it.
“Ready to go?” he stands in the doorway, lifting his wallet in the air. “It was on the floor in the closet.”
“You have to be better at keeping track of that thing. It’s heavy,” I wink, thinking about the cards he has that have an unlimited amount of money on them it.
“Are you okay? You look pale.” He checks my temperature by placing his hand on my forehead, and now I can’t tell if he cares or not. My eyes water from the thought because I’ve fallen in love with him.
“I’m okay. I think I’m just really worried about Cora.”
“Well, let’s go see her and put your mind at ease.”
That’s the last thing that will happen. Being at ease is something I’m not good at. Ease is something that does not come naturally.
I really thought I had finally found it with Luca, but who am I kidding?
The past can’t be reborn. History is history for a reason.
No, history is repeating itself, and that can’t happen.
I won’t allow it.
