by J. L. Leslie
“I have one other order that’s being picked up and then I promised Claire and Kyle I would babysit tonight. He only gets one night off every couple of weeks or so. They always do a date night, and I stay with the kids.”
“I’ll bring dinner,” he offers, his voice hopeful.
I agree, giving him the address and letting him know to be there around six. He kisses me on the lips, soft and quick, and this time I’m sure I’m the one who sighs.
“I love you,” he whispers, touching his lips to mine again. “See you tonight.”
I’m floating on cloud nine as I go back to finish up. This beautiful, incredible man loves me. He called off his fake engagement and gave up an extremely lucrative business deal for me. Everything is going to work out. Six o’clock can’t come fast enough.
Forty-Four
Havoc
I have no idea what the kids like to eat. Fuck, I don’t even know what Frankie likes to eat. She’s a chef, but that doesn’t mean she likes all foods.
“Nipote!” Giovanni greets me warmly.
“Zio,” I reply, stepping inside and letting him wrap me in a hug.
“Another dilemma?” he asks, and it feels good to shake my head.
“I came to tell you that you were right. Damn, it’s odd saying that.”
He laughs. “Per favore, tell me the wedding is off. Lodare Dio!”
This time it’s me who is laughing. My uncle is practically ecstatic at the thought that I’ve broken things off with Anneliese. It’s downright hilarious how joyous he is.
“Yes, Gio,” I reply. “The wedding is off. The engagement is off. It’s over.”
“Now, tell me about the girl. Fretta!”
He ushers me over to his sofa and I drop down. “What girl?” I joke and his eyes narrow at me. “I am in love with her, Gio. I can’t explain it.”
“Who can? You just have to go with it. Follow your heart.”
“And if my heart is wrong?”
He frowns. “Does your heart race when you see her? Ache when you don’t? If it does, it’s communicating with you. Listening to it doesn’t mean you’ll always get it right. Following it doesn’t mean the path won’t lead to disaster. But at least you followed it and found out.”
“I can handle most anything life has thrown at me, but I didn’t see this coming,” I confess. “I’m still figuring out who I am with this woman. Gio, I offered to bring her and three kids dinner tonight. I don’t even cook!”
He tsks at me and gets up from his chair. “Make your madre’s spaghetti.”
He comes back with a recipe written on an aging piece of paper in my madre’s hand. It doesn’t appear too difficult. I can follow instructions for fuck’s sake.
“I can probably do this.”
“Nipote, if you can’t, you have more to worry about than love. Spaghetti is easy! Love is hard! But both are worth it!”
I stand up, letting him know I need to get going. “Thank you for the recipe. I’ll make Madre proud.”
“I have no doubt about that.” Gio walks me to his door and gives me a hug before I leave.
It’s too late to use a grocery delivery service so I go inside the closest grocery store and purchase the ingredients on the list. I roll my eyes at the monthly gossip rags on the magazine stand documenting mine and Anneliese’s upcoming nuptials. They’ll be reporting a different story next month.
I don’t want to think about those headlines. I’ll either be labeled as the man who broke Anneliese’s heart, or she’ll be labeled as the woman who broke mine. Either way, it’ll be utter bullshit.
I check out and rush home, anxious to get this meal cooked so that if I fuck it up, I have time to order pizza or something. I put the bags on my counter and get to work.
“I’m trusting you, Madre,” I say out loud even though she isn’t here. “You would love this one.”
Forty-Five
Frankie
I’m scrolling through Netflix trying to find the kids a movie to watch tonight when I hear a knock on the door. My stomach is in knots as I put down the remote control and go answer. Julian is standing there, a covered dish in his hands, a bag hanging off his wrist. I quickly let him in and point toward the kitchen so he can go put the food down.
“You cooked?” I asked, shocked that he didn’t order takeout.
He grins over at me and the knot in my stomach turns into butterflies. “I told you I’ve taken an interest in cooking.”
He strolls over to me and pulls me into his arms, pressing a kiss to my lips. Before he can deepen the kiss, I back away.
“The kids will be storming in here any moment,” I explain.
“Well, tell them to come eat,” he urges.
I smile at his enthusiasm as he goes to the counter where he put the food. He pulls a box of garlic bread out of the bag and looks over to me.
“Didn’t want the bread to get cold on the way here so I grabbed this.”
I go turn the oven on to preheat and get out a cooking sheet. I help him put the bread on it and then I lift the lid off his container.
“That smells amazing,” I say. “Forget the kids. They can have pizza. This is all mine.”
He chuckles. “I will make you all the spaghetti you want.”
“Promise?”
“I promise you, Frankie.”
I was teasing about the food, but his promise holds more than an endless supply of spaghetti. I step to him, anxious to kiss him like I mean it, when Seth strolls down the hall.
“Please, God, do not make out,” he says with a groan, his two sisters following behind him. “You’re as bad as Mom and Dad.”
“Give your parents a break,” I say. “They love each other.”
“Do you two love each other?” Makaila asks and I blush.
“Yep,” Julian replies with a grin and both girls beam at him, their smiles so wide that both rows of their teeth are showing.
“Okay, go ahead and set the table, Seth. Makaila, you can get the glasses down and Rory can help you put some ice in them.”
Julian seems impressed as they all start doing as instructed while I put the garlic bread in the oven. It won’t take very long and by the time the table is set, and our plates are made, we’ll have hot garlic bread to go with it.
“I don’t recall if I was so well-behaved at that age,” he confesses.
“Oh, please. You were probably wearing a three-piece suit and making business deals already.”
“I was a bossy little shit,” he admits.
“Ooh, you cussed, Havie. You owe the cuss jar!” Rory informs him and cocks an eyebrow at me.
“It’s my sister’s doing,” I explain.
“What happens when the cuss jar is full?” he asks.
“We go shopping!” Makaila exclaims.
Julian nods and pulls out his wallet. He tosses two crisp one-hundred-dollar bills into the jar on the counter. “I think that covers me for a while.”
I shake my head, laughing, and go pull the garlic bread out of the oven. Then, I help Rory fix her plate while the older two fix their own. Rory says the blessing and we dig in.
We’re barely a few bites in when Julian’s phone rings. I glance over at him and stifle a laugh as all three of the kids glare at him.
“No phones at the table, Havie! Come on!” Rory complains, rolling her eyes dramatically.
He gives me a sheepish grin and silences it without bothering to answer it, shoving it back into his pocket. It’s possible my niece is even more of a bossy little shit than he was!
Forty-Six
Havoc
Never in a million years would I have imagined I would be lying on the floor, surrounded by kids, and watching a movie about a hotel for dogs. The three kids argued over what to watch for fifteen minutes before they agreed on one they all said they’d watched at least five times.
Frankie lies back against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. Her nephew, Seth, is on the sofa, partly watching the movie and partly
on his phone. The two girls are propped on pillows in front of us, their eyes glued to the screen.
“I like this,” Frankie says quietly, nestling her head into the crook of my neck.
“Yeah, the movie is pretty funny.” She nudges my side with her elbow. “I especially liked it when Seth said my spaghetti is better than yours.”
“Watch it,” she warns, her tone teasing.
I turn my head toward hers and press a kiss to her forehead. I want to do more but wouldn’t do that with the kids present.
“Was everything all right earlier? Your phone kept ringing. I know you didn’t take it, but if you needed to, you could have.”
“Everything is fine.”
I tell her that, but I am not certain that’s true. My father has called me four times already. I finally turned my phone off. I assume either Anneliese or Adam has informed him the engagement is off. He’s no doubt pissed, and that conversation is one that will be handled more appropriately in person.
“Seth, do you want to go ahead and take your shower?” Frankie looks over her shoulder and asks.
“Sure, Aunt Frankie.”
He gets up, phone still in hand, and walks down the hall. He stops and turns back to us. “Thank you for dinner, Mr. Havoc.”
“You’re welcome,” I reply, and after he goes into the bathroom I say, “He seems like a good kid. All of them do.”
“They take after me,” she says with a smirk.
“You said your parents moved out of state. Do the kids see them often?”
“Ah, you were listening. The kids take a trip to see them every summer for about a week. Sometimes my parents fly here but they honestly despise New York.”
“And you? You ever think of living anywhere else?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think I’ve really ever thought about it. Traveling could be fun, but it hasn’t been something I’ve been able to do.”
“I want to take you to Italy someday.”
“Do you still have family there?”
“No, but it’s a beautiful land. You would love it.”
“I would love any place you take me,” she whispers.
We settle into a comfortable silence, and when the movie ends, she tells the girls to get ready for a bath. While she takes care of that, I clean up the kitchen. It’s a foreign task for me, but I don’t mind it. It’s oddly gratifying.
I’m putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when she joins me, sliding her arms around my waist.
“I have to put the girls to bed. I don’t know what time Claire and Kyle will be back.”
I hear the hesitance in her voice. She wants me to stay but doesn’t know how her sister and brother-in-law would react. I turn and face her, pulling her against me.
“I have an early meeting in the morning. I should probably get going.” She sighs and I can’t tell if it’s from relief or disappointment. Maybe a mix of both. “You’re mine tomorrow evening, la mia fiamma.”
I cup her ass, giving it a firm squeeze, and she lets out a whimper. “Okay.”
“When you’re lying in your bed tonight, I want you to touch yourself,” I say. “Touch yourself and think of me.” I trace my thumb over her lips, and she nods, barely breathing. “Now, let’s go put the girls to bed.”
Frankie is almost in a trance as I touch a soft kiss to her lips. She snaps out of it when I take her hand and lead her down the hall. I stand at the door while she reads Rory and Makaila a short book and then tucks them in. She peeks in on Seth and tells him to call it a night in an hour.
“Is this something you want one day?” I ask as we walk to the door.
“You mean kids?”
I nod. I have never seen myself as a family man. Never thought I would have a bunch of kids running around. I have this fear inside me that I will be the exact type of father mine is ― cold, closed off, unloving.
“Sure,” she says with a shrug. “One day. If it’s in the cards for us. For now, I’m perfectly content with my nieces and nephew.”
If it’s in the cards for us. Us.
It’s lunacy, but I can see myself like this with Frankie. I can see our children at our feet, cozy while we watch television after eating a family dinner. I can imagine myself tucking our daughters in, reading them bedtime stories and kissing them good night.
“Do you?” she asks, her voice hopeful.
I open the door and lean in to give her a kiss good night. I stroke her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“If it’s in the cards for us.”
Forty-Seven
Frankie
I put the finishing touches on the cream cheese danishes and rush over to Billy, giving him one more box to deliver today. I tell him to deliver those to HLS, directly to Mr. Havoc.
Since we didn’t get to spend the night together last night, and I know he has an early meeting, I figure it will be nice to surprise him with an unhealthy breakfast. Nothing like cream cheese goodies to get you going first thing in the morning!
“Ugh, I hate these two,” Erin complains. “Why throw an engagement party if you’re just going to elope?”
She tosses her phone onto the counter, and then grabs a bowl and a few ingredients to start our first official order for the day. I can’t help but glance at it, my heart sinking when I see Anneliese.
“What’s going on?” I ask, feigning only slight interest even though I’m dying to know what she’s talking about.
“You remember that engagement party we did for that rich couple? Well, apparently her father’s dying, so they’ve decided to just elope. They’re skipping the whole wedding and jetting off to some undisclosed location on an undisclosed date with an undisclosed guest list. Ugh. They want to get hitched before her old man kicks the bucket.”
I mumble some incoherent words and rush back to the office, dialing Julian’s number as I walk. Straight to voicemail. I try again. Voicemail.
I blink back tears and tell myself this is not happening. We had a perfect night together last night. We even talked about having a family one day.
Okay. I said I wanted kids. He didn’t exactly admit he wanted kids.
Did I completely misread everything? Sure, we don’t really know each other very well. I sort of just fell ― and fell hard. Once I let myself do that, it all felt right. Once I stopped fighting the inevitable, I was a goner.
But was I blind? Was I simply a conquest to him? One last obstacle he needed to overcome before saying his vows?
That thought makes me sick. Everything I’ve experienced with him tells me that is not true but that is also what I desperately wish to believe.
I start to dial his number again, but a text comes through. I shouldn’t be relieved at his simple words, but I am.
Thank you for breakfast. Makes this meeting sufferable. I love you.
I open the office door and step out feeling renewed, confident. Whatever Anneliese is trying to pull, Julian isn’t part of it. I may not know everything about him, but he chose me. I do know that.
“You will not believe this,” Erin says, hanging up the business phone. “That was the bride herself. She wants us to do on-site catering. She said it’s completely hush-hush and that she’ll be by in an hour to give us all the details. She asked if we have our passports!”
Erin can hardly contain her excitement. She is practically giddy at the thought of traveling out of the country and catering a secret wedding.
Me? I can hardly contain my devastation.
Forty-Eight
Havoc
I keep checking my phone for a response but get nothing. She’s probably busy. She runs a thriving business, and I can’t expect her to respond immediately. Still, it stings a bit that I get no response whatsoever.
I check the time and let out a sigh, not caring that the board members notice my annoyance. We’ve been meeting all morning and discussing the same shit we do every month.
I’m ready to adjourn the meeting, whether it’s finished or not
, when my father makes an announcement that shocks me.
“Julian and I are leaving for Italy today to procure an international location there for HLS. We’re expanding, ladies and gentlemen.”
I frown, unsure what the hell he’s speaking of, but not wanting to call him out in front of the board. We have always presented a united front, and I won’t jeopardize that now.
He adjourns the meeting and dismisses the board. I remain seated, knowing he’ll stay behind to explain. He’s chomping at the bit to find out what’s going on between Anneliese and me. We haven’t spoken yet about me calling off my engagement. I haven’t had the time.
“Italy?” I ask. “When was this planned?”
“The moment you called off your fucking wedding.”
I fight the urge to shift in the chair. That will only show weakness. He may be my father, but Holman Havoc is the most intimidating man I have ever met.
“I was going to speak with you concerning that matter as soon as the board meeting was over.”
“I’m sure you were. You have fucked this company, Julian, and I’m doing what I can to rectify the havoc you’ve created.”
I stand up, my defenses kicking in. “I haven’t fucked anything, Father. We have never needed the Deviline hotels. You wanted them. I am still going to take over the chain, but I am doing so without marrying Anneliese. We both get what we want.”
He narrows his eyes at me but doesn’t press me to provide him with an explanation. I don’t offer him one. He’ll have to trust me with this.
“We leave for the airport in three hours.”
He walks out of the conference room, letting the door shut behind him. Fuck. I am completely in the dark about this. Whatever business plan he has contrived, he hasn’t shared with me. Going international was always the plan. Hell, being global is the plan. But something doesn’t feel right.
