His Complete Polar Opposite

by Theresa Paolo

  That wasn’t true. He wanted the white picket fence and a family, and she still wasn’t sure she wanted kids. How could she stay with him if she couldn’t give him the one thing he desired most? It was better to let him go now then disappoint him down the line.

  “Either way, it doesn’t seem to be working,” she said, trying not to let her voice crack. Disappointment and an unbearable sadness brewed in her gut, but she shoved it down, determined to stay strong, refusing to break in front of him.

  “We have one disagreement, and you’re just going to walk away?”

  “There’s a reason I don’t do relationships.”

  “Because when it gets too hard, you’d rather give up then put the work into it.”

  “No, that’s not it,” she said.

  “Yes, it is. You’re so afraid of failing at something that you’d rather just avoid it, but I’m standing here in front of you, telling you I’m not going to let you.”

  “There you go again, making decisions for me.”

  “That’s not—”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” Tears built in her eyes, and she forced them back for as long as she could. As soon as she spun around, the first tear fell. She walked away as fast as she could. Enzo didn’t call after her. Just her luck, the first time he listened to her, she secretly wished he hadn’t.

  Chapter 25

  Enzo had no idea what happened. He thought he was doing Cami a favor, helping her out, but she saw it as him controlling her life. That was not what he wanted at all. He never realized offering help when someone needed it was offensive.

  He knew what it was like to take too much on, to be burnt out, and he didn’t want that for her. It took Enzo a long time to loosen his control on the restaurant, to let other people take on responsibilities, but it had made such a massive difference for his sanity. Why couldn’t Cami see that? He didn’t want her making the same mistakes he had. He wanted her to enjoy her life and not spend it entirely wrapped up in work.

  He shoved a hand through his hair and went through the motions at the restaurant. He could go home, but every surface of his house had a memory of Cami. They checked off so many boxes on his bucket list since Ella finished, that he knew going home would only hurt more. Her scent was on his pillows, her sweatshirt was draped over the arm of his couch, and the memories of them together would be all around him.

  The door opened, and Enzo looked up, stupidly wishing it was Cami, but he should have known better. She was still fired up, and there was no way she would have calmed down by now. Instead Marco walked in the door with his fiancée on his arm.

  “Hey,” Marco said as he and Aubrey came over to the bar. Enzo gave them a nod and stepped out from behind the bar to give Aubrey a proper kiss on the cheek. He wanted her to know that there was no bad blood between them despite her and Marco’s rocky past.

  “What are you two doing here?” he asked.

  “I had a craving for a lobster roll,” Aubrey said.

  “Then you’ve come to the right place.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Marco asked.

  “Nothing, I’m fine.”

  “Want to keep feeding me bullshit, or you going to tell me what’s going on so I can go have a nice lunch with my fiancée without having to worry about your dumb ass?”

  Enzo wasn’t one to speak about his feelings or his personal life, but maybe Marco and Aubrey would be able to help him figure out what the hell he’d done wrong.

  “I got in a fight with Cami.”

  “Already?” Marco whistled.

  “Oh shut up. You two fight like it’s a hobby.”

  Aubrey laughed. “Good point, though not so much anymore.”

  “Fourth time’s the charm.” Marco winked at Aubrey and she shook her head with a laugh.

  “What was the fight about?” Aubrey asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Her damn tire. I’ve been telling her since I found her on the side of the road that she couldn’t keep driving on the donut, but she wouldn’t bring it in to get changed, even though she kept telling me she would, so I did it for her. I thought she would thank me.”

  “It was a nice gesture,” Marco said. “I would think it would’ve scored you some brownie points.”

  Aubrey sighed. “Men. She’s probably not mad about the tire. Well, not completely. The tire probably triggered something else. Have you two fought about anything other than the tire?”

  “Her not walking on her ankle when she hurt it, but other than that, not that I can think of.” Well, maybe being too pushy about forcing her to stay home, or the new employee, which had worked out in the end, but…

  “Think back, and I’m sure something will stand out,” Aubrey said.

  A few things had, but there was something else he hadn’t quite grabbed on to yet.

  “I don’t have any better advice,” Marco said. “But good luck. If you need to grab a beer and blow off steam, let me know.”

  “Will do. Enjoy your lunch.”

  Enzo went back behind the bar. He thought about all the time he and Cami had spent together. They were happy, at least he thought they were. Then suddenly, like a light being turned on at the end of a tunnel, it dawned on him. That first day at his house, when he mentioned their future, she had frozen up, and he thought something was wrong, but she blew him off, acting like it was nothing.

  It wasn’t nothing. She was scared. How he hadn’t seen this sooner…? He’d pushed too hard and too fast. Cami, like him, was set in her ways whether she wanted to admit it or not. Of course she would freak out at the idea of leaving behind her townhouse, the place she’d bought with her own hard work and determination.

  He was an idiot. He was so blinded by his own happiness and excitement for their future that he didn’t take into account how she felt.

  He needed to fix this; he just had no idea how.

  Chapter 26

  It had been a day and a half since her fight with Enzo, and Cami was still furious, but more than that, she was broken hearted. Her insides felt empty without the touch of him, the feel of his lips on hers, and the calming sound of his voice. Waking up without him, she didn’t expect it to affect her so much since they’d only been sharing a bed together for a couple of weeks, but it had.

  The morning hurt more than night. She woke, cold and alone, the desire to get out of bed and start her day was gone. She knew if she succumbed to the sadness, she’d never find her way out, so she forced herself to get up. Going through the motions, she changed into a pair of running shorts and a tank top. Maybe a run on the beach would help clear her mind and bring her the serenity she was desperately searching for.

  Her brand new tire stared at her like a symbol for the demise of a relationship she never expected, never wanted, but couldn’t imagine life without.

  She cried the entire drive to the beach, hating herself for allowing the tears to fall in the first place. She had always been a strong, independent woman who didn’t need a man to make her happy. She had been the only person who had controlled her happiness, and she foolishly handed over the reins to someone else.

  Enzo had steered her off course and crashed her into a tree. This was why she avoided relationships; no good could ever come from them.

  With that revelation, she pulled into the parking lot and threw her car into park. The sky was still dark but fading slowly into day. It would be a couple hours now before the sun was fully up, shining bright, and Cami wished she could climb on a ladder and take it down. She didn’t want sun today. She wanted black clouds and rain. She wanted Mother Nature to match her mood.

  She walked along the boardwalk, stretching her arms as she went, and when she got to the sand she stared at the ocean. She never did get Enzo to skinny dip. Her eyes wandered across the beach, and she thought about the night where they marked beach sex off his bucket list. Her treacherous thighs quivered at the memory. Stupid thighs. Stupid memories.

  Enzo was in her head, and she wanted him o
ut. The only way she could do that was to run. She turned, her leg positioned to propel into a sprint, when Enzo stepped onto the beach. He walked toward her, sexy as ever, and she sucked in a jagged breath.

  She didn’t know what to say to him, and seeing him right now with the anger and frustration still inside her was a bad idea.

  She shook her head. “Please,” she said, but the rest of the sentence got stuck on a sob.

  “I was hoping I’d find you here,” he said, and she tried so hard not to look into his blue eyes, but she was powerless against the pull he had on her.

  She caught his gaze and found satisfaction in seeing the black bags under his eyes and the blood shot red marring the beautiful blue. “Couldn’t sleep again?” she asked.

  “Not even for a minute. I had someone on my mind, and no matter how hard I tried to shake her, I couldn’t.”

  She bit her lip, hoping the pain would divert from her hurt, and she’d be able to hold her tears at bay. She didn’t know what to say. She’d flipped out on him, and she still didn’t see anything wrong with it. She felt justified in her reaction, and part of her meant what she had said. They were too different.

  He stepped toward her, his hand reaching out to her cheek, but her body froze, and he let his hand fall back to his side. She hated herself for missing out on the chance to feel his touch, but she wasn’t ready to act like nothing happened. They couldn’t go back to the way things were, and she wouldn’t.

  “I messed up,” he said, and her ears opened, ready to hear him out.

  “Go on.”

  “I never should have got your tire fixed, even though it was driving me insane. It wasn’t my place to do that. But I don’t think it was just about the tire. I think it was more than that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That day at my house when I talked about you moving in, I saw the way you looked. The thought terrified you, and I should have realized that. I should have talked to you. This is all so new, for the both of us. It’s just… when I’m with you it feels so right. A future I never thought I’d have became something I could actually see. Because when I think of my life five years from now, ten, twenty, I see you. And I’m sorry if that scares you, but I’m not sorry for feeling it. The only thing I’m sorry for is not seeing what was right in front of me for so long.”

  She couldn’t fight the pesky tears, and one slid down her cheek. Enzo swiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

  “I’m scared,” she admitted.

  “I know.”

  “I have spent my entire life taking care of myself, priding myself on not needing a man to support me. Then you pick me up on the side of the road one day and change my tire, and everything changed. I can’t stop crying, which is pissing me off, and my heart feels like it was ripped out of my chest. I never understood why women would get so upset over a guy, but now I know. It’s love, and it’s complicated and messy and when it’s right it is completely unavoidable. I love you, Enzo. I have no idea when this happened, but it did, and it terrifies me.”

  He cupped her cheeks, and she nuzzled into the familiar touch of his hands. “It doesn’t have to be. It can be fun and exciting. And I’m not going to say that we aren’t going to fight because we will.” He laughed and so did she. Fear lifted from her soul. “But we will also laugh, and I promise I will love you more and more every day. It’s a promise I can keep because I know I will never tire of you.”

  “Nice word choice.” She choked on a laugh.

  “Wish I could say I was that witty, but it was unintentional.” He stroked her cheek, and she closed her eyes, absorbing the soft caress. “I missed you last night, and this morning was awful without you.”

  She nodded her agreement. “I missed you, too.”

  He leaned in to kiss her and she pressed a hand to his chest stopping him and instantly regretting it. But their problems went farther than he even realized. “You want children,” she said. “And I don’t, or at least I don’t think I do, and I can’t take that away from you.”

  Enzo stepped back as he held her gaze. “That’s what this is about?”

  She nodded not able to trust a cry wouldn’t slip if she opened her mouth.

  “I did always want children, but I can’t imagine you not in my life and if you don’t want kids, then I’m okay with that.”

  “But it’s who you are, Enzo. Why do you think you jumped on taking care of me? Ella and Marco have started new lives and Tony has forced you out of his. Taking care of people gives you purpose and children would fill that need.”

  He shook his head. “I can find purpose in other things.” He cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. “As long as you’re with me, that’s all I care about.”

  Cami never imagined having children of her own, but looking into Enzo’s eyes… Maybe Krissy was right. Maybe it was because she hadn’t met the right person yet. Now with Enzo, the idea of a family pushed out the fear that lingered and replaced it with an indescribable yearning.

  “Maybe one day,” she said and a smile formed on his handsome face.

  “Did we just flip flop?”

  “I think so.” She laughed. “We may never be on the same page.”

  “I’m okay with that if you are.”

  “I think I am.” He crashed his lips to hers, and she melted into the loving embrace of his arms, relishing in the overload of sensations that only Enzo could stir inside her. He drew away from the kiss and she already wanted him back. He bent, scooping her into his arms. “What are you doing?”

  “Going to your shop.”

  “Why?”

  “To mark another box on the bucket list.”

  With a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. Enzo Moretti might have been her total opposite in many things, but their love for each other was one in the same.

  Chapter 27

  Six months later

  Enzo squeezed Marco’s shoulder as Marco’s beautiful bride walked toward the altar. His brother was beaming, and Enzo couldn’t describe the emotions that filled him at seeing his brother’s happiness. Enzo glanced over to the pews and his eyes instantly met Cami’s.

  She was beautiful with her recently dyed blonde hair cut just above her shoulders, accentuating the line along her neck that he loved to kiss. She smiled at him, and he felt it in every part of his being.

  One day, it would be him standing in Marco’s place and Cami in the white dress walking toward him. He didn’t want to rush anything, enjoying their current time together, but he knew that for once he and Cami were on the same page.

  They had spent six glorious months together, and while they fought at times, she stopped running away, and at the end of the day they were always right back where they belonged, in each other’s arms.

  The talk of children still popped up, and while they still flip flopped, Enzo knew whether he wanted kids in a single moment or not, if Cami became pregnant, he would be filled with never ending joy.

  He focused his attention back on the bride and groom. Marco was moving onto a new chapter in his life and maybe he didn’t need Enzo anymore, but Enzo would always stand by his baby brother’s side.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest said. “You may kiss your bride.”

  Marco took Aubrey in his arms and dipped her, before kissing her in front of family and friends, sealing his happily ever after.

  Enzo turned to Tony who finally left his studio for the wedding and caught Tony staring into the pews at Krissy whose attention was on the bride and groom.

  As a kid, Tony had been in love with her, but Enzo thought he’d finally gotten over his childhood crush. Tony tore his gaze away and spotted Enzo staring at him. “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” Enzo said, but he couldn’t keep the amused smile off his face. “You should ask her to dance,” he said.

  “She would never dance with me,” Tony said in his self-deprecating way.

  “Maybe so, but how
will you know if you don’t at least ask.”

  If Enzo never let his walls come down, he never would have allowed himself to see his true feelings for Cami. And the love that grew inside him more and more every day, never would have had a chance to blossom.

  “Take the risk,” he said. If Krissy turned him down, Enzo would be there to help him back up.

  Marco and Aubrey led the way down the aisle and the rest of the wedding party followed. After it was a frenzy of congratulations and photos.

  By the time they got to the reception, Enzo couldn’t wait to get Cami in his arms. He was introduced with the bridesmaid he had walked with, an old friend of Aubrey’s, and he made his way to the dance floor, cheering along with everyone else as the bride and groom finally made their appearance.

  Once the introductions were over, Enzo found Cami at a table with Krissy, Ella, and Lucas who just got back a week ago from another extended stay in California.

  Enzo sat beside her and took her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “Miss me?” he asked.

  She scrunched her nose and shrugged. He let out a laugh and draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She rested her head on his chest and he kissed her forehead.

  Tony walked over to the table and found his nametag next to Krissy. He grabbed the tag and held it up. “Guess I’m here,” he said awkwardly and Enzo tried not to laugh as Tony sat down and nearly took the entire tablecloth with him.

  A slow song came on and Ella jumped up, taking Lucas’ hand. “Come on, you owe me a dance.”

  “Duty calls.” Lucas placed the glass he was holding on the table and let Ella pull him out to the dance floor.

  “What do you say?” Enzo whispered in Cami’s ear. “Want to dance?”

  Her eyes widened and her head tilted. “You don’t dance.”

  “Any excuse to hold you in my arms, I’m taking it.”

  Cami jumped up, probably afraid he’d change his mind. Krissy shifted in her seat now that she and Tony were the only ones left at the table. Enzo nodded to Tony before Cami led him away.