Page 88 of Ghostface Killer
“Baz.” I can barely breathe. After everything we’ve been through, he’s going to walk away now? He’s going to let Regina win?
“I need a little time, Stevie.” Baz releases my face, and my heart sinks like a stone. “Don’t follow me.” He walks into the house, leaving the stuffy August air to choke me.
I SIT ONthe outdoor couch with my head in my hands. What a mess. What a goddamn mess. I wipe away the tears, unsure of what to do next. Unsure of where to go. Without Baz, I’m lost in this house. I’m lost in life.
Someone clears their throat next to me, and I look up to find Gianni standing there. I wipe my face hastily, trying to pull myself together.
“May I?” He motions to the empty cushion next to me.
“Of course.” I sniff.
“Not how you foresaw your wedding night ending.”
“Not in the least.”
“My sister is a vindictive bitch.”
“I’m well aware. She helped raise me.”
“She didn’t always use to be like this. She was sweet once. An adorable child. The apple of our father’s eye.”
“I can’t picture it.” I frown.
Gianni laughs. “It was a long time ago.”
“Did you hear everything?” I wouldn’t put it past Gianni for eavesdropping.
“Everything,” he confirms. “I have always been curious about you.”
“Did my outpour answer all your questions?”
“Many of them, yes.”
“Are you going to kill me after the baby’s born?” I come right out and ask.
Gianni’s face drops. “My brother must have painted one heinous picture of me.”
“I just know how things work. If Baz doesn’t want me anymore. Won’t protect me, what’s the point in keeping me around?”
“One point is you’re the mother of my future grand-niece. She’s going to need you. Baz needs you, too.”
“Not at the moment,” I mutter despondently.
“Couples fight. This is normal. Just wait untilshegets here. If you think things are challenging now.” He wags his hand in the air, his big pinky ring nearly hitting me in the face. “Just wait.”
“That doesn’t sound encouraging.”
Gianni smiles. It’s warm and sincere. “I’ve been watching you, Stevie. You’re good for Baz. You bring out the best in him. He had never acknowledged his title before. Never once. Rejected it from the moment my father named him his successor. But seeing him fight for something he wants? Fight for you?” Gianni nods approvingly. “I knew he had turned a corner. And I knew it was because of you.”
“I couldn’t have done much. We haven’t even been together that long.” The fact that we’re married is crazy. We haven’t even known each other a year.
“Time means nothing. Baz had a very isolated childhood. Desmond was his only friend. And the hole Benny left inside him was gaping. But with you, I see a different side of him. One I always believed was there. That has nothing to do with how long you’ve been together. It has everything to do with the connection you share.”
Even if I didn’t want to admit it at first, Gianni is right. Baz and I have always had a unique connection. It was apparent from the moment we met.
“I don’t want to lose him over this, Gianni.”
“Then fight for him. It’s what Baz needs most. Someone to fight for him.”
