Page 21 of Saved By A God
“Hey, Mamma.” When I reach her, I lean down and press a kiss to her cheek.
“Are you going to have dinner with us?” she asks while stepping aside so I can enter the house.
“I already ate during a meeting with the guys from the Union.”
We walk into the foyer, then Dad and Uncle Carlo come out of his office. “How did it go?”
For a man who just turned seventy, my father is still very fit and a formidable force. Uncle Carlo, who’s been Dad’s guard since before I was born, refuses to retire. He doesn’t trust anyone else to protect my parents.
“Good. They agreed to eleven percent,” I tell him.
“Did they try to talk you up to fifteen like all the other years?”
“Of course.” I let out a chuckle. “Maybe I should agree to fifteen percent next year just to see their reactions.”
“The shock might give Mark a heart attack.”
Chuckling, we walk to the entertainment room where we always hangout. Uncle Carlo doesn’t join us and heads outside to probably do a sweep of the grounds.
While Dad pours us drinks, I pick up the darts and throw a bullseye.
“How are things with Rosie?” Mom asks.
She always asks. Christ, I don’t think there’s anyone on this planet who wants Rosie and me married more than she does.
“Don’t start,” Dad mutters.
Mom’s tone is sharper than usual as she replies, “You might be okay with our son pretending he doesn’t love Rosie and making them both unhappy, but I’m not.”
I throw another dart, knocking the first one loose.
“Leave him be,amore mia. Enzo will make his move when he’s ready,” Dad says, always jumping in to protect me.
Besides Rosie, he’s the only one who knows why I’ve sworn celibacy and refuse to interact with women unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Dad also understands the constant pressure in my head and how difficult it is for me to control my emotions. I’m my father’s son because it’s the same for him. Christiano doesn’t have it as bad and tends to recover quicker.
Dad knew Mom was the right woman for him because she’s able to help him decompress. Christiano took one look at Sienna and knew she was the one. He continued to pursue her for over a decade, and now they’re happily married.
Even though Rosie is able to calm me down and I always end up going to her when I need to decompress, I won’t risk what we have for anything in the world.
What if I let myself want more, only to discover I’m not built for the kind of relationship she deserves?
A breakup would be painful, but that’s not what scares me. Losing her does.
I’m fucking terrified of it. It’s easily my biggest fear.
Right now, she’s the one person I know will always be in my life. After I found out I tortured Yuki, who’s now married to Augusto, Rosie became the one I trust with every ugly part of myself.
If I cross the line from friends to lovers and it doesn’t work, I lose all of it. Or worse. I could hurt her.
The thought of being the reason there’s pain in Rosie’s eyes is enough to make my chest tighten. I’d rather spend the rest of my life wondering what could’ve been than risk becoming the man who breaks her heart.
Some things are too valuable to gamble with, and Rosie is one of them.
“Enzo?” Dad suddenly says beside me, drawing me out of my thoughts.
My head jerks in his direction, and seeing the tumbler of whiskey, I take it.
