Page 68 of When She Loves
He grins. “The ones that aren’t boring do.”
I put on my seat belt while he comes around and gets in on the other side.
“Well, maybe some of us like boring.”
He starts the car. “Yeah, but not you.” He smirks at me, like he genuinely believes he knows all about me.
I clench my teeth and decide that I’m over this conversation.
But Nero is not. “So, how are things going with you and Rafe?” he asks as we pull out of the driveway.
He’s trying to sound way too casual.
“Fine.”
“You warming up to him? He’s not as bad as he seems at first.”
I groan. “Is this why Rafaele assigned you to me? So that you could make a case for him on the drive over?”
“No. He asked me to do this because he’s worried about you.”
“He doesn’t worry about anything or anyone.” It comes out bitter. I’m annoyed about this morning and how I actually wanted Rafe to kiss me…until he ruined it. Is there some pathetic part of me that’s hoping this marriage might work? I really am a colossal idiot.
Nero shrugs. “That’s what he’d like to believe, but his actions indicate otherwise. Heard he fired Sabina because of something she said to you.”
“Yes, well, apparently my existence has been reduced to being an extension of him. He takes any offense against me very personally.”
“You really don’t get it, do you?”
I glance at him. “Get what?”
“Sabina’s been with the family for four decades. And he fired her without even thinking it over. Rafe thinkseverythingover.”
I shift in my seat. “What are you implying?” That Rafaele acted emotionally for once?
“Nothing. I’m just making observations.”
“Just observe the road.”
Nero huffs a laugh and turns on the radio. He cycles through the stations until he finds one playing hip-hop, and then he bops his head along with the song. A puff of air escapes my lips as we get onto the highway. My perception of Rafaele is shifting like a kaleidoscope. I don’t know what to make of my husband anymore.
When the song ends and the commercial comes on, Nero turns down the volume. “You know, there’s at least one other thing Rafe did quite impulsively.”
I glance at him. “What was it?”
There’s a knowing smile on Nero’s face. “Agreeing to marry you.”
CHAPTER23
CLEO
We pullup in front of a brick building in the Lower East Side. “We’re here,” Nero says. “Sit tight. I’m going to come around to help you out.”
“That’s really not neces—”
He’s already climbing out and slamming his door closed.
I sigh and try to clear my head. It’s my first day at work, and I need to focus on that instead of psychoanalyzing my husband, but Nero managed to confuse me even more. That was probably his intention.
