Page 100 of Vengeful Vows

Once more, I’m swept up in this man as a stubborn, ridiculous hope of a fairy-tale ending unfurls in my heart.

Could I be any more foolish?

Then suddenly I’m in his arms. And it is the place I belong.

“I owe you an apology,” he says, the words a soft murmur in my ear.

“Don’t.”It will make it so much harder to hate you.

“Nonetheless.” He’s undeterred by my protest. “I was wrong, Bella.”

I misstep, and it’s only his sure-footedness and quick response that saves me from tripping.

He brings me a little closer against him.

“You were right. Lucia would never have wanted me to hurt you.”

A tear spills from the corner of my eye. With his thumb pad, he brushes it away.

“I can never earn your forgiveness. But I couldn’t go on without telling you that.”

“Thank you.” I know the confession wasn’t easy for him, and I appreciate the effort. “How did you find me?”

“I always know where you are.”

For a few moments, the music seduces me, and I surrender to it before curiosity once again asserts itself. “Why are you here? You could have told me that in a text message.”

“I figured you had me blocked.”

I hold back my wry smile. Every day, I block him several times, only to undo my action within minutes. “Let me get this straight, you drove two, three hours round-trip to tell me that?”

“Among other things.”

The song ends, and although we stop moving, he does not release me.

“You have every right to slap me in the face and tell me to get out of your life. And if you do, I will go. But I have one more thing to say, and I have to see your reaction for myself, have to look in your eyes.”

I frown.

“Your leaving me crushed my soul.”

And mine. I press my lips together.

“Isabella, I love you.”

I become numb. These are the words I’ve yearned for, ached for. But there’s so much unsaid, leaving me too scared to be joyful.

“It’s taken me a lot to come to that realization. I spent a lot of time with Roberto and Clara recently, and I witnessed the strength of their marriage and saw how much love they had between them.”

Maybe it’s a trick of the light, but his deep brown eyes seem to have a sheen of tears.

“He passed in his sleep last night, and to the end, he was holding Clara’s hand.”

I swallow a lump in my throat. Though I didn’t know Roberto well, he was kind to me, and I genuinely liked him. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” The man was both mentor and friend to Nico.

“Thank you. There’s a huge void in my life.” He draws a sharp breath. “Damn, Bella. I’m not good at vulnerability. Being cautious and alert has kept me alive.”

I believe him. The Mafia world is a wickedly dangerous one.