“I think I can do that. And...my last name is Vitaglia.”
Her jaw nearly hits the floor. “Vitaglia. Like, the Vitaglias?”
Part of me shrinks back at that reaction. It's the same reaction I’ve gotten all my life whenever someone finds out who I am. My family name comes with a reputation, and I’m scared it’s going to make her run from me.
“Yes, those Vitaglias,” I murmur.
“So that’s why you didn’t want to tell me.”
“Not all the stories you’ve heard about my family are true. Some are...but most are exaggerated.”
A smile plays on her lips, and I can’t believe she’s not going to run a mile. “Vito Vitaglia?” She coughs out a laugh.
“Yes. Well, no.” I feel the smirk spread on my face. She sits up, and I look into her eyes. “Vito is my nickname. My first name is Abbondanzio.”
“Abbon...what?”
I laugh. “Exactly. Vito.”
She nods. “Vito. And what is it you do? I’m guessing you’re part of the family business.” She looks around the room, then back to me.
“I...own some businesses of my own. Do some consulting. It’s complicated.”
“I’m not a simpleton. I can probably grasp it.”
I take her chin in my hand. “I know you can. It’s just right now I want to get you dressed, let you help me make a few more decisions for the contractor, then I’m going to take you out to my favorite restaurant, Paesano’s. On the way, we are going to stop and do some shopping. So, let’s get after it, little girl.”
I stand and walk over to where her dress is hanging on the back of a chair.
“Wait,” she says, her voice flat. “Just one more thing.”
“What? Anything, baby.” I brace myself for the next question, ready to take what’s coming if she asks if I’ve ever killed someone or had someone killed.
“You’re not married, are you? Or have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Or both?”
She looks down at the bedding where her hands are fussing with some invisible fuzz.
I walk back over, lay the dress on the bed and take her face in my hands.
“Not only am I not married, I don’t have a girlfriend, or...” I pause, making sure she’s looking at me. “...a boyfriend. I’ve never even been close to getting married. I’m not even one for dating, haven’t dated in years. No time. No interest.”
“Okay.” She bites her lip. “It’s just, someone like you, who looks like you, has all this...” She waves a hand toward the ceiling. “I don’t want to compete. I’m not that experienced, but I see things. Most guys aren’t loyal. Especially if they don’t have to be. I’m sure you could have anyone you wanted.”
“I don’t want anyone. Well, I didn’t. Now I do. Very much. And that person is you.”
Looking at her in my bed, naked, nothing has ever felt so right. I don’t want her to ever leave.
And it won’t be long before I take all of her.
“I FEEL LIKE A PRINCESS.” Her brilliant blue eyes sparkle in the lit candles on the linen tablecloth, and the joy I see there is what I want to see every day for the rest of my life.
“You are a princess.” I lean over and press my lips to hers. When her hand comes to my cheek, she sighs, and I know I can’t ever let her go.
“The clothes.” She looks down at the red sequined dress, its shade perfectly matching her signature lipstick. “The dinner. The way everyone in the restaurant is looking at us. It feels like a fairy tale.”
When we left the house, we took the limo rather than the Merc or the Suburban. I wanted her to feel special and spoiled. A limo and a driver to chauffeur us around town seemed to do the trick.
We spent a few hours shopping at some boutiques, and the back of the limo, as well as the trunk, is now full of bags and boxes. She fussed at first, said she didn’t need anything. So I just started grabbing everything I could reach at the first shop where we stopped, giving it to the poor gal that was waiting on us and telling her to ring up everything.
Esme flushed bright red but finally conceded to picking out things she liked—things we both liked—and the joy I saw in her eyes made me believe that all things are possible again.
“They’re looking at us because they’ve never seen me with a woman before. Let alone someone as beautiful as you are tonight.”
“I still find that so hard to believe.”
“You will learn in time to trust me. I’ve not felt like this for anyone, ever. Please don’t take that lightly.”
“You barely know me.”
“I’m a very perceptive man. It’s my job to know people. You know what else I know?”
“What?”
“You’re going to be a great mother. When we renovate the second floor, you can choose which rooms will be for the children.”