“Okay, then.” I turned my head to see Aida standing there, holding a hot dish with several towels. “What about you, Uncle Alonzo?” she asked.
“I’ve got to head off too.” He smiled down at her. “Maybe next time?”
She nodded, her cheeks lifting as her smile widened. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I have no doubt,” he replied, then walked away with Uncle Antonio at his side. I should have made them stay. At least then I would have had an extra buffer at the dinner table.
“And you, Christian?”
Christian shrugged, glancing at me and then back to Aida. “Sure.” He stepped toward her. “Want me to take that?”
“Nope.” She kept her smile in place, and I sneered at it. I was getting real damn sick of her smile, but more than that, I was getting frustrated with myself for wanting to see it more. Four days. It had taken four days for her to take me off guard. “I got it.” She drifted past me, turned at the last second so she was only inches from me, then pushed the door open with her back.
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. I scraped my palm down my face, trying to make sense of everything around me.
“Damn is right,” Christian murmured, following her into the dining room.
I stood there, staring at the door, wondering if I should just turn around. Going in there would only give her more fuel. Right? I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. I was trapped. Damned if I didn’t and damned if I did.
My stomach grumbled, making the decision for me, so I pushed open the door, taking in everyone’s faces and the way they were watching Aida standing and dishing up the food onto plates. The first one she placed at my seat, and then she went around the table, serving herself last.
“This smells so good,” Sofia moaned, bringing her face closer to the pasta.
“It tastes even better,” Aida said, placing her hands in her lap. “My ma taught me how to make it when I was a little girl.”
Ma made a noise in the back of her throat. “Sofia would never get in the kitchen with me.” She narrowed her eyes at Sofia and pointed her fork in the air. “No matter what bribery I tried.”
Aida laughed, the sound a soft tinkle that caused my body to lean forward. I was standing on the periphery, watching them like I wasn’t even here as they shoveled food into their mouths. Everyone but Aida, that was. She was waiting—waiting for me.
“Do you like to cook, Ma?” Aida asked, giving Ma her full attention. And as her head was turned, I took my opportunity to sit. I didn’t want her looking my way, not when I was fighting in my own head. From the moment she’d arrived at the house, I’d been on edge. Maybe it was because I had all the responsibility on my shoulders now, or maybe it was because I hadn’t been able to get the relief I apparently needed.
I picked up my fork, trying to block out their conversations, and twirled the bright red sauce-covered goodness on my fork.
“I do. Though I get to do it very little now.” Ma’s lips turned down into a frown.
“We could cook together,” Aida offered, and I stopped midway to my mouth. I couldn’t sit here and listen to this. She was becoming part of the family, and I would be damned if that was going to happen. She was here to fulfill the need for me to become boss, not become a permanent fixture.
“No,” I ground out, cutting my eyes to Aida. “Your place isn’t in the kitchen. We have staff for that.”
She blinked several times. “Erm…but I like to cook sometimes. And I—”
“I said no.” I opened my mouth and put the food inside, trying not to give an ounce of reaction at the taste. It was good. No, better than good. It was the best damn food I’d ever tasted. But I wouldn’t admit that. Not now. Not in front of her.
“Lorenzo,” Ma whispered, but I didn’t look at her. I kept my gaze fixated on Aida, not giving in even a little. She needed to learn her place. And fast.
Aida glanced down at her untouched plate of food, her head moving just enough to tell me she understood my words.
All conversation stopped, the atmosphere dropping to ice-cold levels, and for the first time since I’d stepped into the room, I felt at ease. I was back in control.
LORENZO
I rubbed at my temples, trying to keep the inevitable headache at bay, but it was no use. It was coming thick and fast, the stress of the last week building up to an impossible level. I’d been boss for two weeks, but that wasn’t what had me losing my damn mind. No, it was the new woman living in my home—my wife—that was driving me insane.
She was always there, at the dining table, walking around the house, talking to the staff like they were her damn friends. I was sick and tired of hearing her voice, but there was nothing I could do about it. Not only that, but I had more important things to worry about than Aida.
My uncle Paolo was still hanging around, turning up at the house whenever he felt like it. Add to that the new meeting I had scheduled for next week, I was stressed to the max. And I needed a good fucking.
I glanced around the room, seeing the finished office, and knew who would be perfect for relieving how I was feeling—Veev. She hadn’t been here for anything but decorating since before the wedding. Maybe that was the problem? I needed to focus on something other than work and my wife.