Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

Hopefully, Cane would realize that. If he had Adelina to settle down with, that could have been a possibility.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

A light knock sounded on my door before Button opened it. She saw me sitting at my desk, a decanter of scotch and a glass of ice cubes prepared for me to enjoy. I was drinking again because nothing else would quench my thirst for scotch. I’d known it was my drink since the first time I had it at sixteen.

She slowly approached my desk, wearing one of my black t-shirts that reached her knees. She eyed the amber liquid on my desk but didn’t swat me on the nose for it. She hopped up on the edge of the desk and rested her feet on my thigh.

My hand circled around her calf, feeling her smooth legs.

“What are you doing in here?” Her legs were slightly parted, revealing the black thong she wore underneath the shirt.

I shut the laptop and grabbed my drink. “Just some work.”

“What kind of work?”

“Going through our old clients. Constantine must have made it clear we were no longer associated with the business but everything would run just as smoothly.”

She tilted her head to the side, watching me with her knowing gaze. “Are you alright with that?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure about that?” She picked up on my moods like she could feel them through her skin.

I took a drink before I set the glass down. “I understand why Cane has such a hard time with it. It belonged to our family. Now it belongs to someone else. It was our legacy, something one Barsetti handed down to another. Now I have my own Barsetti coming along…makes me think of what I’ll leave them when I’m gone.”

“Why are we thinking about that?” she asked. “You and I will both be around for a very long time.”

“I know. Just makes me wonder what kind of legacy I want to build. Cane and I can have the wine business. It’s honorable. It’s clean.”

“It doesn’t break the law,” she said with a smile.

“So perhaps this can be our new legacy. Maybe the Barsettis can have a new start. Maybe we can be remembered for something else.”

“Exactly,” she said. “I think that sounds great.”

“I hope Cane agrees. I know losing the business and losing Adelina have been difficult for him.”

“When the baby comes, he’ll have something to look forward to.” She crossed her legs and leaned forward, staring down at me. “And Adelina will come back.”

“We don’t know that.”

“I think she will.”

“They aren’t us, Button,” I whispered.

“No, they aren’t. But she and I are the same. There’s no going back after what we’ve been through. No one will ever understand. No one will ever know how to treat us. Only you and Cane seem to get it. She’ll realize that—and then she’ll come back.”

Chapter 18

Adelina

After I packed my bags, we put them in the car then drove away from the house.

I stared at it the entire time until it was completely gone from sight. I wanted to remember the stone walkway, the cobblestone walls, the large furnace in the front of the house. I wanted to remember the roses right out front, the large Mediterranean windows that overlooked the acres of property he owned. I’d never forget the view out my bedroom. Looking out was the first thing I did every single morning.

Now I would never see it again.

Cane was silent on the drive, one hand on the wheel while the other rested on the gearshift. He wore all black, his signature look. He didn’t seem upset by my departure, but his feelings were hidden underneath that stoic expression. The radio was off, so it was just the two of us in tension-filled silence.

I didn’t know what to say since it was painful for both of us. Goodbye was too difficult. And to make small talk like nothing was happening was insulting. So I didn’t say anything back, my eyes focused out the window.

He grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers while his eyes remained glued to the road.

I refused to let myself cry.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the international airport. He pulled over into a spot right at the terminal and put it in park. People unloaded their cars and passengers walked through the automatic doors so they could catch their flights. Everyone had somewhere to go, all in a hurry.

Cane stared forward until he opened the glove box and pulled out a stack of paperwork. “Here’s your ticket.” He set it in my lap. “I arranged for a car to pick you up. They’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

“Thank you.” He’d already done so much for me, and even now, he was still taking care of me.

He handed me more paperwork. “I opened an account in your name in America. It has enough to get you whatever you need.”