Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

“So, he’s a criminal, but he still saved you?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “Pretty much.”

“Why would he do that for you?” she asked. “Why would that man go to such lengths to get you your freedom?” Mom was thinner than she used to be, having lost at least twenty pounds. It was most obvious in her face. She set her fork down and stared at me. “I wanted to ask before, but I didn’t want to bombard you with questions.”

There was no better way to explain it than by telling the truth. “He said he was in love with me…”

My dad looked up from his food.

“Oh,” Mom said. “I see…”

“How do you feel about him?” Dad asked.

Dad had never asked me about something like that before. We never talked about boys. All topics related to sex were for my mother to handle. “I really care about him. He became a really good friend to me. I miss him…”

“Do you love him?” Mom pressed.

“I…I don’t know.” I looked down at my food again. “Everything that happened was so intense and fast. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I think he’s a wonderful man, and I’ll never be able to repay him for what he’s done for me. But I don’t understand how I feel about him beyond that. At the end of the day, he’s still not exactly what I imagined in a boyfriend…or husband.”

“You never answered the question,” Mom said. “But I think that led you to your answer.”

My heart stilled in my chest, stunned by her observation.

“I would love to speak with him, if you’d let me,” Mom said.

“Why?” I asked.

“I need to thank him for bringing you back to us,” she whispered. “I know the world is full of dark and dangerous men. He could have been like all the rest and left you to your fate. Even if his own motivations were sinister, he sacrificed a lot for you. He did the right thing when it came down to it. He deserves my gratitude.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Dad nodded in agreement.

“I guess I could call him tomorrow,” I said. “It’s really early in the morning there.”

Mom glanced at the clock. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

“Uh…” I fought the urge to call him because I didn’t want to play with his emotions. I didn’t want to give him hope that I would come back if I wasn’t sure I would. “Okay.” I pulled out my phone and found his name in the phone book. It was the only name listed. I hit send.

He picked up immediately. “Bellissima.” He spoke without emotion, sounding the same as he did when he dropped me off at the airport.

“Hey.” I lost my train of thought when I heard his voice. I was brought back to the nights where he said that name in bed. “Uh, my mom wants to talk to you. I know that sounds weird, but…is that okay?”

If he was disappointed, he didn’t indicate it. “Of course. I can listen to them yell at me.”

“They don’t want to yell at you. They want to thank you.”

“Oh…” Cane turned quiet, considering what I’d said. “Bellissima?”

“Yeah?”

“Call me later when you have some privacy.”

“Okay…I will.” I handed the phone to my mom.

She took it and rested her elbows on the table. “Cane, right?”

Cane confirmed for her over the line.

“I wanted to thank you for rescuing my daughter.” She’d hardly said a few words before her voice broke with emotion, the tears cascading. “She told me what happened. She told me that you accepted her as a loan, but then you did so much to save her…that you killed the man who took her and reclaimed her freedom. I don’t know how I could ever thank you for what you did. You could have easily forgotten about her, but you didn’t. I’m so glad you love her just as much as we do…so grateful.”

I couldn’t watch my mother cry anymore. It was too heartbreaking. I shifted my gaze away and stared down at my food.

* * *

When my parents went to sleep, I called him from my bedroom. I was under the covers, wearing one of the t-shirts I stole from his drawer. It was a million sizes too big, but it still held his scent. It was faint, probably because it’d been smothered against all my other clothes during the journey underneath the plane.

He answered immediately. “Bellissima.”

I closed my eyes as his voice swept over me like a gentle breeze in summer. “Yes.”

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m in my old bedroom.”

“You’re staying with your parents?”

“Yeah…I was living here during college. I wanted to save money while I went to school since it’s right down the road. It’s a free place to live with free food.”

He chuckled. “That’s cute.”

“And…I kinda like living here. I’ve always been close with my parents.”