throat, but I ignored it. It had been four days and there had been no sign of Enzo. I had to accept that maybe my declaration wasn’t enough.
“You know,” Matteo said as we entered their building. “What you did at the bar, that was pretty badass.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t change anything.” A sigh of resignation escaped my lips.
“Maybe not. But you fought for it, you fought for him, Nora. And I think that’s a pretty incredible thing.”
I nodded over the giant lump in my throat.
I hadn’t been here since the morning I’d found Enzo in bed with some busty blonde. The memories gave me pause as we reached the door. But Matteo was right there, to steer me inside.
The second we stepped inside though, I realized Matteo had played me.
Enzo shot up off the couch. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi. What is this?” I glanced around at Matteo and guilt twinkled in his eyes.
“Don’t hate me.” He grinned. “I’m just gonna—” He slipped out of the apartment and closed the door behind him.
“How have you been?” Enzo asked, his eyes darting around mine.
He was nervous.
Big bad Enzo Marchetti was nervous.
“I’m okay. You?”
He rubbed his jaw. “About what happened, at the bar… I swear to God, nothing happened with me and that woman. I was drunk and she was trying to—”
“You don’t need to explain. I got a front row seat to what she was trying, remember?”
He flinched, his silence deafening.
“What am I doing here, Enzo?”
“I wanted to talk,” he said.
“That would involve actually talking.” My lips curved wryly.
“This doesn’t come easy for me. I’ve never had to—”
“I know.”
“Fuck. Maybe it’ll just be easier if I show you.” He offered me his hand, and I took it. Because it was Enzo, and I’d never been able to tell him no.
He pulled me into his arms, staring down at me with such intensity I felt winded.
“After you left L’Anello’s, I wanted to come after you. I wanted to chase you so fucking bad. But I knew I needed to figure out what I wanted… I mean, I want you. I’ve always wanted you, Nora. That isn’t the issue here, just so we’re clear.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t want to let you down again. Not when you deserve so much…”
Enzo took my hand and led me into his bedroom. At first, I didn’t notice anything. But then I saw it.
I saw the perfume on his dresser, the avocuddle t-shirt draped over the back of his chair. I spotted the magazine on the nightstand, and the scarf hanging over the back of his door.
“W-what is this?” Confusion crinkled my brows.
“I know you’re supposed to be moving into the apartment in Nicco’s building. But what if you moved in… here?”
“You want me to move in? But—”
“I want you, Nora.” Enzo snagged a hand around my waist and pulled me into his chest, my back to his front. “I want you in my bed, I want your face to be the first thing I see when I wake up, I want to know you’re safe. Always.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.” My heart was a band of wild horses galloping inside my chest.
He wanted me to move in.
Stone-hearted, commitment-phobe Enzo Marchetti wanted to live with me.
I was speechless.
Completely and utterly speechless.
“Nora?” he asked, turning me in his arms, concern glittering in his eyes.
“You’ll have to get a mattress. I can’t… not after you…”
“Already done.”
“You bought me a mattress?”
“And this…” He plucked something out of his back pocket and took my hand, placing the key in my palm.
“You got me a key.”
“To our apartment. If you want it, that is…”
Tears clung to my lashes as I nodded. “I want it. I really, really want it.”
“Thank fuck.” He blushed. He actually blushed. “Because I already moved in all your stuff.”
“What?” I spluttered.
“I had a little help, but it was my idea.” A smug smirk tugged at his mouth.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“Well, you see, there’s this girl. She’s kind of a badass… she’s sexy and sassy and so fucking selfless. She taught me some things…”
“Oh yeah, like what?”
“She taught me that it’s okay to hurt, that it’s okay to live with your pain. But she also taught me that it’s okay to accept help, to admit that you can’t do it alone. She taught me that just because you’ve never known the love of a parent doesn’t mean you won’t ever know love for yourself. Because I do, Gattina. I fucking love you. I love your heart and your strength. I