During the church service, Arella had been surrounded by her parents and siblings, so I hadn’t been able to get close to her. I tightened my hands into fists as she shifted beside her older sister and best friend. She lifted her gaze from the casket that was now being lowered into the ground, finally locking her eyes with mine.
Her blue-gray eyes were full of so much pain, I felt something twist in my chest. It was torture to see her with tears in her beautiful eyes, with her face so tense and pale. I ached to pull her into my arms and just hold her. I would have gladly given her every ounce of strength I had to get her through such a tragic time.
Finally, the last prayer was finished, and the graveside service concluded. Around her, everyone slowly started to return to their limos, but Arella just stood there, seeming frozen in place while her eyes stayed glued to me.
Vaguely, I heard Mia murmur that she and Barrick would see me at the Stevensons’, where everyone was going to show their respects and have a meal in Cole’s honor. Her words barely registered as I moved in the opposite direction.
When I reached Arella, I wasted no time and pulled her into my arms. She was stiff at first, her entire body rigid against me until I kissed the top of her head. Then, one by one, her muscles began to relax, and she sank into me, wrapping her arms around my middle and clinging to me.
I felt her begin to tremble, and then a soft sob left her, making me tighten my hold around her. “Baby, it’s okay. I have you.”
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” she cried into my chest. “I miss him so much.”
I pressed my lips to her temple, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo, and I closed my eyes as I fought my own sting of tears. Her pain was pressing down on me like a weight, making her agony feel as if it were my own.
“Arella,” a deep voice spoke from behind her, and I lifted my eyes to find her father standing only a few feet away. Drake Stevenson’s eyes drilled into me hard, his jaw clenched.
For the past few years, he’d welcomed me into his home and accepted my friendship with his second-oldest daughter without so much as a blink. But I got the sudden vibe that he wanted to bury me right along with his father-in-law. Instinctively, I tightened my arms around Arella, fearing he wanted to take her away from me.
Arella lifted her head and, with another sob, pulled away from me and threw herself into his arms. He tucked her against him and, without a word to me, walked her toward the limo where her mother and siblings were already waiting.
As I stood there, watching her walk away without a backward glance, I felt a void in the center of my chest that left me breathless. Gritting my teeth, I returned to my car and drove to the Stevensons’ house in Santa Monica.
By the time I got there, the driveway was already overflowing, and other vehicles were lined up along the street. For several minutes I just sat there, my fingers so tight around the wheel, they were bloodless.
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure why I’d rushed back when Mia informed me of Cole’s passing. I’d barely known the man. But the thought of Arella hurting had driven me mental. That girl had a hold on me, and I didn’t know how to break it.
Or if I even wanted to.
I’d been fighting myself for years, but back then, her age had been enough for me to keep my hands to myself. Now, she was eighteen. There was nothing to stand in my way if I decided to explore what I felt for her. I knew she felt the same, and if I was honest, that was why I’d agreed to go back to Italy when my father had needed someone to take care of a project that required “special” attention.
Letizia was a spoiled little bitch, but I’d taken care of business and then gotten pulled into her drama on top of it. The gossip rags had been printing bullshit about the two of us ever since. Not all of it was lies, but there was just enough of the truth included in their articles about the two of us to make it believable. The