sleep soundly in her cradle because her heart would be full of love and contentment, and everyone sleeps soundly with love in their hearts.
Tears instantly fill my eyes because Mac sang this song at our granddad’s funeral. I was nearly inconsolable at the time because I had so many regrets. Regrets for not being a better granddaughter. Regrets for not spending more time with him while he was still alive. Regrets for not opening up and sharing more with him. My granddad loved me fiercely, but I wished I would have been fearless enough to be honest with him.
I’ve been hyper-focused on my sobriety and personal control for so long now that I’ve not let myself be truly vulnerable. Not to my brother, my parents…not even Santino. I’ve been holding back for five long years, and it’s exhausting.
Now, watching my brother hold his wife and sing a lullaby to their unborn baby…it makes my heart yearn for more. I deserve more. I’ve earned more. Which is why I realise now more than ever that I don’t want regrets with Santino. And tonight, I need to tell him that.
Tilly’s quiet at the restaurant tonight. Her mind is clearly working through something as I watch her little nose twitch away with worry. I fear she’s still upset over what happened at the football match. I want to press her on it, but I know Tilly enough by now that she won’t talk until she’s ready. So, I give her the space to do it, hoping she’ll share it with me eventually.
After dinner, we head back to my place, and all I want to do is curl up on the sofa with her until she has to go back to her brother’s. Again. It’s exhausting waiting for her to come to terms with what we are to each other, but she’s worth being patient for.
When I get to my flat door, I push my key in and frown when I see it’s already unlocked. “That’s strange,” I say, and my hand lifts to shift Tilly back behind the wall.
I slowly open the door to see why it’s unlocked, and my eyes nearly bug out of my head at the sight of a curvy brunette having a glass of wine in my kitchen.
“Ciao, Santino!” My ex smiles brightly and sets her wine down as her heels clunk across the hardwood floor to where I’m standing in the doorway. She kisses me on both cheeks, her expensive perfume wafting all over me. “Where have you been?”
“Bria…I…um…”
Bria’s eyes move past me. “Who is this?” she asks, pointing a manicured nail behind me.
“This is Tilly.” I step off to the side to give her a full view.
Tilly shifts in front of me and crosses her arms over her chest. “Who are you?”
“I am an old family friend.” Bria arches one perfect brow and slides an affectionate gaze back to me. “Santino and I grew up in the same neighbourhood in Bourton-on-the-Water and went to law school together.”
“Did you now?” Tilly hits me with a sardonic look that I feel squarely in my nut sack. “Is that all?”
I feel my shoulders rising. “More or less.”
Bria forces a smile that doesn’t look all that genuine. “Santino, perhaps you and I can step out into the hallway to talk?”
I shake my head slowly. “Now’s not a good time, Bria.”
“How did you get in?” Tilly asks pointedly.
The corner of Bria’s lip curls up into a half-smile as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a key. “I’ve had this for ages.”
“I had forgotten about that.” I hold my hand out to Bria who stares at me curiously. “I should probably get that back.”
She frowns at me. “Santino, ciccio.”
I shake my head again, ignoring her pet name for me. “Sorry, Bria. But I really do think it’s best if you go.”
I grab the key from her hand, and she stares back at me like I have two heads before launching into a rant in fluent Italian. She scolds me for treating her this way after how long we’ve known each other and that I’ll be done with this redhead in a month or two like all the others. I grimace and do my best to usher her to the door, feeling Tilly’s heated gaze on us the entire time.
Finally, Tilly pushes me aside and presses her hand to the doorframe. “Look, lass…I don’t know what you’re going on about right now, but my boyfriend asked you to leave.”
Bria quirks a brow