She laughs, which startles me. “Sabrina, if you don’t see the way that man looks at you then you really don’t have eyes in your head. He is so different now that he has you, and I know it must be hard for you without him being around, but once he gets back, he will sort everything out. Give him this time and when he gets back to talk to you, don’t make it easy. He needs to learn you’re no push over.” She grins.
“You want him to suffer?”
“Not really because I think he’s suffered enough, but five minutes will be fine.”
“I’m not promising anything because I’m going to be too excited to see him again. I miss him Lily.”
“I know.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lucien
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have the drive and money.
Over the past week Dante and I have managed to furnish my home with every modern day comfort we could think of. I know Dante thinks I’m a fool for doing all this for a woman, but I don’t. My only problem now is that I’m getting impatient for Saturday evening. If I hadn’t had the house to occupy me I’d have been on the next plane back to Lexington to claim my girl. I’m even prepared to beg if I need to, which Ruben said I’d have to do after he’d seen her at my apartment the afternoon that I had left for Denver. He’s an ass, and I hope when he said she was pissed and upset was laid on thick with the telling.
I’ve planned my ‘get my girl’ down to the last detail. Michael has the McKenzie Holdings jet ready in the hanger at the airport in Lexington ready for me to whisk her off back here. She’s going to come back with me one way or another. Leaving without her isn’t an option, and if that doctor guy is anywhere near her, she’s going to discover just how much I think she belongs with me. I just hope he has health insurance. I grin, liking that idea.
“What are you grinning at?” Dante asks, while trying to put together the coffee table.
“The thought of bodily harming someone,” I counter, getting down to the floor to read the plans he’s trying to follow, but keeps screwing up.
“As long as it’s not me, I’m fine with it. Although I shouldn’t be,” he frowns, “being a priest and all, but considering it’s you, I guess you have good reason.” He raises an eyebrow in question.
“He’s after my girl so I guess it’s a good reason.” I take one of the table legs from him and turn it the right way up before passing it back. “It won’t come to that, at least I hope it won’t. I don’t think Sabrina would be that impressed if I let swing because of her.”
“From what you’ve told me about her, I guess she won’t be.”
“It would feel good.”
He shakes his head as a look of confusion crosses his face. Dante is brilliant at a lot of things, but putting something together from instructions isn’t one of them.
“You screw the bits together as I pass them to you.”
He scowls.
“I want this done today, and it’s only a friggin’ coffee table.”
“Quit with the moaning. You moan like a girl,” Dante says as he tries to follow the instructions.
“Says he who has done nothing but complain about his sister wanting to visit him,” I counter with.
The last time I saw Emelia, she was just above my knee with pigtails. Apparently, she’s grown into a beautiful woman, and Dante wants to keep her away from his church. Or more specifically, he wants to keep her away from all the single men at the church because none are good enough for her. He’s damn picky if you ask me.
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you go put the kitchen stuff away and I’ll finish this?” I grin knowing there isn’t any way he’s going to refuse that offer. He loves being in the kitchen, which I guess is how I didn’t lose so much weight when I was recovering because he cooks well and really did take care of me. I owe him more than I’ll ever be able to repay.
“I’m out of here.” He gets to his feet. “I’ll rustle something up once everywhere is sorted,” he says running out of the lounge.
I smile and drop to the floor to finish the damn coffee table—the last thing in the lounge to be put together.
I’m proud of how everything is coming together, and I hope when I bring Sabrina here in two days time that she’ll think so and want to stay with me.
***
“So, tell me Casanova, just how do you intend on getting your woman on the plane?” Dante points the sauce spoon at me before going back to stirring.
My mouth is salivating at the thought of his mother’s sauce, which is amazing. Lucia’s best friend was Italian and, before Lucia passed away, she taught her to cook real Italian food and did the same with each of Lucia’s sons after her friend died so Dante cooks like a pureblooded Italian.
Dante glances back to me, which is a reminder he’s waiting for answers that I haven’t even thought about. I’d planned on walking up to her and asking her if we could talk. Then I was going to take her to the airport. It hadn’t entered my head that she would refuse.
“You don’t have a plan, huh?”
“She won’t refuse,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
“I’m not saying she’s going to refuse. I’m just trying to suggest that you have a backup plan.”
I wish I’d never told him my plans.