“You think I don’t know why you wouldn’t let me invite the Costa family to your wedding to Thomas?” This wasn’t a question she expected me to answer, so I continued to keep my mouth shut. “Your taste in men is like mine. Well, before I met your father, at least. I do know you, and that’s why I’ve done my best to ensure you avoid the same mistakes I made.”
I had to say, I didn’t see that coming.
“I thought men like Thomas were the safer option for you. I was wrong, but I was just trying to protect you.”
I’d never wanted safe when I was younger, I’d wanted the kind of love that was all-consuming. But my search for it had led me to Enzo . . . and he hadn’t wanted me. So I gave up on the idea of a book boyfriend materializing in real life to give me a happily-ever-after, and I gave in to Mom.
Not-so-spoiler alert, her picks were all wrong for me. So wrong that, as of two weeks ago, my ex and I had officially divorced after a nine-month separation. In North Carolina, we were supposed to be apart for a year before the paperwork could be finalized. For whatever reason, Thomas finally had a change of heart and confessed the truth to the lawyers and judge about his infidelity. And now I was a free woman earlier than expected.
The crazy thing? Even to this day, Thomas still blamed Enzo for our marriage failing, not the fact he cheated.
“Ever since that man moved to Charlotte, you’ve changed. Hell, you’re probably fucking him at your sister’s restaurant,” he’d yelled during our blowout fight last November after I’d confessed he’d pocket-dialed me while he’d been out of town and having sex with another woman.
“I stopped loving you long before he came here. And I’m wondering if maybe we never actually loved each other at all.” I’d snapped back the ugly truth I’d been hiding from everyone, including myself.
But had I cheated? Not once. I may have been unhappy, but I’d been faithful.
Never crossed any lines. No late-night texts with Enzo, or anyone for that matter. Nope, I’d been a loyal and faithful wife.
“Before your father, I was attracted to the bad boys,” Mom revealed; then she turned to the side, putting eyes on my dad as he bounced my daughter, Chiara, on his knee at a corner booth. He cupped the back of her curly-haired head and then nuzzled her ear with his nose, which had her giggling.
“So you’re saying you always set me up with guys who preferred golfing and checking their stock portfolios to—”
“Tall, dark-haired men with tattoos who would ruin your life.”
“Easy with the stereotypes, Ma.” Damn. “I take it someone with tattoos broke your heart?”
“Maybe,” she said, and the somber look in her eyes told me she might still be mourning the loss of a relationship from more than three decades ago. “I’m not just thinking about you,” she went on. “Chiara adores Enzo. And what if he gets bored with Charlotte and leaves? He’ll break two hearts, not just one.”
Yeah, that reminder poked a hole in my heart. It was hard to believe my daughter was eighteen months old, and Enzo had been in her life since birth. The supposedly “dangerous man” was a baby whisperer, too.
“We’re only friends.” I hadn’t meant to follow that with a sigh of disappointment. “It’d be hard on all of us if he were to up and leave, Natalia especially.”
Enzo and I were still not as close as he and my sister were, but he’d never stuck his tongue in her mouth, and I had a feeling he’d kept his distance from me on purpose. Although I wasn’t quite sure why, since I had to assume he’d forgotten about our kiss.
“It’s not just that. What if this ‘new leaf’ is temporary? What if he becomes the man he was back in New York?” she pressed.
“You know, you’re making a poor case for yourself in the whole change department. If you think he can’t change for good, why should I believe you’ll stop meddling in my love life?” I rolled my eyes. “Case in point, this entire conversation.”
Mom set down her glass, then nervously ran her hands through her chestnut-brown hair, which had streaks of silver and gray at the temples.
“Everything okay over here?” I flinched at the deep voice behind me, then relaxed realizing it was my brother-in-law. He must’ve picked up on the tension-filled bubble surrounding my mother and me from across the bar.
Facing Ryan, mild panic on my face, I mouthed, “Help me.”
“Natalia needs Maria in the kitchen. Mind if I steal her away?” He offered his hand to help me stand.