Present
To say I was confused three days ago when Finn turned up at my apartment to whisk me away for a meeting with the Romano men is an understatement.
He explained that they would normally meet at a warehouse owned by the Romanos, but since the meeting included me, they decided to hold the meeting at the Romano estate.
It was the first time in history a member of another New York organization had been invited inside the home of Salvatore Romano, which is apparently a very big deal.
I had expected some sort of formal talk about what had happened between me and Marco all those years ago.
That isn’t what happened. At all.
Instead, Salvatore had personally prepared dinner for me, Finn, Marco, and Luca.
Apparently, Robyn had an appointment with her obstetrician which Enzo and Izzy had joined her for, so they couldn’t make it.
And rather than me and Marco be reprimanded for what we did like I expected, the meeting was actually to make a plan about whoever has been targeting me and the Romanos lately, as well as Salvatore himself personally pulling me aside to give me his blessing.
I was standing there, stunned into silence as he patted me on the shoulder with a wide grin before Marco joined us, rescuing me from having to explain that me and his son were not actually together.
Because we’re not.
Yet Salvatore, Luca, and even my own goddamn twin brother kept talking like we were, or that it was just inevitable, so they had to plan ahead.
Needless to say, I left the Romano estate confused as fuck and dreading tonight.
See, the plan is to show whoever has been targeting us that the Romanos are aware of what Marco and I have been through. That both families are in alliance together and will not, under any circumstances, turn on each other like that asshole wants them to.
A united front, if you will.
Which is why I’m here, heading through the doors to The Plaza, wearing an elegant, navy-blue dress, filled with nerves and trepidation with Marco’s hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the gala that’s being held here tonight.
The thing about these Mafia and criminal organization types? They spend their weekdays dealing drugs, selling weapons, and killing each other, then when it gets to the weekend, they’re dressed in their best tuxes and supporting different charities around the city.
Talk about contradicting themselves.
Izzy had hacked into the database that kept track of the RSVPs and decided that tonight’s gala was the best place for our little show, since both the heads of the Cartel and the Bratva will be here, along with a lot of other heads of organizations from different cities and plenty of paparazzi to spread the word.
“Everything will be fine,” Marco murmurs as we step inside, clearly feeling my confliction about attending tonight.
I haven’t been to one of these events in years, the last one being the one where I met Marco. I didn’t like attending them then, and I fucking hate attending them now. The fact that we have to do this at all is ridiculous.
I manage to hold in my sigh as I glance around the room, taking in the horde of rich assholes who only attend these things to flaunt their wealth and not actually help the people these events are for.
When I found out what we would be doing here tonight, I put my foot down and said that if we’re to use this charity gala as a place to get the upper hand, then we’re damn well going to give them a sizable donation. Both Salvatore and my brother agreed, so the charity in question will be receiving ten million dollars combined from their contributions.
People look up as we enter the room. We purposely decided to arrive an hour after the event started so that we could make an impression. Unlike me, Marco has continued to attend these things every couple of months for the past ten years, so he’s well known in these circles, and apparently, he’s never brought a date. So for him to walk in with me on his arm is already a statement within itself.
Of course, many of these people here tonight probably won’t recognize me, so we planned to change that.
Right on cue, my eyes meet my brother’s across the room, and he sends me a short nod before striding towards us. There’s a hush around the room as people stop chatting amongst themselves as they realize that not only does Marco Romano have a woman with him, but he’s also about to be approached by the head of the Irish Mob. My eyes flick over to the side of the room in time to also see Marco’s father heading towards us.
Finn reaches us first and shakes Marco’s hand before wrapping me up in a hug. Marco’s hand wraps around mine as he does, never letting go of me while my brother embraces me.
“You’ve got this, little sis,” Finn whispers before pulling back and pressing a kiss to my forehead. As he steps back, Salvatore takes his place in front of me and smiles down at me.
“It’s nice to see you again, sweetheart,” he murmurs. His eyes search mine and I give him a barely perceptible nod before he wraps his arms around me in greeting.
A statement.
It felt wrong at first, to publicly acknowledge the alliance between the families. But the more Salvatore had spoken, the more ease I felt about what we were going to do here tonight.
This isn’t just about what happened to me. This is about protecting not only me, but my brother, his organization, the Romanos, and their organization, too.
Whoever sent me the notes is the reason Marco was shot. I can’t let that happen again, whether we’re together or not.
A gasp comes from somewhere on my right as people start to understand who I am and what’s happening, but I don’t take my attention off Salvatore as he squeezes my hand reassuringly before moving so he’s standing next to Finn. They both turn to face the room, silently acknowledging their alliance before shaking hands and going back to where they were before we entered.
Marco tugs my hand and I turn my attention to him.
“C’mon, I need a fucking drink,” he grunts, and I roll my eyes before heading to the bar, only to find Luca and Enzo already there with their wives.
“That was some show you put on, brother.” Enzo smirks and Marco hits the back of his head lightly while Luca chuckles.
The evening passes quickly as I sit with Marco’s family. It’s strange, being here with him, but not really.
Being with his family, when we never had that before.
I talk to Izzy and Robyn throughout the night, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like they could actually become my friends.
I’ve held off forming attachments my whole life, never wanting to get close to people because of my family while I lived here in the city, and then too damaged to get close to anyone after I left.
I feel like I could make a home here.
And that scares the hell out of me.
Enzo practically drags Robyn from the room after she yawns, claiming she shouldn’t be out so late since she’s pregnant. Honestly, I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did from what I’ve seen with how protective he is.
We agreed it would probably be good for us to stay at least two hours, to make sure we’ve been seen together by enough people, to make sure we’ve stirred up enough gossip, and our time is almost up.
Just as I’m about to ask Marco if we can leave, he sidles up behind me and moves the hair from my neck, giving him clear access to my throat. He places a kiss there before moving his lips to my ear.
“Dance with me?” he whispers, and my heart rate picks up from his proximity.
I turn and raise my brow, but rather than speaking, he just steps back and holds out a hand. He may hold himself like he has all the confidence in the world, but I can see the vulnerability swirling behind his eyes.
Goddamn him and how endearing he is.
I tentatively reach out and place my hand in his, allowing him to lead me out onto the dance floor.
My arms wrap around his neck as his hands find my hips. He sways us along to the music in slow, controlled movements, reminding me of the first time we danced together.
“I have to say, I never thought I’d see you dancing at one of these things,” I murmur.
“Neither did I, but I’ve always had a tendency to do things I wouldn’t usually do whenever you’re concerned.”
My head rests on his shoulder as we continue to dance in silence, while I silently tell myself that I certainly do not enjoy the feeling of being in his arms.
“Fitting, isn’t it?” he murmurs as one song turns into another. “We met at one of these and we couldn’t even speak to each other in front of other people, yet here we are, ten years later, and I can talk to you, dance with you, stare into those goddamn hypnotic blue eyes of yours, yet I still don’t get to call you mine.” I don’t miss the longing in his tone or the way that his arms tighten around me, as though he can barely believe he said that out loud. As though he’s expecting me to pull away at any minute.
He’s made it obvious since the moment he stepped back into my life that he wanted another chance, but could we really make things work between us? Do I even want to?
I can deny it until I’m blue in the face, but I know in my soul that there’s only one answer to that question.
I’ve been numb for ten years. I’ve been a shell of myself since hearing those whispered words leave Marco’s mouth, but ever since I’ve been back in his orbit, I’ve finally started to feel like myself again.
I’ll never be the old Sloane. She died that night in the hospital.
But what if I could have a piece of myself back? What if us starting fresh could result in a fresh start for me, too? Could I really be happy again?
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“I don’t know what will happen between us in the future. We can’t control that. But we can control the present, we can control tonight. So what if for tonight, you get to call me yours?”
