Page 89 of Shiver

“Yeah, actually.” I tread lightly.

“Go on now, tell me,” Arielle prods.

“Last night, she admitted that she looked into me before we started working together and…” I clear my throat.

“Jesus Christ, just spit it out,stronzetto.”

“She found that article from when I brought you to the clinic.” It takes a moment to finally get the words out, but when I do, it feels like I’m choking on them. I do my best to never make her relive that day, so it’s hard to utter a single word about it now.

“And she believes the reporter’s lies?” she guesses.

“I think she’s starting to question the legitimacy of it, but when she asked me about it last night, I probably didn’t do myself any favors by telling her I couldn’t explain what really happened.”

“And why on earth would you do that?” she asks, raising her voice.

“Arielle, just like I told Samara last night,that is not my story to tell.”

She says nothing for several beats of silence. “Then I’ll tell her.”

Shaking my head, I say, “No, Arielle, you don’t have to do that. She’s just got to learn to trust me, and if I said it isn’t what she thinks, then she needs to believe that if there’s a chance of anything working between us anyway.”

“Luca, you don’t know what that woman has been through, and neither do I. But if I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that women like Samara aren’t guarded without reason. Just consider that she may not be capable of blindly trusting, and that might not be her fault either. It isn’t usually something we choose,” she reminds me.

“Hopefully, I can earn her trust another way, but sharing that day with her won’t be how I do it. Please, don’t worry about it, okay, Arielle? I promise that if things between us are meant to work, they will. I’ve gotta go. We need to meet her family for breakfast and head to the airport. Thanks for watching Gia; give her hugs and kisses for me.”

Shockingly, she drops the previous conversation. “Of course I will. I’ll send you a bunch of pictures soon. Have a safe flight home,” she tells me before hanging up.

1. Italian: "Little sister."

Chapter sixty-nine

Samara

“Wasn’t this so great, Samara?” my mom prods, wanting recognition for her idea.

“Yep, it was a lot of fun. I’m glad we could make it,” I tell her with a small smile, hoping she’ll stop now that she’s gotten what she wanted.

“You know, if you quit being a workaholic, you could settle down, start a family, and really begin to enjoy all of that money you’ve been working so hard for.” And just like that, all hopes of a peaceful last day of vacation are shattered.

“Ienjoymy job. Have you ever considered that?” I ask, unable to keep the misery out of my voice.

I feel Luca’s large hand settle on my thigh, gripping me gently, but he says nothing.

“Of course you enjoy it. I never said you had to quit!” Mom tosses her hands in the air, exasperated, as if she isn’t the exhausting one. “But children are just so much fun, and having a partner to come home to every day is a different kind of joy!” She turns her attention to my side, settling her gaze on Luca. His hand tightens around my thigh, and I place my hand on top of his. “Don’t you agree, Luca?”

She stares at him expectantly, but he doesn’t answer for a long moment. The whole table goes quiet as they wait for him to reply. To sayanything.

His bright eyes meet mine, and he dips his head, bringing his lips a hair’s width from my ear. “Do you want to go cool off for a minute inside, and I’ll thank your family so we can get out of here without starting a war?”

My shoulders slump at his words. My family may not have heard him but thank god I did because I want nothing more than to get out of here. I give him a small nod and pry his hand from my lap before pushing out of my chair to stand. “It was great seeing you all, and thank you for inviting me,” I tell my family, smiling tightly.

I head inside to use the restroom and hope that Luca is ready to go by the time I get out.

Chapter seventy

Luca

The moment Samara is inside, my eyes are pinning her mother to her seat.

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