Page 261 of Anti-Heroes in Love Duet
I left him staring blindly at the gun as if it held the questions to life’s mysteries like some crystal ball. And for him, it did.
He had two options, and death was the least of them.
I walked back through the house, Addie joining me where he had been waiting as backup in the hall. He locked the door again behind me, and then when we got into the waiting car down the street, Frankie armed the alarm once more.
We sat there for three hours before it happened.
The bang echoed through the peaceful neighborhood and sent a black cat scurrying across the street.
We drove home, and when I crawled into bed with my wife, taking her in my arms, I had only sweet, golden dreams.
We decided to throw a party and invited almost everyone we knew.
I even called my sister.
“Hello?” her soft voice floated over the phone.
I hesitated for a moment, caught up in the memories it evoked. Christopher and Daniel, my self-loathing and bitterness.
Dante laughed across the room in the kitchen where he was pouring glasses of champagne for Tore and his crew.
And I remembered that I had nothing to be bitter about anymore.
“Giselle,” I said. “It’s Elena.”
It was easy to read her shock through the phone.
“Oh, hi. Is everything okay?” There was alarm in her tone, which warmed me slightly. It felt good to know whatever our issues, she didn’t want me unhappy or unhealthy.
“Everything is wonderful, actually,” I confessed as I sat on the couch, staring at our chosen family. Frankie had his arm slung around Dante’s shoulders while Addie pretended to fight him, throwing mock punches that made everyone else laugh. “I don’t know if you followed the case, but Dante was acquitted today.”
“Oh! That’s so fantastic to hear. The charges were dropped?”
“We proved the murder charge was bogus, so the prosecution’s case crumbled.” I would never forget the look on Dennis O’Malley’s face and the resulting triumph I’d felt like David taking down Goliath. “Anyway, we are having a party tonight to celebrate. Mama, Sebastian, and Beau are coming. I wondered…I wondered if you and Daniel were free to join us?”
“Yes,” she said instantly, almost without thinking. “I mean, we have Gennie, but I can see if our babysitter could watch her for a while.”
“If you can’t, that’s fine too,” I said. “I just wanted to call and, well, extend the invitation. It’s a night to celebrate.”
“I’m happy you called, and I’m happy he’s free. I’ll call the babysitter and talk to Sinclair, then text you so you know what our plan is, okay? And, Elena, thank you for inviting us. I…I’m excited to see you and to hear that you seem so happy.” Her voice was sweet, but then, it always was because Giselle wore her tender heart on her sleeve, whereas I’d hidden my own behind layers of ice like something that had become extinct in the Ice Age.
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. “Sounds good.”
And it did.
If she and Sinclair could come, I would be polite but most likely a little distant. I didn’t know if forgiveness was something that could manifest as soon as you wanted it to happen. It would take time, and even then, I might not ever feel the way for Giselle I did with Cosima, Mama, and even Sebastian.
But again, that was okay.
Life was messy and imperfect, and I was just a part of that.
A little resentment and bitterness didn’t make me a bitch. It just made me human.
I shut off the phone and wandered into the kitchen where Dante immediately made room for me at his side.
“Stai bene?” he asked, checking in as he ran his nose down my hair.
“Yes,” I said, wrapping an arm around his waist. “I invited Giselle tonight.”
