Page 35 of The Sting of Love
“Trust me, Bella, any guy who doesn’t isn’t worth your time.”
“Thank you. I guess I better hope you stick around for a while, then.” I know I’m pushing the limits by saying something like that. It’s just wishful thinking.
He steeples his fingers and gives me a lopsided grin. “Don’t worry. I’m not going back to Chicago anytime soon.”
“No?”
“No. I won’t be. What about you? When are you heading back to L.A?”
I shake my head. I decided on my way here that I’m going to stay around for a while. I don’t need to be back home for anything, and definitely not when I’m not ready to face the aftermath of the loss of my business.
“I’m not going anytime soon either.”
“Well, that’s really,reallygood to know.” He presses his lips together and intensifies his stare. He looks at me like he’s trying to figure me out, and I know he has more questions on his mind too. For me. “Willow, what happened to you?”
There it is. The extended version of the question of what sent me to the club.
I draw in a breath and take a sip of my water.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, doll. I just want to know,” he adds.
“I’ll talk. It’s just hard.”
“Tell me what happened. What made you cry?”
“My… ex. My… monster of an ex,” I answer.
Most people who know my situation were at my disaster wedding, so I don’t usually have to backtrack when I talk about William. The embarrassment from that day is enough for them to understand why I don’t talk about it. For Donny I’ll have to start from there in my explanation of what happened to me.
I do, and as sympathy fills his handsome face I instantly feel bad. I don’t want him to look at me like that.
Talking about reality has invaded the magic, piercing through the bubble of fantasy I feel when I’m with him. Feeling the weight of his stare I set my fork down and drop my gaze to the plate even though there’s nothing left on it.
“That shit should never have happened to you,” he states and I return my focus to him.
“I wish it didn’t.”
“You’re better than that. I’m sorry it happened. He was an asshole, consider yourself lucky you didn’t end up with someone like him.”
I never thought about it like that. Never thought of the break up as a lucky escape. Now that so much has happened and I’ve seen what William is truly like, I agree. It was a lucky escape.
“Thank you.”
“Do you still love him?” he asks with guarded eyes.
“No. I don’t. Now I can confess that I stopped a long time ago, long before the wedding. I was just going through the motions and I should never have continued down a path that I knew would lead me nowhere.”
“Can’t always know doll.” His face softens.
“I guess not. Well… now you know more about me and my problems.” I bite the inside of my lip.
“They’re past problems. Your ex’s loss is my gain. I know how to treat a woman who’s priceless.”
Priceless… I’ve never been called that before. This guy could charm me into doing anything. He makes me feel so good about myself.
I smile. “You are too much, Donatello Caporetti.” I like saying his name.
“I haven’t started yet, Willow Belmont.” He stands up, walks over to me, and takes my hand.
