Page 68 of Tristano

“Tristano and you have known each other for years?”

“We have.” I smile softly. “He’s the best.”

“When Tristano told us about you, I was worried. I’ve known him for a long time, and he has never mentioned you. Which is surprising because the man is an open book. He can’t even keep birthday presents a secret.”

The dig hurts, but I hide my reaction.

“As soon as your name left his mouth though, I knew that you had the power to destroy him,” she admits.

“You’re wrong.” I shake my head, swallowing hard.

“I’m rarely wrong.”

“Why don’t you tell me why I’m here then?”

“Tristano is family and once I care for someone, that doesn’t stop. If you hurt him.” She chuckles darkly. “I’ll do whatever necessary to fix it.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Greer tsks. “Sweetheart, that’s not a threat, it’s a fucking promise. So if you are in this for the long haul, then I’ll be there the day you get married with the fanciest bottle of champagne, but if you betray him, just know you won’t see me or mine coming. Understood?”

I nod as Izzy walks back up to the table. She looks between Greer and me with a raised brow as she sets our waters down.

“Your brother would be jealous if you got first blood on the new floors,” Izzy says lightly.

Greer laughs. “Don’t worry, the mop doesn’t need to be pulled out for us.” She looks back at me. “Right, Serena?”

“All good,” I say, swallowing hard as I look between the two of them.

After she takes our order and wanders off, I turn to Greer.

“I understand your concern. I’m some girl you’ve just met and it seems so out of place, but I’ve been protecting Tris since I was seventeen years old. Not a single day has gone by since the day we met that I haven’t thought about him. Yearned for him. He always kept this distance between us. Had he asked me back then, I would have given it all up for him, which knowing him, it’s exactly why he never asked. This all seems sudden, but this isn’t a whim. The second he expressed the same interest in me that I have always felt for him, I made the necessary moves to make sure I was by his side. You can either accept that and me, or you can back the fuck off because respectfully, my relationship with him is none of your business.”

She stares at me for several long moments before she smiles. “Good. I knew you were the one for him. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. I knew he had the program watching Jersey City, I just never connected that it was to watch you. He is such a flirt and so outgoing that it never even dawned on me that he had a secret girlfriend. Him turning down Natasha makes so much more sense now.”

“Who?”I grind out between my teeth.

Her eyes widen before she laughs. “Oh yeah. I like you, hellcat. Don’t you worry. I have a feeling Tristano has had his eye on you for years. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen him with anyone the entire time he’s worked for me.”

My heart calms down a little. “Really?”

She nods. “I think he’s in love with you, babe.”

I can’t help the smile that fills my face as she continues.

“I’m guessing you’re in love with him too.”

I am.

I so am, but I’m not going to let her be the first to hear those words, so I just smile.

* * *

I walkinto Bella Italiano and instantly spot Enzo.

“Hi. Just one today?” the young hostess asks as she bats her eyes and tries to push up her boobs.

Before Serena came back into my life, I would have hung around and flirted with her for a minute and made her feel special. I would have played up the reputation everyone had of me, but now my eyes only seek out one woman. I have no desire to look at another.

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