Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) (31 page)

“Well, it has to be better than the last.”

“Yes, we can only go up.”

“I’m glad we can find a way to talk about it,” Enzo says. “You seem to be handling it very well.”

“I think it’s because I know she’s gone. I know I’m safe. Before I had so much fear waiting for her to strike and ruin my life again. Now it’s just something bad that happened to me and honestly, it’s so surreal it’s almost like it didn’t happen. Anna is just someone that I used to know and now she’s gone. I pray for her soul.”

“You are sweet to pray for her.”

“I’m not that sweet. I pray for mercy for her because she needed it. I pray for healing for anyone she hurt, including us.”

“I still think you’re sweet. You won’t change my mind,” he says, laughing.

“I guess I can be when I want to.”

“Yes, but you can be amazingly tough and frankly, it’s quite the turn on for me.”

“I like any trait of mine that turns you on.”

“All your traits do. Even when you throw expensive gowns on the floor.”

“Hey, I’m better than I used to be with that.”

“Yes, and I don’t give a shit. I love everything about you.”

“That feeling is mutual.”

“Are you happy, bella? Really truly happy?” Enzo asks, nuzzling his lips against my neck.

“Yes. Really truly.”

“Brava. It’s the only thing that matters to me.”

“I know.”

“How do you feel?”

“Perfect.”

“I bet I could make you feel a little bit better,” he says as his hand slides down my back and rests on my backside.

“Mmm, I bet you could. What did you have in mind?”

“You, me, and that desk. What do you say?”

“I say, yes.”

Enzo scoots me back until I’m pressed against the desk, his lips and hands all over my body. I close my eyes soaking in my husband’s passion.

ROLLING OVER IN bed, I snuggle next to Enzo as he just starts to wake up. He looks over at me and smiles, his blue eyes twinkling in the morning sunlight that streams through our windows.

“Buon giorno, principessa,” he says, softly.

“Buon giorno, tesoro. Are you excited for tonight?”

“Very. This is the opening we both worked so hard for and nothing is going to stop us from having the best night. Are you excited?”

“Beyond excited. I’m going to meet one of my favorite singers plus, I don’t even know how many other celebrities plan to be there now. It’s going to be standing room only for sure. Oh and the food is going to be amazing and the music…” I stop for a moment and laugh. “Yeah, I’m excited.”

Enzo laughs too. “That makes me happy. To see you wake up full of joy and happiness again means everything to me. I’m glad I can witness it.”

“Witness it? You caused it.” I lean over and kiss his cheek. “I have a question though.”

“What’s that?” he asks as he tangles his fingers in mine.

“What do we do after this? Other than stopping by and checking in on the hotels, how do we spend our days?”

Enzo looks at the ceiling for a moment. “I could think of a few things,” he says rolling on top of me, causing me to giggle.

“I’m serious, Enzo.”

“So am I, amore.” He kisses my neck as his hands begin roaming my body. “We will work from here, either Girasole or La Bellissima. We’ll have to go to Italy several times a year to finish the work on the hotel renovations there. In between new hotels there is always work to be done on the existing properties and I plan to have a hands on approach with La Bellissima at least for the first year.”

“Okay that explains what you will do. What will I do?”

“You will be my wife and my partner and raise my babies.”

“Oh are we back on this barefoot and pregnant concept again? I believe we’ve previously established I have no intention of sitting at home waiting for you every day.”

Enzo stops kissing my neck and stares into my eyes. “Yes, amore, we’ve established that. You are a very talented woman and I think you have a career in design. You will continue to work with Francesca and, I hope, that you will begin to branch out on your own in time. After the baby, of course.”

“Well, I don’t know about that part yet. I love working with Checca though, so we’ll just see how it goes.”

“Va bene.”

“I should get up. I have a spa appointment with Cassie and Gabby at nine.”

“Mmm, I don’t want you to leave yet,” Enzo murmurs as he kisses my cheek.

“Enzo, if you keep doing that I’m going to have to ravish you.”

He looks up and laughs heartily and it’s the best sound I’ve heard in ages. “Bella, that is hardly motivation for me to release you. I live for your touch.”

Glancing over at the clock on the nightstand, I reply, “Well, maybe I have a few extra minutes to lavish some attention on my sweet husband.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

I lay my head back on the pillow as Enzo covers my body in sweet kisses.

“I ASKED DANNY to come and pick up Cass and me for the spa,” I say to Enzo as I brush my teeth. “I think I officially don’t like driving anymore.”

Enzo laughs and drags the razor over his cheek. “Is that so? What shall we do with the Fiat in the garage?”

“I don’t know. We need a bigger car anyway once the baby gets here. We certainly can’t use either of your sports cars.”

“True. We’ll pick something out for you but in the meantime, Grayson or Danny can take you anywhere you want to go.”

I rinse my mouth then lean against the bathroom counter. “I figured you could keep Grayson with you and Danny could be my primary driver.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Brushing out my hair, I pull it to the side and quickly braid it, leaving some of it loose and messy. I smear my lips with gloss and dab some eye cream under my eyes. My eyes catch Enzo’s in the mirror, staring at me.

“You’re staring at me again.”

“Yes, I am. I can’t take my eyes off of you.”

“You‘ll never have to.”

“It’s impossible. You are even more beautiful than ever.”

“I feel beautiful and healthy and strong.”

Enzo walks towards me and takes my blush brush out of my hand. Without saying a word he leans forward and kisses me, holding me tight, as our tongues swirl together. I reach up and bury my hands in his lush hair, enjoying the sensation of our bodies pressed together. He lets me go and smiles, leaving me panting with lust.

“Enjoy your spa day,” he says.

“I will.” I turn to leave as Enzo reaches over and swats my butt playfully. I giggle and head out to the living room to meet Cassie.

I pet Maximus as I wait for Cass to join me and for Danny to arrive. I welcome these few hours before the event to just hang out and be normal with my girlfriends. It’s night and day compared to how I felt just a month ago.

Cassie rushes out of her room, carrying her oversized handbag. She’s wearing a loose flowing maxi dress, her go-to outfit, and her hair is piled on top of her head. In her hand are expensive sunglasses that she places on top of her head.

“Are we ready to go, signora?” she asks using the name she has taken to calling me lately.

“I am.” I laugh as we walk out to meet Danny.

“What are you laughing about?” Cassie asks.

“You just look so Scottsdale right now. Not even a year and you blend in. And you used to make fun of me.”

She shrugs. “I guess I assimilated.”

“Yes you did. So you guys like it here?”

“Very much.” She takes my hand in hers as we walk to the car. “We found a place. We’re probably going to move out by Christmas.”

“Oh,” I say sadly. “Where is it?”

“Not too far from here, about 15 minutes. We’ll go see it next week.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t be sad, Ava. I’m still close by and we’ll hang out. Our lives are changing. You and Enzo are going to have a family soon and we are going to get married and start our life as husband and wife. I’m sure babies will follow too.”

“I know and I’m really happy for you. It’s just sort of sad.”

“I barely see you anyway. With my schedule at the salon and all the work you and Enzo have, it probably won’t feel any different than it does now.”

“That’s probably true.”

We get in the car and head off to Girasole for a much needed spa day. Camilla will do my hair and makeup. The excitement starts to build in me again.

“Tonight is going to be so much fun, Cass. Rob Freaking Terrence is going to be there. Is that cool or what?”

“Very cool. The best part though is you can have fun without worrying about anything else.” She leans over and kisses my cheek. “It’s gonna be a blast.”

I nod happily as we pull into the valet area of Girasole. Stepping out of the car, we see Gabby waiting for us just inside. Even though it’s October, it’s still 95 degrees today- definitely too warm to stand out in the sun.

We enter and head down to the spa. I hold back my giggles as everyone goes out of their way for me and my friends. I am the boss’ wife after all. Dominic approaches me and shaking my hand, expresses his concern for all that he has heard happened to us in the past few months.

“Thank you. We’re doing quite well in spite of it all. Mr. Milano should be around next week to check in.” I can’t help but remember that a year ago is when all the crazy started. At least it’s past tense now.

Dominic nods and ensures me everything is going well with the property. Cassie and Gabby stand next to me, smiling politely.

As soon as we walk away, Gabby nudges my arm. “Does it feel weird to get treated like you’re Enzo?”

“I’m sort of used to it now. Well, what I should say is I know what to expect. In their eyes, they better make sure I’m happy when I’m here.”

“That’s true though, isn’t it?” Cassie asks.

“Yeah, actually it is.” I laugh as we head into the spa.

I STARE OUT the window of our limo at the throngs of people waiting in front of La Bellissima. The crowd is twice as big as it was the last time. Most people won’t even be able to get in but that doesn’t seem to matter. Apparently, it’s enough to just be here.

My door opens and I step out to flashing cameras once more. At least now I know I’m going to be asked all about my outfit. This time, Suzette created a strapless floor length gown with an empire waist to allow me some breathing room in the tummy. The bodice is beaded and the back is very low cut. It would be scandalous if there wasn’t so much material covering me in the front. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.

Camilla did my hair in sort of a Roman Goddess manner, half up and half tumbling down my back. She did a very dramatic makeup design, with smoky eyes and deep red lipstick. The best part was seeing Enzo’s obvious appreciation of me.

I glance over at him, fielding questions from a news reporter and can’t resist the urge to throw my arms around him and kiss him fully on the mouth on live TV- very publicly staking my claim on him. This man is mine and everyone who thinks otherwise was just put on notice.

Enzo smiles and pulls me closer to him, keeping his arm around my waist as he finishes his interview. He eloquently talks about the hotel’s designs and how happy we are to add a second property to Arizona.