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His words sliced through her, but she didn’t dignify his question with an answer. Instead, she gave Theo a hug and kiss. “Bye, baby. See you Sunday night.”
“Bye, Mommy!”
Theo scampered out the door ahead of his father. Chet shot one last glance over his shoulder before Marissa shut the door in his face.
She walked over to the window to peer out the blinds and watch them leave. The stillness in the apartment crowded in on her, and she sank onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands. Was she destined to spend the rest of her life alone?
Maybe there wasn’t someone out there for her.
“Don’t let him get into your head,” she said in a soft, fierce voice, blinking back tears of self-pity.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t forget Chet’s words, because they went to the heart of her fears.
Was she destined to spend the rest of her life alone?
Chapter Twenty-One
Bruno escorted Ashleigh to the taxi.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” she said, gazing up at him. A gentle breeze blew reddish-blonde strands across her face, and she tucked her hair behind her ear.
“I had a nice time too,” he said.
“Have a good night.” She tossed him a soft look over one shoulder before lowering into the cab.
Deep in thought, Bruno watched the car drive away and then walked toward his metallic gray Porsche.
Ashleigh checked quite a few boxes. They held similar religious and political beliefs, and she had a great relationship with her family. She worked for a nonprofit with a lot of flexibility in her schedule and should have no problem traveling with him if necessary.
She had a fantastic figure—beautiful, full breasts and a round ass. He’d noticed several men at the gallery checking her out.
But the night was young, and the truth was, if he’d really wanted to spend more time with Ashleigh, he wouldn’t have put her in that cab. He would have invited her to a late dinner or found an excuse to prolong their time together.
An image of Marissa on top of the steel counter flashed before him, and his chest tightened, regret flooding his system. He could still taste her lips. His ears filled with her soft pants and the way she moaned when he kissed her belly. He’d kept his distance the past few weeks, but the night at The Wine Cork was never far from his mind.
He muttered a curse and drove to Garlique, where he checked in on staff before packing food into containers to take with him, enough to last a couple of nights. On the way home, he dialed Marissa’s number to give his usual update.
“Hi, Bruno.”
The sound of her voice always hit him low in the gut, but tonight she didn’t sound like herself.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” she replied.
“You sound odd.”
“Thank you.”
Bruno switched lanes to go around a slow-moving pickup. “Marissa, is there something wrong? Have you been crying?” he demanded in a sharp voice.
“That’s none of your concern. I assume you’re calling to report on your evening with Ashleigh? How did the date go?”
“You have been crying, or you would have said no. What happened?” He gripped the steering wheel, ready to tear apart anyone who had hurt her.
He heard her sigh. “Why are you so nosy? You don’t need to concern yourself with me. I’m having a bad day, that’s all.”
“What made your day bad?”
