AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I did everything I could that would keep me away from home without being obvious about how I was avoiding him.
I didn't want to give him any reason to think I was uncomfortable with him, but I still ended up betraying myself when the Marchettis had their annual ice skating competition at Frog Pond, and I quickly pretended to break my ankle when I realized they were about to pair me off with Ezio.
That should've been the end of it...until I caught the scent of apple cider donuts suddenly wafting in the wintry air.
Mmmm!
I was already halfway to my favorite food stand when I realized my mistake.
Aaaaargh!
And the only person who saw me run like a triathlon athlete at that time?
God only disciplines whom He loves, and it's His way of teaching me a lesson for lying through my teeth.
Sigh.
I know I should accept divine defeat at this point, but I can't.
I choose to hobble on one foot for the rest of the way, but this also backfires on me when I end up slipping and having an accident.
For real.
And so I ended up sidelined for the rest of the holidays.
I'm sorry, God.
I just need more time.
And who knows?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding things, and your plans for Ezio and me have nothing to do with our hearts?
So I prayed and prayed for more time.
But when the day finally came that I was ready to give things another try—-
Sarica looks at me in surprise when I casually ask her about Ezio.
"Oh, you haven't heard? He's flown back to New York. There are things he needs to do there forfamiglia."
Five Years Later
One
FRANCISCO WASnotone to leave anything to chance. If the days he had spent fighting for honor and country taught him anything, it was how the parameters and definition of safety were ever-changing.
To let down one's guard even for one second was the beginning of the end, and despite having his own apartment within the fortress-like compound of the Marchettis, Francisco still had his own military-grade security measures in place.
No one could enter his room without him knowing it...or at least no one save for Ezio Marchetti, whose too-pretty face was the first thing Francisco saw upon waking up.
"What the hell?"
The younger man only smiled. "Buongiorno."
"Stop giving me a heart attack, you rascal!"
But Ezio only continued to act as if it was entirely natural for him to show up in thelockedbedroom of an ex-military vet, with the younger man rising to his feet so he could give his grandmother's most trusted right hand a brief hug.
