Page 11 of Into The Rabbit Hole

Well, not since when she was with Richard. Thinking of Richard always produced this bitterness in her that she didn’t like. It was a strange feeling to have considering he was her boyfriend for all of two years. But bitterness was all she could feel. Richard used her. For what, she didn’t know. Whatever it was for, he hid his wife and children from her, making her look like some kind of homewrecker or one of those women who had no regard for family and respect for marriage. He’d made her the otherwoman.

“Are you okay, bellezza?” Brian asked, resting his hands on thetable.

“I’m fine.” She pushed Richard straight out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about him anymore, or ever again. “I want to hear more aboutItaly.”

Brian was Italian. Italy sounded fantastic. She couldn’t believe that she’d never been, especially with her fashion obsession. She should have at the very least gone to Fashion Week in Milan. But this was better, whenever she decided she’d go, she’d be going with Brian. Herfather.

Her father. It was a nice thought, but it would take some time to get used to. In her mind her father wasBen.

BenjaminVanderville.

Ben had hurt her a lot, but she didn’t hate him. She loved him, always would, and she didn’t want to feel like she was replacing him in any way. The significant differences between Ben and Brian were, however, astounding. Ben was a doer. He was the person who jumped into action and was always busy. She knew he loved her, but he’d never specifically shown her thatlove.

Brian had, however, shown her how much he cared for her and loved her in a matter of minutes, and she could feel his need for her to know him beaming from him inwaves.

She’d never felt that from anyone. It seemed like she was experiencing a lot of new things these days. First Wes, nowBrian.

The thought of Wes made her smile to herself. She liked him. Liked him a lot. It was amazing how he’d always been in her life through Chloe, and she was friends with him and Taylor, but they weren’t exactly all friendstogether.

Maybe it was too soon. Too soon after Richard to like someone, but that was how she felt. And hopefully he felt that, too. She’d never want him to think that he was the rebound guy, so she thought she’d take thingsslowly.

They had a great dinner days ago and they were meeting later for a movie. A nice friendly meet up where they’d watch whatever was out at the cinema. They hadn’t planned that. She thought she’d let himdecide.

“You haven’t slept all night,” Brian pointed out with a wide smile. A smile that looked exactly likehers.

She’d been enjoying looking at the comparisons between them. People said she was the spitting image of her mother, but Taylor had obsessed over her face long enough to spot every single little similarity between Brian andherself.

The dimple in his left cheek was the same as hers. She loved her dimples and her left side was her good side. The little beauty spot at the edge of his lip line was just like hers. She loved that beauty spot and called it her Marilyn Monroe spot, although it was on her lip and not hercheek.

Then there were his eyes. She thought she got her eyes from her mother, but they were his. Her white-blonde hair was the only real thing that she could claim from hermother.

“Neither have you.” She returned thesmile.

“Bellezza, you were in hospital just a few weeks ago. I shouldn’t keep youup.”

Bellezza. She liked that. “You call Mom thattoo.”

“Oh, um. It means beauty in Italian.” He chuckled, but then a sad look filled hiseyes.

“I’m sorry,” Taylor said. The look was so evident that she felt she had to say something. It made her think of all that he must have gone through over theyears.

“Whatfor?”

“I wish things could have been different. I wish that you could have been there more when I was little. Telling you about it now isn’t the same. It’s something, but it’s not thesame.”

He nodded. “No it’s not the same, but it’s what Ihave.”

“Would we have lived in Italy? If you and Mom had been together, is that where we would havelived?”

“I always planned that. I always wanted to take her to Italy. That was the plan, according to what I plotted out when I wasten.”

“Ten?” It fascinated her how her mother and Brian had known each other their whole lives. A little like Wade andChloe.

“Oh yes. I knew I wanted to marry your mother from the minute I first saw her. It was a no brainer,” he replied with confidence. “And we were going to live inVerona.”

“I want to go there with you,” Taylor declared, surprisinghim.

“Really?”