Page 252 of The Havenport Collection

Matteo

W e were snuggled up on the couch under a fuzzy blanket, and all was right with the world.

I was wearing only boxers, and Eliza had on my T-shirt over a pair of panties.

We were both rocking sex hair, and her eye makeup was smudged, but we were having so much fun together.

Eliza had come over after Val went to bed and we had been talking and fooling around for hours.

I felt awkward about the way we had left things on Monday.

I shouldn’t have teased her about the soulmate on her to-do list. It just took me by surprise.

Eliza was so fun and loved to live in the moment, so the thought of her out there searching for some perfect guy made me feel self-conscious and shitty.

Because I wasn’t soulmate material. That was for sure.

But what we had was incredible. I couldn’t define it or slap a label on it. The word girlfriend didn’t fit, and it made me feel ridiculous at forty-one years old. But on the other hand, I didn’t care about labels; I just wanted to hang out with her.

“And actually,”—I cleared my throat—“Val was the one who told me to ask you out.”

Eliza slapped my thigh and laughed. “Really?”

I nodded. “She told me I was like Kristoff and you were Anna.”

Her giggles were infectious, and I found myself laughing too.

“That kid is really something.”

“Oh she is. She’s been kicking my ass since the day she was born. You may not know this, but she was born premature, at only thirty-four weeks.”

“I had no idea.”

“Yes. Her birth changed my life. Gave me the motivation I needed to get it together. After high school, Gio headed off to college, and I took off. I headed west for a while, to LA for a bit and then Vegas. The only work history I had was in a kitchen, so naturally that’s where I ended up.

I had a blast, working hard, playing hard, and riding my motorcycle and not giving a fuck about anything.

I worked my way up at some restaurants, traveled a bit, and had no worries, no responsibilities. ”

“And then…”

“And then my girlfriend Mandy got pregnant and gave birth to the most important person in my world. I spent three weeks in the NICU, holding her tiny hand in the incubator. She was only four pounds at birth, and I have never been so scared in my life.” I took a breath.

I had not intended this conversation to get so heavy.

One of the things I liked about Eliza was that she was light and fun and silly.

I didn’t want to burden her with all this baggage.

But she was looking at me with so much compassion in her eyes.

I couldn’t stop myself from telling her everything.

“That tiny baby inspired me so much. I saw her fight infections and grow stronger.

And I knew that things had to change. That I had to get it together and give this child everything I could.

So, when she was healthy enough, we moved back here to Havenport.

I worked with my friend Callum to put together a business plan for Nonna’s Kitchen.

Cuccina Liguria is formal and stuffy, so I thought a fast casual concept would work really well in town, and Nonna was on board with sharing some of her recipes. ”

She snuggled up closer to me, giving me the physical reassurance I needed. “It’s a brilliant idea.”

“I went to my dad and Bruno, and together we figured it out. They gave me startup capital and a lot of help to outfit the place and get things going. I owe them a lot.” I ran my hands through my hair; this was hard to say.

“There was a time in my life I would never accept help from my family. But I knew I couldn’t afford to be proud when this was what Val needed.

“We lived with Nonna for a while, and then I bought and renovated my house. Moving back to Havenport was the best choice. My daughter gets financial security and a big extended family nearby. We also live an hour from some of the world’s best hospitals in Boston.”

“What about her mother? Val has been talking about her a lot. Does she live in Boston?”

I resisted the urge to ball my fists. Nothing made me more annoyed than talking about my ex. “Mandy? Not yet. She recently got her degree and a paralegal certification. She’s been offered a job at a law firm in Boston and is planning to move here in a few weeks.”

“That’s great news.”

“Not exactly. Mandy has not been a presence in her life up to this point. She calls and sends birthday cards—if she’s sober. She’s come out to visit a few times. But she didn’t fight me for custody. Didn’t want to be a part of Val’s life.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I know. There have been so many broken promises and disappointments over the years. It’s hard to trust that she is actually coming back here and attempting to be a mom.

I know Val is missing something, and I would do anything to fix it.

But that disaster of a relationship is how I got my daughter.

So I am kind to Mandy, I help her out, and I support her when she needs it.

Because she gave me an incredible gift.”

She kissed my cheek and pulled me close. “You are a good man.”

“Not that good. Mandy has been making noise about suing me for custody.”

Eliza growled. “What? How dare she?”

I smirked. “Easy. I’ve got a really good lawyer just in case, and it may not come to that. I’m just feeling paranoid that I might not be a good enough parent.”

She cupped my cheek, gently stroking my skin. “Val is not missing anything. She is a very well-adjusted little girl. And it is clear that she is deeply loved.”

“And spoiled,” I added.

“Nothing wrong with that.”

I looked down at her beautiful face. “Thank you for listening. It can be hard for me to talk about stuff sometimes.”

“Don’t sweat it, big guy. I want to know all about you. And you can tell me anything. Trust me, I don’t judge.”

I kissed the top of her head, grateful to have found someone willing to open their heart and their mind to me.

“But you should probably feed me. All that amazing sex has made me pretty hungry.”

I jumped off the couch, handing her the remote. “Find something to watch, and I’ll be back with snacks.”

I returned to the couch to see her bouncing excitedly. “Guess what’s on TV?”

I sat down, placing homemade popcorn and some French chocolates Gio had brought me on the coffee table. “Wait,” I said, realizing what we were watching. “You’ve seen Point Break ?”

She turned and gave me a confused look. “First of all, who hasn’t seen Point Break ? And I haven’t just seen it, I’ve studied it. My dad is a huge Swayze fan, and I watched that movie dozens of times.”

“It’s one of my favorites.”

“I love it so much. My dad had a rule in our house—if Point Break was randomly on TV, we had to sit down and watch it. I have happy memories of random winter weekends curled up on the couch watching Johnny Utah fire his gun into the sky in frustration and grab his bum knee.”

I chuckled. I loved that part of the movie. “I’m impressed.”

“One time we watched it in Spanish.”

“Do you speak Spanish?”

She shook her head. “Nope. But we knew the movie well enough to follow along. And it was still amazing en espanol .”

I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling. I had laughed more in the past few weeks with Eliza than I had in the past few years.

“Love it. But I gotta say—your dad loves Swayze, and that makes me feel so old.” I cringed internally.

We hadn’t discussed the age gap between us, and it was something I was beginning to freak out about.

“Stop. You are nothing like my dad. And he’s in his sixties, so slow it down, champ.”

“But I am a lot older than you.”

“Not really. We’re both adults. And there is nothing gross or illegal about a twenty-nine-year-old dating a forty-one-year-old. I don’t even remember the age difference most of the time.”

“But—”

“Stop. Don’t even go there. We are two people who care about each other exploring our feelings. Age has nothing to do with it. Plus I like older men. Look at Patrick Swayze. That man was a god, may he rest in peace.”

“So you’re into Swayze?”

“Um…what red-blooded woman isn’t?”

She climbed onto my lap, straddling me on the couch, and my body instantly shifted into high alert. The hem of my T-shirt slid up over her thighs, and I knew there was a pair of panties underneath it. I wanted to rip it off her with my teeth.

She shifted, making my cock ache with need, and started pulling at my hair. It was longer than usual, to my shoulders, and she was playing with it and arranging it on my head.

“Yup.” She nodded. “Just as I suspected. You would look amazing in a mullet. Like Swayze in Roadhouse. His hair was glorious.”

I was overcome with feelings. Since most of my blood was rushing south, I had neither the desire nor the time to process those feelings, but I am pretty sure they were not along the lines of taking things slow.

I grabbed her hands and flipped her onto her back, pinning her to the couch. “How are you so awesome?” I asked, kissing her neck.

She squirmed beneath me, making my vision tunnel. “What do you mean?”

“You are smart and cute and so much damn fun.”

She grabbed the back of my head, kissing me fiercely.

“You know,” she said, running her fingers down my stomach to the waistband of my boxers, “beneath your grumpy exterior you are pretty fun yourself.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. You make the most delicious food. And you have a big, squishy heart.” She tapped her finger on my chest.

“Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone.” My fingers teased her inner thighs, moving her panties to the side and finding her already wet and ready. “I wouldn’t want to lose my bad boy street cred.”

I sank one finger into her and she moaned. “Your secret is safe with me.”