Page 132 of The Temptation

A smile tugs at my lips. “Okay.” I use the edge of the mattress to push myself up onto my feet. “Try to get some rest. I’ll be back soon with your food and meds.”

When I asked Dante to loan us a driver, I wasn’t expecting him to arrive with my sister, Angelina, and Chloe in the back seat.

Yet here we are, the four of us in the kitchen cooking up a storm, with the mountain of supplies they brought with them. They could’ve at least brought the babies along.

“Are you sure you want to live here?” Arabella asks with concern in her voice.

“What kind of question is that? Of course, I do. He’s my husband. I belong wherever he is.”

“Dante said Romeo didn’t seem too impressed about you being here.”

I shrug. “He was just surprised. This place is his sanctuary, but whether he wants to admit it or not, he needs me right now. So does Ki-Ki.”

“Ki-Ki?” Chloe inquires.

“His dog.”

“His actual name is Killer,” Arabella tells her, and I don’t miss the not-so-subtle look that passes between them.

“Are you safe around him?” Chloe asks. “He seems a little … aggressive. I thought he was going to attack us when we got here.”

“He’s a trained guard dog and doesn’t like strangers, but he’s good with me.”

“If you say so.”

“His name is misleading, hence why I call him Ki-Ki. He’s a great dog, lovable and smart,” I say in his defence.

A few hours later, we’d cooked enough food to last for days and restored the kitchen to its original sparkling state, which meant I could now focus all my energy on helping my husband heal.

Romeo’s medication has arrived, and I think my sister has finally accepted that I’m staying.

“Well, it’s been great seeing you both again, Angelina and Chloe,” I say, bringing this little powwow to a close. “I hope I get to see you before you head back to Sydney.”

I hug them both before I move to Arabella. “I guess weshould be getting back to the kids,” she states, wrapping me in her arms and squeezing me too tightly. “I was looking forward to having you home again. I’m going to miss you, Lu-Lu.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m ten minutes away. We’ll see each other all the time.”

“I hope so. You’ve missed too much of Caterina’s life already.” She draws back, and I hate the glistening I see in her eyes when our gazes meet. “Will you guys come over for dinner tomorrow night?”

I’m about to tell her we can’t—not until Romeo is back on his feet—but a deep, familiar voice cuts in from behind me, effectively beating me to it.

“We’d love to,” he says.

I swing around to find my shirtless husband standing at the entrance to the kitchen. “You’re not supposed to be out of bed.”

“I was waiting for you to come back with my food,” he says with a flat tone. “But when you didn’t, I figured I’d come see what was taking so long.” His gaze sweeps the room, briefly landing on each of our guests. “Ladies,” he adds with a polite nod.

“Romeo,” my sister breathes, letting go of me and hurrying over to him. “It’s good to see you up and about. I was so worried about you when Dante told me what happened.”

Her hands snake around his waist, and the way his arms hang stiffly at his sides, accompanied by the surprised look on his face, it’s clear he didn’t see that hug coming.

I’m sitting cross-legged on the bed beside Romeo, feeding him his lunch.

“You don’t have to hand-feed me,” he says as I scoop up another spoonful of minestrone and lift it to his mouth. “There’s nothing wrong with my arms.”

“Shoosh. I enjoy looking after you.”

He doesn’t respond, but I catch the subtle curve of his lips before he opens his mouth to take what I’m offering. I think deep down, he’s enjoying having someone take care of him for a change.