Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) (14 page)

“What about Ava? What are you going to tell her?”

“I don’t know yet. You must promise me that you will let me handle this. I can’t tell her this right now.”

“You can’t keep this from her forever, Enzo.”

“I know and I won’t. You know I love her more than anything and would sacrifice my life for her if I had to. I cannot look her in the face and try to explain this. I don’t even know what the fuck happened. You have to promise me, Checca.”

“I would never tell her, but you better find a way. It will eat away at you and your marriage until the truth is known.”

“I know, Checca. That’s my plan. Uncover the truth. When I do, I will tell Ava everything and God help Anna when I’m done with her.”

“Yes, brother. If anything physical happened here tonight God help us all. What do we do first?”

I run my fingers through my hair. “I want a doctor to come to this room. I want a blood test to check for drugs and I want to make sure I’m…”

“What, Enzo?”

“To make sure she didn’t transmit anything to me. Sexually.” I cringe as the word crosses my lips. “I have to ensure that it’s safe for me to touch my wife. I can’t take a chance that I could harm her too.”

“That is a good idea, but who can we trust? It’s an odd request, no?”

“You are right, Checca.” I pace around my room. “I’ll start by calling Alex. I know I can trust him.”

“Enzo,” Checca says, her bottom lip quivering. “This is so terrible.”

“I know. Trust me, I know.” I also know that I have to do everything in my power to protect Ava from this even I have to lie to her. I don’t want to, but how can I possibly look her in the eye and explain this to her? It’s not possible. I have to figure out how to solve this and get rid of Anna once and for all.”

AS THE PLANE touches down in Phoenix, my adrenaline level rises in anticipation of seeing my husband. The few days I was gone felt like forever. I can’t wait to hear all about the award’s dinner. Looking over at Cassie, I shake my head and chuckle softly. Only this girl can fall asleep on an hour-long flight. I nudge her to wake her up and start gathering our things.

We depart from the plane and walk through the terminal looking for our men. Just beyond the security gate, I see Enzo. Dressed in one of his amazing suits, he looks as delectable as he did the day we met. In his hands, he holds a bouquet of stunning red roses. His face lights up when he sees me, filling my heart with warmth. I’m tempted to bust out running like one of those slow motion scenes in movies, but resist the urge.

I fall into his waiting arms and he swings me around, kissing me repeatedly as he does. I notice Cass looking around for Chris and I realize he isn’t there.

“Hey, Enzo. Where’s Chris?” Cassie asks.

“He is at home.”

“He didn’t come to pick me up?” she asks, looking hurt.

Enzo puts his arm over her shoulder and pulls her into a sisterly hug. “I assure you he has a very good reason. Come, let’s get in the car. We’ll be home soon.”

Cassie narrows her eyes and then smiles. “Okay, Enzo. I’ll believe you.”

“Va bene. Andiamo?” he says in response.

“Yeah, sure, macaroni too,” Cassie replies as the sound of her cackling fills the terminal.

We walk out to the curb, having only brought carryon luggage with us and wait as Grayson pulls the car around. Climbing into the car, we tell Enzo about our trip to California and my grandpa’s funeral. He listens quietly, staring oddly at me.

“How was Vegas?” I ask. “Did you take a lot of pictures?”

“The dinner was nice, you would have liked it.” Enzo’s gaze shifts out the window. “I wish you had been there,” he adds, softly.

“Well, I’m here now. What time did your flight get in today?”

“I flew back early this morning.”

I cock my head. “Why?”

“I was there to get my award. I got it. Then I wanted to be home.” I notice his voice is noticeably cooled. He definitely does not seem happy with some aspect of his trip.

“Did something happen?”

“Why would you ask me that, Ava?” he snaps. His blue eyes shoot straight through me. Cassie looks up from her phone and we both stare at Enzo for a moment.

“Because you’re acting like you’re upset about something. I’m just asking a question, Enzo.”

Enzo’s demeanor softens and he smiles at me. “Yes, something happened. I had an awful time and pined for my wife the entire time. I’m quite obsessed with you and I was simply anxious to get home.” He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it. “I’m sorry for my ill temper. I’m not feeling great today either. Please forgive me, bella.”

“Yes, of course.” I’ve never seen Enzo sick and have no idea what he’s like. If he’s like most men, he’ll be a big baby. “Do you need to rest?”

“All I need is to make love to my wife.” He grins and Cassie rolls her eyes at him and sticks her finger in her mouth, pretending to gag.

I smile back at him. “Soon enough, my prince.”

We pull up to our home and wait as Grayson lets us out. Personally, I’m excited to be home. I want to spend some time with Enzo, then a few hours at the pool. Sunday is the one day of the week I can almost count on Enzo not working.

“Why are you wearing a suit today, Enzo?” I ask, as I wait for him to hand me my bag.

“I just wanted to look nice for you. Did I impress you?” He winks.

“You always do. I’ll be more impressed when I get it off of you.”

“I like the way you think, signora.”

We walk inside and soft music is playing. The house smells wonderful and as we get further inside, I detect the scent of garlic. The dining room table is set for four and there is a lovely bouquet of flowers in the middle. Chris comes out of the kitchen carrying a bottle of wine and a tray of something that looks wonderful. He walks over to Cassie and kisses her sweetly on the cheek.

“What’s going on here?” Cassie asks.

Chris pops out his bottom lip. “Cass, babe. Seriously? You forgot?”

She stares at him for a moment with a blank stare. “I got nothing, Chris.”

“Jesus, Cass. We do this every year. It’s the anniversary of when we went on our first date. I can’t believe you forgot.”

Cassie smacks her own forehead. “Oh my gosh! I swear I just lost track of the date. I didn’t forget. I even got you something in LA.” She digs in her carryon and produces a gift bag filled with several items she picked out for Chris on our one and only shopping trip to Manhattan Beach. She hands it to him and smiles triumphantly. “I kind of thought it was next week but I knew it was coming.”

Chris grins and accepts the bag after placing the items he’s holding on the table. “I’ll open it later. For now, why don’t you ladies freshen up and then come back out for some appetizers. I’m making lunch for all of us.”

“Sounds great,” I say.

I walk to my bedroom with Enzo following closely behind me. He’s in a quiet mood today. I hope he’s not coming down with something major.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Enzo?”

“Yes,” he says, rubbing his stomach. “Perhaps I ate something a bit off. I’m sure the worst of it is over.”

“Okay.” I start unpacking my luggage as Enzo comes behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“You know I love you more than anything, right?” he whispers into my hair.

“Yes, I know.” I try to turn but he holds me tight. “Enzo, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just…I missed you. Very much.”

“I missed you too, but I’m home now and not planning to go anywhere else without you.”

“That makes me very happy to hear.” He finally twists me around and pulls me into a kiss. We stay like this for several minutes until the sound of his phone ringing interrupts us. Pulling it out of his pocket, he scowls, but answers quickly. “Enzo here, hold on a moment.” He looks up at me, “Amore, I have to take this. Excuse me.”

“Sure.”

I watch him step outside onto our patio and wonder for just a moment why he has to step away from me to take the call. He never does that. Knowing Enzo, he’s planning some big surprise for me again. I smile and finish unpacking my things.

I watch Enzo outside, pacing back and forth, looking decidedly cool in the warm weather. I can barely stand wearing clothes at all in the heat, yet he stands outside in a suit. He runs his hands through his hair several times; Enzo’s tell that he’s agitated about something. I really hope something hasn’t gone wrong with the hotel.

Enzo comes inside after finishing his call and removes his suit jacket and shoes. He finally looks up at me and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the interruption, amore. Just some business I had to take care of.”

“Is it La Bellissima?”

“No, no. It’s just an employee issue at another location. Nothing to concern yourself with.”

Shrugging, I reply, “Okay, you’re the boss.”

“I am not your boss.”

“Really? Who is then? ”

“Ava, you are my partner, not my employee. I really wish you would stop undervaluing yourself.”

“I’m not. I work for Checca. Checca works for you. You are the big boss.”

Enzo rolls his eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh. “Checca is my partner, not my employee. You are my partner. I’ll have you know that Checca and I both think you could take on more projects and do just fine at this point. It’s only you that sees yourself as unable and holds yourself back.”

“I don’t know what the two of you see. I only know what Checca has taught me.”

“Not true, Ava. Remember the first time you came to my room at Girasole? You immediately noticed all the details and how the rooms were different. You were the one that saw the lack of sunflowers reflected in the design. You have a fresh perspective that is valuable to what we do. When you went back to work, you handled the entire day by yourself. You are extremely smart, more than capable, and more talented than you think. I wish you would recognize your own gifts.”

I stand near the bed, folding a sweater. When I think about it, I suppose he’s right, but just the thought of trying to do anything alone scares the hell out of me. “I’ll try, Enzo.”

“I hope you will. Are you ready to join our friends for lunch?”

“I am. After that, I thought I’d relax by the pool. Care to join me?”

“I will for a bit, but I’m afraid I may have some work to do today.”

“No problem. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“Perfetto.”

We walk back out to the main room and are surprised to see Cassie and Chris slow dancing to
At Last
in the living room. Maximus sits at their feet wagging his tail as though he’s waiting to cut in. Enzo holds out his hand for me and pulls me close, swaying me to the music. I’m so happy when I’m in his arms. This is where I’m meant to be.

The song ends and Chris announces lunch is ready. Enzo offers to help him bring it out while Cass and I take a seat at the table, nibbling at the appetizer platter Chris prepared earlier.

“You totally didn’t remember, did you?” I ask Cassie.

“Nope. He’s so romantic remembering all these small moments in our relationship. He’s like the chick in this equation.”

“You should feel lucky. Usually it’s the guy that can’t even remember big events.”

“I do feel lucky. Very, actually.”

“Any more talk of wedding plans?”

“I need to pick a date. Will you help me?” she asks.

“Of course. You don’t even need to ask. Maybe we should get a wedding planner.”

“Oh yeah, like Genevieve? I don’t think so. I was thinking it would be fun to just maybe go to Vegas or even a beach like Cabo or something.”

“Yeah, that fits you guys. We’ll plan something great.”

We look up to see the guys bringing out two big platters. The four of us settle into a nice meal of fettuccine alfredo and garlic bread. It’s tasty and Enzo eats it but I wonder if he’s just dying inside with how un-Italian this meal is. He smiles and chats amiably though, so I know Chris and Cass aren’t the wiser.

Half way through our meal, Enzo’s cell rings again. He excuses himself and takes the call in his office. Again with the secrecy. Cassie looks over at me and nudges my arm with her elbow.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. He said he has an employee issue going on at one of his properties. Must be a pretty big deal for someone to call him on a Sunday.”

“Yeah, I’m sure a lot of problems come up when you have as many hotels as he does.”

I nod my head. “Yes. Fortunately not too many. Things run smoothly, but everything can’t be perfect.”

Enzo returns looking a little stressed out. I think it’s only adding to his stress that he thinks I’ll be upset if he works, so I decide to make his life a little easier.

“Enzo, if you need to work or need to go out, I understand. It’s fine. I’m just going to relax here and hang out by the pool for a while.”

He frowns and furrows his brow, before exhaling loudly. “I’m afraid I will have to for a few hours. I’ll just be in my office but if I can get it taken care of now, it will take more stress off in the future.”

“Can you tell us what it is?” Cassie asks.

“I have an employee that went missing with some important information. I’m trying to locate this person before they do something they shouldn’t.”