He turned his serene gaze down to his lasagne. Over his head, Mallory shot Keira a pained expression. If she thought Keira was leaving it late to settle down and have kids, what on earth must she think about the fact Cristiano hadn’t found a career path yet?
With their plates empty, Mallory went to fetch dessert. Ice-cream. Keira had eaten so much gelato in Italy it was the last thing she wanted, especially the poor American substitute her mom bought. But Cristiano was as polite as ever and made all the appropriate noises as he ate.
“Are you all squeezed into Bryn’s apartment at the moment?” Mallory asked.
“I’m letting them have the bed,” Bryn said, looking proud of herself for actually putting someone else’s needs before her own for possibly the first time in her life.
“Why don’t you stay here?” Mallory suggested. “Keira’s has her own bedroom.”
“You do?” Cristiano asked, frowning slightly as though he couldn’t understand why Keira had chosen her sister’s couch over her own room.
Keira shook her head. “It’s not a good idea,” she told him under her breath. “The commute to work from here is such a pain.”
“What’s she saying?” Mallory asked Cristiano in a loud voice. “Let me guess. The commute. It’s always the commute. When she moved out of her apartment with Zach she went straight to Bryn’s! As if I didn’t even exist. And when I ask why, oh, it’s the commute.”
“Mom, it takes me over an hour to get to work from here,” Keira told her for what must have been the millionth time.
“An hour is standard,” Bryn replied. “You were just lucky before with where your apartment was. And that’s only because Zach paid for most of it.”
“Bryn!” Keira scolded her. Then, folding her arms stubbornly, she added in a quieter voice, “It belonged to his cousin. We both got cheap rent.”
Cristiano looked very confused. “Who is Zach?”
“No one,” Keira told him. She cast appealing glances at her mom and sister, willing them to keep their big mouths shut for once.
Mallory smiled at Cristiano. “You’d like to stay here for a bit, wouldn’t you, hun? I can show you around the local areas tomorrow.”
Keira’s eyes widened. “No way, mom. Cristiano has better things to do with his time.” The thought of her mom having him for the whole day filled her with dread.
“What things?” Bryn challenged her with a laugh. “Someone has to show him around. Keep him entertained. You know I could always do it.” She crossed one of her lean legs over the other.
“No!” Keira said more forcefully. She did not trust either of them around Cristiano!
“Actually, I’d like to explore by myself,” Cristiano said, finally getting a chance to get his own voice heard. “When I’m in a new city, anyway. Is that okay, Mallory?”
“Of course,” she chuckled. Then with a grin, she added to no one in particular, “He is so polite.”
“But I do think it would be nice to take up your offer of us staying here,” he added. “Keira got to see my home and I would love to see her old room too.”
Keira buried her head in her hands. This was about the last thing she wanted to happen! But then she thought about the complete lack of privacy they had at Bryn’s. Even with her offering up her bed to them it was still very crowded. Not to mention messy and noisy. At least here Mallory would go to bed early and they’d get a bit of space and privacy.
“Fine,” Keira finally replied. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept over at her mom’s. But thanks to Cristiano it was about to happen for the first time in years. “We’ll stay.”
“Wonderful!” Mallory cried, and she topped up everyone’s wine glasses with more sickly pink wine.
Keira and Cristiano shared a cab with Bryn to her apartment so they could collect some things. Cristiano stuffed his clothes into his satchel, and Keira collected toiletries, fresh underwear, her makeup, perfume, and an outfit for work, including heels, something she’d not worn for the entire time she’d been in Italy!
When they left, Keira was relieved that it was just the two of them again.
“I’m sorry about today,” Keira told Cristiano as she curled up beside him in the back of the cab.
“Sorry?” he asked. “What for?”
“For my family. They’re nuts.”
He laughed. “I actually really like them.”
Keira pondered over whether he just meant he liked Bryn but tried not to dwell on it.
“And are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own tomorrow?” she added. “I could see whether one of my friends might be around to meet up with you?”
As she said it, she thought of Shelby who was very safely engaged. But Shelby would definitely be at work. Maxine would be free, but she was single. Keira just didn’t trust this relationship enough yet to loosen the reins.
“I’m very sure,” Cristiano told her decisively. “I already said I like to explore. I made it my job, didn’t I?”
“Yes,” Keira admitted, “But New York City is kind of different to Italy.”
Cristiano pressed a hand to his heart. “I am a big boy,” he told her. “I can look after myself. Even in New York City.” He kissed her lightly.
They reached Mallory’s apartment, and, after paying the cab driver, went inside, settling down for a quiet evening on the couch watching TV. A little after nine pm, Keira’s plan paid off – Mallory did indeed retire to bed.
Then for the first time in ages, Keira felt herself finally relax. She’d been pretty on edge ever since landing back home. Between Bryn’s craziness, her mom’s craziness, and a whistle-stop tour of the city, she felt like she had hardly had time to catch her breath. At last she could really take stock of things, of Cristiano and the fact he had traveled halfway across the world to be with her.
She kissed him, savoring the taste of him. There was something different now in their kisses. A greater intensity. Now she was on home turf, everything had become very real. He’d made something of a commitment and that changed things for the better.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting to see my room soon?” she asked, using her sultry voice.
Cristiano picked up her tone immediately, raising his eyebrows in excited anticipation. “I definitely would.”
She stood from the couch and reached down, offering her hand.
“Then you’d better follow me,” she purred.
Looking like the cat who caught the cream, Cristiano did exactly as she said.
Chapter Six
Keira woke the next morning feeling groggy. But the moment she rolled over and caught sight of Cristiano’s gorgeous face, she sighed with content. Last night had been wonderful, and put all her fears to rest. It was just a shame that she would have to leave him and go to work!
She slid out of bed, careful not to wake him, and headed out into the corridor. Everything was very dark as she padded across the floor towards the bathroom.
Showering at her mom’s felt so strange. Keira couldn’t remember the last time she’d had cause to stay the night here. It certainly hadn’t happened in the last two years because she’d been living with Zachary.
As warm water ran over her skin, Keira wondered if her mom was right. Maybe she didn’t pay her as much attention as she ought to. Cristiano’s relationship with his parents was admirable. It was only the fact Keira put her career at the forefront of everything she did that she didn’t share a similar relationship with her own mom. There was a lot she could learn from him,