“You must be Kaydence,” I said with a smile. John got married three years ago and talked about her nonstop. The dude was hopelessly in love.
“I am. And you are?”
“I’m Alessandro. John and I—”
“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, mouth wide in shock. She clutched her chest. “John! You’ll never guess who is here! Come in, come in!” She opened the door wider and invited us inside. The home had a lot of natural light, clean lines, and modern decor. The open concept looked welcoming and warm. “I’ve heard so much about you!” I heard footsteps on the stairs to our left and soon appeared a muscular guy with brown hair, tan skin and a wide smile. He adjusted his glasses before jogging over to us.
“Well, hot damn,” he said. “Ten years of friendship and you finally drag your ass out here.”
“The twenty-two hour flight was a major deterrent,” I teased. I couldn’t believe we were actually meeting.
John ran over and gave me a huge bro hug, patting me on the back with enthusiasm. I pulled away and smiled. “What are you doing here, man? Who are your mates?”
I looked at Grace and Nix, who seemed like they wanted to be anywhere but here. With a big inhale, I replied, “I need your help.”
Chapter Eleven
Grace
I got under the soft duvet and settled into the guest bedroom Kaydence set up for me. I didn’t want to stay here, but exhaustion clung to me like a second skin. I needed to rest and get my head straight if I was going to handle this like a Moretti. Even though I was ready to renounce my name and completely move on, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t hold the lessons I’d learned close to my chest.
Never crack.
Never let them see you sweat. Be strong. Be emotionless.
Love is a weakness, and Morettis aren’t weak.
Nix and Alessandro were sleeping together in the basement. I didn’t want to imagine what they’d be doing there all night, and I prayed the walls weren’t thin enough to hear. I barely survived lunch. The entire meal was spent watching them exchange lingering looks and wondering what their hands were doing under the tabletop. John and Kaydence seemed nice enough. I felt safe for the first time in days, and I was thankful for a reprieve, but I still wanted to go home.
A soft knock on the door drew my attention, and I let out a huff before calling, “Come in.”
John’s wife opened the door with a tentative smile and let herself in. “Just making sure you were comfortable. Alessandro mentioned you wanting a phone? John has this one pretty locked down so no one will trace it.” She handed me what looked like a brick, and I sighed in relief. This way, I could call my brother and go home. I wasn’t cut out for this adventure anymore. “Thank you,” I whispered before grabbing the phone from her nimble fingers. I didn’t really know Kaydence, but she seemed nice enough.
“This might be forward of me, but I’m here if you need to talk?” she offered.
I picked at my nails and debated her offer, more ridiculous tears stinging my eyes. I hated being so weak. “Have you ever pined for a man for five years only to find out that you meant nothing to him? And you flew across the globe to find him and nearly got blown up in the process. And bonus—he’s in love with your new best friend who’s actually always been your best friend, but you only just realized that he’s kind of like the best thing to ever happen to you?”
“Can’t say I have,” Kaydence replied with an awkward smile.
“I’m a mess.”
“The best people sometimes are,” Kaydence said gently while running her hand through her hair. “John has been best friends with Alessandro since before we even met. It’s kind of surreal meeting him.”
“This entire experience has been surreal. I can’t believe I’m in Australia crying about a man I boned five years ago while running for my life.”
Kaydence smiled politely. “Maybe some sleep will help, yes?”
I rubbed my temples. “Thank you for the cell phone. I’m about to pass out. I really appreciate you letting us stay here.”
“Of course! Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do,” I said while watching her leave the room. I picked up the phone and quickly dialed Sunshine’s number.
“Hello?” her groggy voice answered. Shit, it was probably late there. I didn’t even know what time it was here.
“We found Nix. You were wrong, he hates me. He’s having quite the reunion with Alessandro, though. I feel like an idiot. Oh my gosh, Sunshine. What am I doing? I want to come home. I’m so fucking tired.”
“Give the phone to Nix,” Sunshine snapped.
“What? Did you not hear me rant? I’m having a little bit of a mental breakdown here. Can I just throw a pity party for a minute?”
“Grace. I love you like a sister, but if you don’t hand the phone to Nix right now, I’m going to lose my shit.”
“Fine.”
I got out of bed while tugging at the way-too-small sleep shorts and tank Kaydence let me borrow. My curves were on full display, and I didn’t really want to be walking around the house. I slipped down the hall with Sunshine cursing on the line, then headed down the basement stairs, stopping at the door to knock.
I heard shouting on the other side of the door.
“What the hell is taking so long?” Sunshine asked.
“Hold on,” I hissed back while pressing my ear to the door. I could hear muffled shouting, and I prayed
