Look

"The version of me you created in your head is not my responsibility"

• Vincent •

"Are you sure you have everything?"
"Yes ma, Jesus" Rocco groaned for the tenth time
"I'm only making sure, you're going a long way you don't want to forget anything" she fussed

"Ma, we'll be fine, stop stressing" I said, shutting the car boot
"Safe flight son" dad said
"Rocco, behave yourself" he added
"We'll have the house all to ourselves" ma smiled at dad

"It'll be just the two of us, just like the old days" she said
"Too much information ma" Rocco said in disgust, getting into the car
I followed after him
"See you in a week or two" I said.

"Ring me when you get there" she called out worriedly
"Yes, we will" Rocco called back as the car began to leave the driveway.

"This is going to be amazing" Rocco said
"Is it?" I asked
"Why won't it be?" He asked
"We're going back to Casa Garcia, after all these years" he said excited

"Yes, but Lorenzo is barely on his feet anymore, we have to be sensitive about their situation, he'll be gone soon, and it'll shatter them" I said
"I know" he said sadly, his mood having plummeted.

"We have to focus on the good, brother, on making memories with him" he advised
I nodded
We did. Before he was...

• Baby •

It had only been a few days and yet it felt as if I had never left
Home was something no one could replicate
That sense of belonging
Listening to Lia play music or sitting with mama in the gardens, listening to dad read.

Putting up with Knox and his antics.
The women he brought home
The jobs he took on that were way too violent for him.
Patching him up after a fight

"So, the businesses" dad said, as we all sat around the kitchen table
"Knox will be running the majority of things here, so naturally... Baby, I want you to handle our American business" he started

I understood, it made sense seeing as I was going to be there for the foreseeable
"Lia, Tesoro, you will continue to live here with your madre. You will be able to access the fund we set up for you when you're eighteen, then Knox will take care of you business wise" he said

"Yeah, I'll get you a nice little job in an office eh?" He said nicely
I know they meant well
And I know Lia was a more... fragile person
She was innocent, she didn't want to be involved in all the violence and cutthroat deals.

But that didn't mean she wanted sticking in an office
She could do whatever she wanted with our protection.
"Or, you can do something else Lia, it's up to you" I said.

Dad's idea of freedom, was whatever he chose out for you
Done in the best intentions but often leading to cause more harm than help.

"And you will all look out for your madre, comprendere?" He said
"Of course father" I said
"Yeah, course" Knox said, offering mama a smile

"Good, then all we need to do is sort out paperwork, then I'll need a chat with you Knox" he said, who nodded obediently

•

"So it's official then, Knox Garcia, the next king pin of Italy" I chuckled, joining him in the garden
"Yeah yeah, what times your husband getting in, Baby Romano?" he teased back.

"Sometime tonight, he said he had a surprise for me" I said, pouring myself a glass of wine from his bottle
"I dread to think what kind of surprise he's got" he chuckled, evidently a little drunk

He had a point though, the last 'surprise' put me in a wedding gown.

"So now that you're taking over" I began
"Mm?" He urged
"Are you planning to settle down any time soon? Any lucky lady in your life?" I asked
"No" he said bluntly

"Come on Knox, it's been years since Illaria, you have to give it another chance" I said
Like I said before, the boy wore his heart on his sleeve, even if he wasn't aware of it
He had a teenage fling
Well, not so much a fling, more of a 'will you marry me?' relationship.

And it didn't work out, I'm not sure he ever got over her, I think that's why he turned so cold towards other people.
He didn't want to put his trust in someone again.

"Don't" he snapped
"Just because your love life is fucked you don't get to comment on mine" he said annoyed
"I'm just trying to help, you seem very happy to throw other men in my face to wreck my marriage, why can't I take an interest in your well being?" I asked.

It's always a one way street with my brother
He could interfere in your life but god forbid you even touched on his faults.

"Baby, you have a visitor" mama called from the house
I left him there, nothing but his drunk self and my glass of wine left abandoned out there

I strolled into the house, to find Vincent talking to my mother
Before his eyes caught me, raking up and down my body, so briefly but I caught it
He looked... pale, compared to everyone else
But still clean cut and handsome at the same time.
"Baby" he said, it was all he said.

And yet it shocked my body for some reason
A week without him seemed... odd
I couldn't deny I felt something
The problem was I didn't know what that something was.

"Vincent" I said back, watching a small smile appear on his face
"Where is she? Where is she?!" I heard... Rocco shout

"Rocco?" I asked confused to Vincent, who shrugged at me
"Surprise? He wanted to see you" he said
Before I was bodied with his weight, pulling me into a right hug
"Ah I missed you" Rocco said.

"I've only been gone a week" I chuckled, hugging him back
"One week too long" he muttered
The hug ended all too quick however, as he then set off around the house
Pulling mama into a hug
"Mrs Garcia" he greeted, before heading off towards the patio doors

"Where's Knox?" He asked loudly, disappearing outside before we heard protests of Knox that made me laugh
"He had a few on the plane" Vincent offered, I nodded

That explains where he got the confidence to annoy Knox.
"Right" I said.

"Baby" mama said pointedly
"Do you want to show the boys their rooms?" She urged
"Oh... yes" I said, remembering. My parents prided themselves on being good hosts

So I showed the boys down the corridor, after trying to pick up one of their bags that he shooed me away from
"Remember this room?" I asked Rocco, who nodded with a smile as he walked into the guest room

It used to look very different. With two beds and a bunch of toys and books.
It was their old room. But now it was redone
Only one double bed to accommodate guests
"Ah I missed this place" Rocco mumbled as he lay back on the bed, closing his eyes.

They must be exhausted from all the flying
"Come on" I said to Vincent, heading down to my room
Me and dad had a long and hard discussion about where to put Vincent when he came.

And the general consensus was that a married couple should be in one bed
Or at least one room
He thought it unnatural to put Vincent in a guest room when he was now my husband

And so I had to show him into my space. My private space.
The nervous tingles running up my back were killing me, and him standing so close behind me, towering over me didn't help either.

"Here" I said, opening my door
He walked in, looked around silently, and then just stared at me
Why was I so nervous to show him my room?
Why was I so nervous to share a bed with him once again?

"I'm staying here?" He asked, his deep voice stunning me out of my thoughts
"Yes, there isn't a problem is there?" I asked
He slowly shook his head
"No, no problem at all" he said, looking round again

I felt exposed, his eyes ghosting over all of my things, it felt as if he was looking into my soul, into everything that made... me.

He placed his bags down on the floor, before he looked at me
"Is it alright for me to..." he trailed off, looking over at my bathroom door
"Of course" I nodded, if he was in there it would give me time to change without it being weird.

He nodded slowly, before disappearing
I changed into my nightgown, and slipped into bed, choosing to read a book to distract myself from the 6 foot something giant in my bathroom. In my room...
In my house...

After all these years.
When the door did finally open, I tried to keep my eyes on my pages
As he sauntered out, in... nothing but a towel and his waist
With wet messy hair... and water dripping down his chest...

"You're staring" he smirked
"What?" I asked, jumping a little
"It's alright, you can stare all you want" he smiled, before he began drying his hair with a smaller towel
Why must it look so attractive?

"I love you staring at me, really, but I need to..." he trailed off, hooking his thumbs into his towel at his hips
"Oh" I said, looking away
"You can look if you want" he chuckled, I shook my head, eyes squeezed shut.

Before I felt his fingertips grace along my jaw
Slowly turning my head back to him
"Maybe I want you to look" he muttered
I kept my eyes closed, trying not to hyperventilate
I'd never been in a room with a naked man before.

"Look... baby" he drawled out in a whisper
Daring me to do it. Willing me to.

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