49. Valerie

Chapter forty-nine

Valerie

I stand, staring back and forth between the space where the two of them left. Stuck in the middle is an understatement. My feet feel as if they're sinking into the hardwood floors while my heart beats out of my chest. I don't know who to go after. Both of them mean something to me, and I know I'll inevitably speak to them both, but right now my heart can't seem to decide between the two. I settle on the brother in front of me in a similar position.

Gus gestures with his head for me to follow him and we walk out into the courtyard.

"C'mon, grab a seat, they both need a second to diffuse and I think you do too." He pats the cushion next to him.

"I'm fine."

He frowns at me. "Valerie, in the last six hours, you've seen your abusive ex-husband. Witnessed him and Adriano get shot, and to top it off, two of the most important people in your life just got into a physical fight. There is no way you're fine."

I stare at him taking in his words and my lip starts to quiver, and then his arm is around my shoulder pulling me closer. His warmth envelopes me in a way I don't think it ever has. But it's so comforting it draws another cry out of me.

"Why are you comforting me when I'm the reason your entire family is falling apart?" I sniff.

"That's a bit conceited, don't you think, Val?" He laughs and I pull back at the sudden insult.

"Valerie, if you think my brothers did any of this for you, you're very mistaken. These are some of the most stubborn assholes I've ever met, they don't do anything they don't want to do."

"But all of this only started because I came home. Hell, you guys wouldn't have even known about Mattheo if it wasn't for me talking to Horatio in the first place."

"Val, yes I'll admit a lot of this had you at the centre of it, but at the very least, Ambrose had that fight coming. Whether it was Antonio or myself. Adriano was also a matter of time. If you hadn't spoken to Horatio we would have never gotten our name out in the way we did. We have investors lining up and without that Vitale Holdings would probably be done right now. So yes you caused a lot of shit but it wasn't all your fault, besides I don't think I've ever seen Ambrose smile this much since… Wow, since before he left to study in the States." Gus sighs after the long speech.

"I don't know how to fix all of this right now." I look down at my hands.

"All you have to fix is what happened between you, Ambrose and Antonio, more specifically between you and Antonio. Everything else is for my brothers and I to hash out." He looks at me and I nod. "But maybe don't start with Antonio, let me go try and calm him down first because you and I both know Antonio doesn't listen to anyone when he's like this."

I lean into his chest and wrap my arms around his waist. "Thank you, Gus, for everything."

"Anytime, Val." He kisses the top of my head.

"Come in," Ambrose calls after I knock on his door. Knocking feels weird, hell even coming into his room this way feels weird compared to the usual sneaking around the back.

He's sitting on the corner of his bed, the muscles of his back are straining against his shirt as he hunches forward running his hand through his hair.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask, walking around to stand in front of him.

He lifts his face to look up at me and a gasp leaves my lips. He has a cut above his left eye and a pretty busted lip. "Fuck Ambs, let's get you cleaned up." I extend my hand, he stares at it briefly and then takes it allowing me to guide him to the bathroom.

"Sit down," I point towards the toilet, I duck under the counter and grab a first aid kit.

"Use a damp cloth first, and then the alcohol swab," he mutters so deeply that I jump.

I nod, grabbing a washcloth and walking toward him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now."

I nod and cup his face so I can move it gently to have access to his wounds. He barely flinches as the washcloth makes contact with the open wounds. His eyes trail my movements and I watch as his brows furrow.

"What's wrong? Am I hurting you?" I pull my hands back.

"No, I just don't understand why you're here right now instead of out there with him?"

I want to ask why he'd even ask such a stupid question but the vulnerability in his eyes tells me he needs reassurance right now more than any sarcasm I want to dish out.

"You're my boyfriend, Ambs."

"And he's your best friend," he counters.

I place the cloth down and reach for the alcohol pads. "Ambrose, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, and right now there's nowhere else I'd rather be than making sure you're okay."

He nods and allows me to finish my task of cleaning his wounds .

"Thank you," he chokes out and I stare at him worriedly.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," I rush and wrap my arms around his head, drawing it carefully into my chest. His arms softly encircle my waist at first but they quickly tighten and it feels like he's clinging onto me for dear life. He inhales deep jagged breaths for a while.

I let him, while I gently run my fingers through his hair and whisper how much I care about him until he slowly loosens his grip and looks up at him.

"You should call your dad and let him know you're okay, the story is probably all over the news now especially with Horatio getting away. And then you should go check on Antonio."

"What? why?" I furrow my brows.

"To make sure he's okay Val. He was right, I have been a shitty brother and right now he needs a friend." Ambrose says reaching up to push my hair behind my ear. "I'm gonna get Gus and go check on Adriano."

I nod and we both head out of the bathroom. "We're fine, right?" I stop and turn to face him.

He looks down at me, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. "We're great sweetheart, don't worry about us. I love you"

"I love you more."