Chapter 35

Luca

T he attempt to impress Polly with my skating prowess backfired big time. Instead of creating a sexy and memorable first moment on the ice, I’d almost guaranteed she would never skate with me again, and further exposed that vulnerability that lived just below her beautiful surface. She may have acted tough and uncaring, but the woman had a heart of gold. She was just too scared and felt too undeserving and unworthy of love to show it.

Her mood had darkened in the following days, and though she tried to put on a happy face as soon as I arrived back at our suite, I could tell Nevada wasn’t for her. And even for a simpleton like me, it was easy to understand why. Polly had gone from her childhood home, a rural suburb of a beach town, to the never-sleeping, always buzzing entertainment capital of the world. From two jobs to boredom and from living with family to having little to no contact with them at all. I couldn’t blame her a bit for being slightly miserable. I needed to give my beautiful wife a worthy home. Then, once settled, she could make friends, repair the damaged relationships that meant so much to her, and even though she never had to work again if she didn’t want to, hopefully find a meaningful career. All this meant the house hunting Ana had been undertaking on my behalf had to prove fruitful. And it did, right as we were about to leave Vegas.

“Gotta say, little bro, shopping for mansions with other people’s money is a lot of fun.”

“Mansions?” I puffed, “Dick, I told you I don’t want a mansion. I just want a nice house on the Island with a big yard, so Polly has a garden and a greenhouse, just like she had at home.”

“Yeah? Then you’re probably not going to like what I just did.”

“What did you do?”

“Umm … I just bought you a mansion. But if you don’t like it, I’d be happy to take it off your hands for 1/80th of its value.”

“That’s very big of you, Ana.”

“Hey, it’s just the kind of person I am.” Feeling a sudden headache coming on, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Is it close to Garden City, at least? Half the team lives there, and I’d love for Polly to be near some of the other wives.”

“It’s on the Island, yes.”

“Ana.”

“Luca.”

“Where is the house?”

“Long Island, silly.”

Feeling a sudden headache coming on, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Where on Long Island?”

“Mas …” She whispered, her voice utterly inaudible by the end.

“I can’t hear you, and you’re making me nervous.”

“Massapequa, it’s in Massapequa, right on the beach, its own private beach. It’s the house dreams and Taylor Swift albums are made of, and Billy Joel is possibly your neighbor, though I’m not sure.”

“Billy Joel does not live in Massapequa.”

“Okay, so, he just looks a lot like him, then. But still, that’s exciting, right? It’s also slightly above budget, but Chris agreed you could swing it and that you’d love it and since your new wife is from the beach, I’m sure she will love it too … the beach!”

I sat silently, pondering my reply and listening to Anabela suck in some deep breaths. The money was terrifying, but Chris was the cheapest bastard I’d ever met, and it was in his best interests to make sure I had enough of it to pay his fee. Then I thought of Polly in her bikini.

“Until you mentioned Polly, I was about to threaten violence. But you’re right. She would like to be near the beach.” A nd I would very much like her in bikini on a private beach. My cock thickened in my pants, remembering the last time Polly and I fucked on the water’s edge. I could get used to that. “ And you’ve already submitted an offer?”

“Maybe … definitely, yes, and it’s been accepted, and since it’s vacant, Chris helped me negotiate for you to lease the place until the sale closes, which means you can move in the day you come back to New York. I can even get some furniture ready. All you need to do is sign the contract, and it’s yours. Oh, and the same agent is positive they can find a buyer for your place in Brooklyn.”

It all seemed too easy.

“Is it really that simple?”

“It really is, which means it’s meant to be. The only thing I have left to do is call that bitch Clara and tell her she’s out on her ass, then get back to the agent so they can finalize it by the end of the day.”

“Today? Ana, I haven’t even seen the place.”

“Put me on speaker and check your email. I just sent you the listing.”

With a sigh, I did as ordered, placing Ana on speaker and opening my inbox. My heart almost stopped when I saw the price, but when the first pictures loaded, and then the next and the next, I was captivated. Cathedral ceilings. Hot tub and saltwater pool overlooking the beach, because you can never have too much water. White picket fence. It was perfect. I was sold.

“Send me the contract. I want it.”

“I already have!” Ana squealed, “Oh my god, Luca! We have a house on the beach!”

“I have a house on the beach, Ana, I have.”

“Whatever. Same thing.” Ana continued to babble about the superiority of the school district and the tan she would soon have, then added the less important stuff like the relatively short commute to both our training center in East Meadows and Belmont Park. But all I could focus on was the beach and something Polly once said. That house on the beach with the white picket fence, and a probably perfect dog, four perfect babies … ”

“Ana, you did good. Real good, and I’m happy you’re excited for us, and yourself, but I need you to shut the hell up and do me one more favor.”

“Luca, I’m here. I’m actually here in Manhattan.”

“I know. I’m here too!”

Actually, we were still at JFK, which was Queens, but Polly was the happiest I’d seen her in days. There was no way in hell I was correcting her. Rory, who had flown back with us alongside Tilly, seemed about to, though. Luckily, Tilly must have shared my thoughts. She placed her hand over her husband’s mouth and whispered what looked like a few stern words into his ear.

“Are you two sure you don’t want to stay at our place tonight? It’s a lot closer than Brooklyn.”

“To be honest, Tilly, I’m not sure. I’m positive I’d rather stay with you guys, but my mom and sister would kill me if I didn’t take Polly home to meet them. Besides, it’s just one night.”

Polly groaned and gripped even tighter onto my hand. “I wish you would tell me where we’re going after tonight. I hate surprises.”

“Well, I love the naughty ways you try to get the truth out of me, which means I may never tell you.”

“Dude,” Rory laughed, “Are you really that cool with getting freaky in your mom’s house?”

I paused and ran my hand over the back of my head. “Oh, I didn’t think about that. Okay, I will definitely tell you tomorrow. One night of abstinence is one too many.”

“Ahh, newlyweds,” Tilly sighed. “Remember when we couldn’t keep our hands off each other, Rory? Now a bang-fest is a quickie in the shower and a handie on the weekends.”

I scoffed and pulled Polly tighter against me. That small touch of her bare skin sent a jolt of lust to my cock, proving the point I was about to make before I could make it. “That’ll never be us. Polly can’t keep her hands off me.”

It was Rory’s turn to scoff, “Yeah? Wait till the end of your first ovulation cycle. Nothing kills romance like trying to make babies.”

It only took a second for everything in Polly’s demeanor to change. Her body turned to stone in my hand, her smile fell, and her face paled. “You okay, Princess?”

Yep. Of course I am. Everything is just fine.” Her reply was almost … robotic, and if I’d learned one thing from growing up in a female-dominated household, it was that when a woman said she was fine, she probably wasn’t. After wearing a few dozen of my sister’s angrily tossed slushies and equally as many hot coffees, I also learned not to push my luck in public, especially when a hoard of cameras was heading our way.

“Guess they heard you’re back in town, big guy.” Rory, a man well used to the spotlight, groaned.

Except this time, the lenses weren’t pointing at me. “Polly. Polly, how does it feel to be in New York?”

“Why the rushed wedding? Are the baby rumors true?”

“Were you aware of Luca’s sexually charged past when you said yes?”

Every prehistoric, cave dweller protective gene told me to knock the fuckers out and drag her home to safety, but I couldn’t. It would only have made things worse. So, I did the only thing I could. I kissed my bride on the top of her head, tucked her under my arm, and apologized. “I’m so sorry, Princess. I never thought—”

“It’s not your fault, and don’t worry. A little attention never hurt anybody. Right?” Like a seasoned pro, Polly lowered her head and gripped me tighter as we pushed through the throng.

When my phone began buzzing, my first instinct was to leave it, but when it persisted, I knew something was up. Sliding it from my pocket while keeping Polly safely tucked against me was awkward, but not as bad as walking through an airport blinded by the flash of fifty cameras. Unable to read the screen, but with a feeling I knew who it was, I answered with, “Please tell me they’re not at my mom’s.”

“Sorry, but I can’t do that, Luca. I’ve just had your sister on the phone, and they have the place surrounded. Apparently, she wasn’t able to leave the house to pick you up as planned. I told her I could arrange a car, but she said she would rather trust a rattlesnake, or that bitch Clara.” Yep, that’s Ana. “ She’s arranged for your neighbors to meet you there at the airport. They’ll be able to drive straight into their garage and you can spend the night. Or we can get them to take you to a hotel. The choice is yours.”

“Teddy.” Polly replied without a second’s thought, “We should stay with Teddy.”

“We’ll go with the neighbors, Chris. Where do we meet them?”

“Airport security should be on their way. They’ll take you to a secure exit and you’ll find your friends there. I’ll talk later … Oh, and Luca.”

“Yup?”

“Sorry that I missed this. I don’t know who leaked your flight information—” My guess was the same person who leaked those damn photos. “—but I should have seen it coming. I guess a few weeks away hasn’t changed a lot.”

“You’re right. It hasn’t changed a lot. It’s changed everything.”

Because it wasn’t just Mom and Ana and my career, I needed to protect from the shit I’d created. It was my wife, too.