Page 82 of Irreplaceable
“Enzo.” Her tone was gentle. “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to trap you or trick you. I’m just trying to get to know you.”
“I know.” I took her free hand, needing the comfort of her touch. “I do. It’s just you have to understand…Giada may have betrayed my trust, but she’s not why I hate the tabloids. She was trying to take advantage of the system, but it’s the paparazzi I truly despise.”
She frowned, and I felt encouraged to continue. Despite everything that had happened, I wanted to trust Harper. I wanted to build a life—a family—with her. And I knew that required some vulnerability, even if it made me uncomfortable.
I sighed, peering out at the gazebo just down the path, the ducks on the pond. For so long, I’d been like them. Calm on the surface but paddling like hell just beneath.
As much as I hated talking about this, I wanted Harper to understand. I needed her to understand. Then maybe she’d be able to forgive me.
“When my father died, my whole world was turned upside down.”
She’d invited me into her life. Introduced me to her family. I wanted to give her a piece of my past as well.
“My family was grieving, and I felt lost without him. He’d always been a guiding force in my life, and he’d been with me every step of the way. Encouraging my dreams. Making me a better athlete.”
She held her ice cream cone in her lap, giving me space to talk again before squeezing my hand. “I can’t even imagine how painful that was.”
“The paparazzi just saw it as another opportunity for a story. And they made it impossible to function at a time when breathing was already hard enough.”
Harper shook her head. “Oh, Enzo.”
I let out a deep exhale, trying to tamp down the rage and regret. “That’s not the worst part.” I stared straight ahead. Even all these years later, I still blamed them for his death. The pain of losing him still felt as fresh as it had the day he’d died.
“Enzo?” Harper finally asked. “What happened?”
“I’d just bought a new car to celebrate being selected for the national team. A Lamborghini. I knew how much he’d always wanted to drive one, so I told him to take it for a spin.” I shuddered. “During the drive, he started having chest pains. He was trying to get to the hospital, but the paparazzi had surrounded the car, assuming I was inside. They made it impossible for him to get through.”
Harper gasped. “Oh my god, Enzo.”
“By the time anyone realized what was happening…” I dropped my head, the wound still fresh. “It was too late. He was gone.”
“I can’t even imagine how terrible that was for you and your family.” She hugged me, and it felt so good. “I’m sorry, Enzo. Thank you for telling me.”
“I know I told you in Bali that I didn’t want to get married or have children, but I think that’s because I was scared. Scared that it would distract me from my goals. From the promises I made my dad. But—” I turned to her “—from the moment you told me about the baby, I realized how badly I want to be a father. I want a family.” I smiled. “With you, Harper. Because of you.”
“I want that too,” she said.
“But?” I asked, sensing her hesitation.
“But I need time.”
I nodded. “I can understand that.” And I could be patient. As someone who’d had their trust broken, I knew how hard it could be to repair. But I wasn’t deterred.
As we walked back to the car, I felt more hopeful than I had in a while. In sharing my grief with Harper, it felt as if I’d closed a chapter from my past. For the first time in a while, I was looking forward to the future.
