Even Giovanni ate one.
“I don’t know how much I like the two of you spending all day together,” Cato said. “Plotting against me…”
“We talk about you all the time,” I said honestly. “But we don’t plot against you. And no, we never say anything negative.”
“Sure.” Cato stripped off his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair. He pulled his tie off next.
“By the way, Giovanni is getting Christmas off,” I said. “And I will make Christmas dinner.”
Giovanni dropped the cookie dough he was scooping. “Sir, I didn’t agree to that. I’m more than happy to make Christmas dinner. It’s absolutely no trouble—”
“He’s taking the day off. He gets to sleep in and spend the day with his kids. They’ll both be home for the holidays.” Giovanni worked seven days a week, and it was inhumane that he ever had to work on Christmas. “I’ll make dinner. You’ve had my cooking. You know it’s good.”
Cato stared at me coldly, like he didn’t approve of that at all. “I’m the master of this house, not you. If I want to give my employees a day off, I will. You don’t call the shots around here. I do.”
My eyebrow rose so high at the cold way he’d just spoken to me. Everything eventually came back to his ego, his need for power. If I ever crossed the line, he always put me in my place. “You tell me to make myself at home here, and then the second I do, you act like an asshole again. You say you want to take care of me, but then I do something nice for your most loyal employee and offer to cook for your family, and that somehow offends you? Take your ego and shove it up your ass, Cato. If I didn’t love you so much, I would shove my foot up your ass myself.” I stormed off and left the Christmas sweaters behind.
Cato came up behind me and grabbed me by the elbow. “Baby, hold on.”
I twisted out of his grasp. “Don’t baby me.”
He grabbed me again. “I’m sorry, alright? I don’t know why I do that sometimes.”
I turned back to him. “Because you’re an egotistical asshole. Is this my home too? Or am I still a guest here? Because I thought after everything we’ve been through, having a baby together, being in love with each other, that I would have more rights than what you’re giving me. I signed that paperwork excluding me from ever getting a dime from you. If that’s not the ultimate declaration of love, then what is?”
For the first time, Cato was speechless. He stared at me with a pained expression, like he wished he had something good to say.
“I just wanted to do something nice for Giovanni. Didn’t realize that was so fucking terrible.” I marched out the door and left him behind, wanting him to think about his behavior and know that I wouldn’t put up with it. Not now. Not ever.
Thirty minutes later, he came upstairs.
I sat on the couch and watched TV, expecting to ignore him for the rest of the night. He would probably apologize and we would have make-up sex, but for right now, I was still pissed. We’d been having such a good week, spending time in front of the fire talking, decorating the Christmas tree, and making love in Christmas lingerie. Just when things got really good, he fucked them up. It was like he sabotaged himself on purpose.
He stepped inside the doorway. “Baby?”
I kept my eyes on the TV and didn’t look at him. “I’m not done ignoring you.”
He moved into the room then stood in front of the TV, blocking the screen and forcing me to look at him.
That was when I noticed the Christmas sweater. The reindeer pattern covered the green sweater, all of them with red noses. It fit him perfectly, but it also looked comical because it was something he would never, ever wear.
My mouth dropped open.
“Giovanni encouraged me to put this on. Said it might help you forgive me.”
I still couldn’t believe he was wearing it. And I couldn’t believe how handsome he looked either. The guy could literally wear anything and still look like the sexiest man in the world. “You have to apologize first.”
“I did—”
“Then do it again.”
In his hand was my sweater. He tossed it on the couch beside me and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I know I acted like an asshole. I’m sorry.”
“And?”
“And what? What else do you want me to say?”
“Why did you act like that in the first place? The week has been magical, and then you switch on me.”
He shifted his gaze to the floor as he considered his answer. He pressed his lips tightly together, his jaw clenching as that big brain of his worked. He pulled his left hand out of his pocket then ran it through his hair. “I think that was the problem.”