Authors: Carolina Soto
“Dylan, thank you very much for taking care of our princess.” My Daddy, the man who tried to avoid social interaction at all costs was thanking Blue Eyes. I knew they hated the fact that I was by myself in the city, but I never suspected they thought I needed to be looked after. My heart was squeezed a little by the concern on their faces.
Berkeley entwined my fingers with his over the table, and turned to me with a melting stare. “It is my pleasure. Katherine is the most amazing woman I have ever met, so I’ve made taking care of her my personal mission in life.”
Sweet Baby Jesus have mercy of my anger!
It was really awkward to hear them talking about me as if I wasn’t in the room, so I changed the subject, just after I tightened my hold on Dylan’s hand.
As always my mom took charge of the conversation, she asked us questions and told us funny stories about their lives in the Hamptons. Just as we finished eating, it was my Daddy’s turn to talk. Yes, I still called them Mommy and Daddy, just as they called me Princess. “So kid, are you ready for a rugby match with my friends?”
No, please, please Daddy no.
“Daddy, no, Dylan doesn’t have to.” Berkeley interrupted me by squeezing my hand. The poor, hot ass, didn’t know what he was getting into.
“Of course I am Mr. Bianchi, I’ll just change my clothes for something more comfortable.” He stood up and walked to the guest room, with me running behind him.
“Dylan you don’t have to go. Please, they are just a bunch of competitive, bored men, and they will eat the hot boy alive!” There was no way they would let pass the chance to mess with the pretty boy Dylan was.
He removed some hair from my face, caressing my cheek while doing it. “So I am a hot boy?” A soft laugh came from those perfect lips. “Don’t worry Katherine, I can take care of myself. And if your father wants me to go, I’ll do it.” He sure didn’t need to, if I wanted him, Daddy would give him to me, no need of more explanations.
Against all my efforts, Daddy and Dylan went to that damn match and Mommy and I were left in the house. “So start talking princess, I know there’s something in that head of yours.” There had never been any bullshit between my mom and me, so there was no need to start with it now.
“It’s nothing Mom. It’s just that…I’ve been thinking about Dylan and me a lot, and I guess I just know that we are terrible for each other. But it is really difficult to let him go.” I lay over one of the oversized couches while my mom was perfectly seated on one of the sofas.
With a suspicious look on her face, she raised one brow and analyzed me. “So tell me why that hot as sin kid is bad for you.”
The list, tell her about the list.
“There are so many things! The fact that he lives hours apart from me. How we are both spoiled, stubborn, and too pretentious to be functional. He has trust issues, I’ve never learnt how to trust in someone. He’s used to quantity and quality of options, and I’m just plain boring Mommy.” I counted with my fingers to emphasize my reasons. With each word I became the insecure 8-year-old I used to be.
But she just smiled, her response to my summarized list was a big, candid smile. “Oh princess, you are terrified! Honey you are crazy. I don’t care about everything you have just said. And I know you’ve devoted hours and brain cells to rationalize why you are wrong for each other. But your whole life, I’ve just wanted one thing for you: to be happy. My only wish for you is that a good man loves you more than anything in this world.”
“Your dad and I have loved you since we knew we were expecting you. You have been loved since the very beginning, so you can’t settle for anything else than an entire heart. I always figured that that’s why it took you so long to find someone. And that kid, princess, loves you more than he loves himself. He wants to give you the world to make you happy. The fighting keeps you entertained, I know you and you wouldn’t want it any other way. Of course he messes with your order. But I truly don’t know where we failed as parents, to make you believe perfection is better than love.” She took both of my hands in hers and came closer to me, kissing my head. “He adores you, and I couldn’t be happier for you.”
The sound of the door startled both of us, interrupting our conversation. We stood up and went to see where the noise came from. Two big figures were entering the house, my dad was helping Dylan walk. “What happened? Daddy you promised!”
“Just an old injury doll, don’t worry.” I fulminated my dad with my eyes and he just shrugged and smiled at me.
Old injury, my ass!
Carefully, I made Dylan lay over my shoulder and walked him to his room. While resting him over the bed, he took advantage of the proximity of my face to his and kissed me.
“Behave, Berkeley.” I searched for a bandage and covered with it his foot after applying some menthol smell lotion. I also gave him a pain pill that would knock out a horse, to prevent his future whining. “Does it hurt?” Considering that “the guys” that played with them were fat, old men, just like Dad, it would be a miracle if there weren’t broken bones.
“Come here.” He made me get into bed with him, laying his head over my shoulder, falling slowly over my breast. “I’m comfortable here, so it doesn’t hurt that much anymore. If I had known you would take care of me, I would have gotten more hurt.” I slapped his head for his corniness. “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Seeing the big, strong Blue Eyes in need of my assistance, melted a little more of my anger. “Yes, try to rest.” I kissed his head and passed my hand over his hair in a soothing pace to make him sleep.
“Katherine, do you think about this place as your home?” He had his eyes closed, but he wasn’t dozing yet with the pill.
I turned around and saw the white and pale walls, the house décor was in sandy shades, not one color around. A beach house at last. It wasn’t the 5
th
Avenue apartment where I grew up, but it made me happy, it was a place full of peace. “I love this place, wherever my parents are is perfect for me. But I think New York will always be home for me. What about you? Chicago is home for you?”
“No, we went to Chicago because Claudia was there. Marc’s parents couldn’t care less and I didn’t want to be in New York. Years passed before I could be there. Chicago was never home.”
“So, where is home for you?”
I kept caressing his head, trying to make him sleep. “You. You’re home now.” My hand froze. I tried not to make a big deal of it, and moved my hand as if nothing had happened.
What else do you need Princess?
After Mrs. Cherry’s and Mom’s speeches, there was no room for doubt.
Do you need a letter from the Pope or what?
In my whole life I had never needed advice, I was too much of a perfectionist to rely on others. But I had received words of wisdom about us, and I couldn’t keep ignoring them.
“You’ve got yourself a fine home, Berkeley.” His eyes immediately looked for mine. He kissed my neck, the skin that was nearest to his mouth, and finally fell asleep.
Of course when I came back to the living room, my dad was ready to tell me everything about how “the team” aka my cousins, made it their personal mission to injure Berkeley. “But I have to give it to him princess, he sucked it up, and took the punishment like a man. Your cousins were really impressed.”
Poor Dylan, he not only had to face my parents, but the bunch of bullies that were my Sicilian uncles and cousins. We weren’t that close, but if Daddy needed to test Dylan, those were the guys to do the job.
By the end of the weekend my dad and Dylan had watched all the televised sports that existed in the world. Even when there were no words spoken during that time, they were bonding, and Berkeley proved he was trust worthy. My mom fed him as a starving child, and he didn’t complain. Not one time, he was longing for a family, so he appreciated every second with them.
We came back to the city, and apparently we were back to our lives. He stayed in the apartment with Kevin and me, and we both focused on our jobs. He didn’t go to his apartment for two weeks, which made me wonder if he was planning on moving in with me. But of course, both of us avoided the topic, and lived our relationship one day at a time.
One afternoon I entered my office after a couple of meetings with the creative team of the His Magazine campaign, and met a perfect vision. Blue Eyes was sitting in my chair, wearing dark slacks, a white shirt, navy blue tie, and a trench coat in the same color. “Stalking me in my office, Berkeley? It was too much to wait for me until 6:00 pm?”
He stood up, walked to me, and took my face between his hands, kissing me slowly. “If it was up to me, doll, you would be tied to me all day long. But I came here because I need you to come with me.”
“Where?” I started picking up all the papers that were spread over my desk and turning off my laptop. The only thing I wanted was to see how his back looked with that trench coat.
No need to work anymore princess?
We started walking while he answered. “I have to decide between a couple of apartments, but I want your opinion before I purchase one of them.” So I got my answer, he was already looking for apartments, so we were not going to live together anytime soon.
Holding my hand, he walked me to the SUV where Max and Joe were waiting for us. “The Trump Tower is not good for you anymore, Berkeley?”
“It was just a pit stop, I am looking for something more permanent.” The bright in his blue eyes made them look like flowing water.
He kissed my hand and stared at me. “I’ll stay here permanently, doll, I won’t go back to Chicago. As we speak my place there is being packed, and everything will be here tomorrow.” I lost it and assaulted his mouth with no shame. I mentally crossed the distance factor from my list and enjoyed the fact that we lived in the same city now.
Of course my happiness was erased after the fourth place we visited.
Someone kill me please.
“Please choose one already! These apartments literally cost more than European castles, I promise they are good enough for you.”
Or I’ll kill you in the elevator and the price will go down, you never know.
“Have you adored any of them?” The SUV was stopping at the fifth place.
You are even more choosy than him princess!
“Well no, but it is different. I need some things that you don’t. You are a bachelor who crashes in my apartment 7 days a week, what could you possibly need!”
“A place to live forever. So shut up and come here.” He made me get out of the SUV and walked me to a beautiful building.
“The Plaza, Berkeley? Really?”
His eyes laughed at me, even when his mouth was tight, he was laughing. Of course he had memories of our first night together. Hopefully of that and not about the day that I left the table during our first lunch together. “What? It is a beautiful place, you’ll love it.”
Right in front of Central Park, and the Fifth Avenue, where I grew up, but now in the new, perfect Plaza condos. The realtor who was waiting at the front entrance. “Mr. and Mrs. Berkeley, I am so happy to meet you.” I turned to Berkeley with daggers in my eyes.
After the pleasantries, we walked behind her and squeezing his hand I whispered in his ear. “She knows you are not married.”
“Yes, but I told her I was coming with my wife, so she has to play along. Be nice, Katherine.” The smirk on his face told me he was enjoying this way too much.
She directed us to a corner, four bedroom, and perfect apartment.
Close your mouth!
If the 60-foot-long living room was not enough, the multiple views of the park were. The most beautiful apartment I had ever seen.
Located on the eighth floor, it had everything you could ask for. The high ceilings, white walls with light wooden floors, and the many rooms to be filled. A kitchen to die for, a library and an office for Dylan, we walked through all the rooms without exchanging a word. When I thought I couldn’t be more in love, we entered the master bedroom. Yes, it was beautiful, but the His and Hers walk-in closets were the devastation of me.
Space, in the city where space was never enough, those closets were like finding the Holy Grail. Taken by surprise, I froze in front of the space destined for shoes and took deep breathes. Maybe, if Dylan bought this place he would let me keep my clothes there. While lost in my thoughts, I felt his arm around my hips and his breath next to my ear. “You like it, right?”