Home to Me (The Andrades, Book 2) by Ruth Cardello Read Free Book Online Page A

In her eyes he saw the man he’d always thought he could be, always feared he wasn’t. When she’d looked at him that way, for just that one moment, everything and anything seemed possible.
    Rena was long gone by the time Nick returned to the bar fully clothed. He was headed toward a side exit when Serge stepped into his path.
    “Your friend left?”
    “I’ll see her again.”
    Serge raised one hand in caution. “Don’t, Nick.”
    Nick threw up two hands. “Why do you care?”
    “She has feelings for you. Don’t take advantage of that.”
    “I have no intention to. Hell, I’ve known Rena most of my life. I would never hurt her.”
    “Then stay as far away from her as you can. Call that saucy redhead. Anyone. You won’t mean to hurt her, but you will—and then you’ll have to live with what you’ve done.”
    “You think I’m too fucked up for her?”
    “I didn’t say that, Nick. You did. I’m simply suggesting if you care about this one, stay the hell away from her.” Serge walked away, and Nick punched the wall beside the door as he walked out of the club.

Chapter Four
     
    Rena woke to her doorbell ringing over and over again. She rolled over and groaned. Am I late to work? No, it’s Saturday. Who would bang on my door this early on a weekend?
    She sat straight up in bed and pulled the hem of her nightshirt down over her thighs. Nick . She reached for her phone and saw she had four missed calls. Not Nick. Madison D’Argenson, Nick’s cousin. She’d sent a couple of texts after Rena hadn’t answered her calls. Shit, I made plans with her for this morning.
    She scrambled out of bed, tried to tame her hair in the mirror, then gave up and headed downstairs. “Coming. One minute.”
    She looked down at her nightshirt, shook her head, and opened the door while forcing a smile. “Maddy, I slept in by accident. I’m so sorry.”
    Maddy didn’t seem the least bit bothered by Rena’s disheveled state. She held up a tray of coffees and a bag of baked goods. “Bagel? Muffin? I wasn’t sure so I brought both.” She was surprisingly energetic for a woman who had had her second child less than a month before. “I have one hour while Adam naps and Richard gives Joey a cooking lesson.”
    “Isn’t he young for that?”
    “It’s important for Richard to spend time with him, and my husband loves to talk about cooking. They make pastries and crepes together. It’s adorable, and it gives me an hour of sanity away from them.”
    Behind her, Nicole Andrade, the newest addition to the clan and Stephan’s wife, shyly ducked her head in. She was, as always, impeccably attired in an exclusive designer dress. She was also, of the two women visiting Rena, the only one who looked sincerely apologetic. She laid a hand on Maddy’s arm. “Maddy, Rena doesn’t look like she’s ready for company. Maybe we should come back.”
    It always amazed Rena that someone as beautiful and wealthy as Nicole could be unsure of herself. Her heart went out to Nicole, and any self-consciousness Rena had felt about welcoming visitors in her nightshirt fell aside. She opened the door wider, saying, “If you don’t mind, I don’t mind. Come in.”
    “See,” Maddy said over her shoulder with a wide smile. “Rena and I became close when I started my campaign to bring Gio to your wedding. Now we’re like this.” She held up two crossed fingers.
    The complete opposite of Nicole, Maddy happily plowed through life—as comfortable in her own skin as she was with refusing to hear the word no. She had an optimism that, while grating at first, was enviable. She was also a bit of a meddler, which Rena admired about her. She was the reason the Andrade brothers had attended Stephan’s wedding in Italy.
    Rena held up her own crossed fingers and referenced the way she was dressed as she led the two women to her living room. “Luckily we’re this close. Not everyone gets to see me without makeup.”
    Nicole blushed. “When you