Ruined Secrets (Perfectly Imperfect #4)

“Her cat. He has a little leash so we can walk him around the garden. And Grace will make us sandwiches.”

“Did you tell your dad that you don’t want to go with Simona?”

“No. He wouldn’t understand.”

“Of course, he would. Want me to call him to come upstairs?”

“Yeah.”

I nod, grab my phone, and call Luca.

“What?” he barks.

A picture of politeness. “Please come upstairs. Rosa wants to talk to you.”

“I’m just getting into my car.”

“Wellun-get and come talk with your daughter. It’s important.”

I cut the call and rub Rosa’s back. “He’s coming. If you don’t feel like doing something, you should always tell your dad. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be in my room. Come get me if you need me. If you want, we can watch something downstairs later. Or we can call your friend. Deal?”

“Okay.”

I squeeze her shoulder again and leave her room.

“She’s your mother, piccola.” I brush the back of my palm down Rosa’s cheek. “You should spend some time with her.”

“I don’t want to,” she bites out, staring me down. She’s trying very hard to keep her tears at bay, but I see how her nose scrunches a little, and a stray tear slides down her cheek. “Please don’t make me go with her.”

“I will never make you do anything you don’t want to, Rosa,” I say and gather her in my arms. Rosa sniffs, then wraps her arms around my neck, burying her face in the crook of it. She’s always loved doing that, even when she was a baby.

“Promise?” she whispers.

I take her chin between my thumb and fingers and tilt her head up to look into her eyes. “I promise.”

“Simona told me she would write to some kind of service that will take me away and make me live with her. I don’t want to live with her, Dad.”

I squeeze my hand into a fist. “She told you that, huh?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not true, Rosa. No one can take you away from me. She’s just trying to manipulate you.”

“Why does she want me to go anywhere with her? She doesn’t love me. Why can’t she just… go away?”

Sometimes I wish I could just kill Simona and be done with it, but I can’t do that to Rosa. Simona is still her mother. I press my daughter’s face to my chest and wrap my arm around her back. “She loves you in her own way, Rosa. She just doesn’t know how to show it.”

I’m not sure Simona is capable of loving anyone except herself. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just taken Rosa without marrying my ex, but I didn’t want my child to grow up without a mother like I did. I thought Simona would change, so I stayed with her for Rosa’s sake. She didn’t.

“Can I call Clara to come over?” Rosa asks into my chest. “We can ask Grace to make us tuna sandwiches. And those ginger cookies with cinnamon.”

“Only if you leave some for me. You and Clara ate everything the last time.”

“Uncle Damian ate them! We told him to leave you some, but he said his sugar level was low and he needed them more than you.”