Sempre (Forever Series #1)(41)

* * *

When they made it to the store, Haven’s footsteps faltered as the doors opened on their own. She surveyed them, almost as if she was afraid to go through. Carmine waited for her to grab a cart, but she just stood there.

“Have you been grocery shopping much?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’ve never been inside a store.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

This would be more complicated than he thought. “I can’t say I’ve ever done this either. I’m not usually trusted, so I guess we’ll figure this shit out together.”

Haven tried to hand him the paper, but he instead handed her a pen. “You do the list. Practice makes perfect, right?”

Before she could argue, he grabbed a cart and led her to the produce section. “I have another confession. I can’t say I’ve ever cooked either, so I have no idea what half this shit is.” He picked up a green stalk and eyed it skeptically. “What the f**k is this?”

She smiled. “Those are Brussels sprouts.”

“Definitely not buying them,” he said, throwing the stalk down on the display.

It was quiet so early in the afternoon, only a few shoppers in the store other than them. Carmine was grateful for the privacy. Haven was clearly out of her element, clutching the list tightly as her eyes monitored everything. “What should we get?”

“Whatever you wanna cook,” he said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Dom will eat anything. Hell, he’d eat Brussels sprouts. And my father isn’t hard to please.”

“And you?”

He shrugged.

“Finicky,” she said to herself.

He blinked a few times. “What did you call me?”

She looked guilty as she repeated the word. “Finicky.”

“My father taught you that, didn’t he?” he asked. “He’s been calling me that for years.”

“Dr. DeMarco did mention it, but I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“I know,” he said. “But whatever, let’s shop. We look like idiots just standing here, like we’ve never done this shit before.”

“We haven’t,” she reminded him.

“I know that, and you know that, but the rest of these f**kers don’t need to know it.”

* * *

They made their way through the aisles. Carmine did most of the work, packing the cart full of junk food while Haven picked up the essentials he bypassed. He watched her those moments, as she grabbed milk and eggs and bread, her shoulders relaxed and movements confident.

She handed the list to him once everything had been crossed off, and they headed to the register. He put their stuff on the conveyer belt and reached toward the display of candy. Haven flinched as his arm shot out so he slowed his movements as he threw a chocolate Toblerone bar on the conveyor belt.

After paying, Carmine stuffed the trunk with all of the bags while Haven stood in the vacant parking lot beside the car. He wasn’t paying her any attention as he returned the cart to the store, and his stomach sank when he turned around. Haven wasn’t standing there anymore.

Panic erupted inside of him as he scanned the parking lot, searching for some sign of her. His father was going to kill him. All it took was ten seconds—ten measly f**king seconds of his guard being down—and she’d slipped away, vanishing.

He hastily ran to the car, movement inside of it nearly buckling his knees. Haven sat in the passenger seat, seatbelt clipped in place and hands folded in her lap. He had to take a moment to collect himself, to savor the feeling of relief, before climbing in beside her with his candy bar.

He opened the Toblerone and pulled off a triangle for her, watching with confusion as she gawked at his hand. “Don’t you like chocolate?”

“I’ve never had it.”

He thrust it at her. “Christ, girl, take this shit, then.”

She laughed at his enthusiasm and took it, biting off a small corner of the chocolate. Her expression brightened, her words escaping as a moan. “Wow, that’s sweet.”

Pulling off a few triangles for himself, Carmine handed the rest of the Toblerone to her. “I know. Fucking amazing.”

* * *

It was drizzling when they arrived at the house, so Carmine parked as close to the porch as possible. “Unlock the door, okay?” She started to interject, but he cut her off. “The code’s 62373. Punch it into the keypad and hit the big-ass button. Can you remember that?”

“62373,” she repeated.

She ran to the door, pressing the numbers as the rain came down harder. Once she had the door open, he climbed out and grabbed some bags. Haven tried to head back outside when he reached the foyer, but he threw his hand out to stop her. Her arms flew up protectively in front of her, so he quickly withdrew his hand. “Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just don’t want you to get wet.”

She gave him a look that seemed to be a mixture of confusion and amusement before she took the groceries into the kitchen. He unloaded the car and tried to help, tossing things where he figured they went, but he only made the job harder by getting in her way.

Dominic brought pizzas home for dinner, and Carmine grabbed a box of pepperoni before plopping down on the couch. Glancing at Haven, he patted the cushion beside him. Her eyes darted toward the stairs, and he cocked an eyebrow at her as if to say, Don’t f**king dare. He would have dragged her back. There was no reason for her to not eat with them.