The money he said he’d give back once I was no longer his client.
With his lips against my neck, my head tips back in pleasure, my body tingling, needing him.
Luciano’s hand plays with the hem of my sweater, his fingertips brushing against my bare skin, driving me wild.
“Who’s your fiancé, Raina?” he asks between kisses, immediately transporting me back to that meeting in his office, when I told him I lied about being engaged.
This time, though, I’m able to answer without hesitation, just before he lifts my sweater overhead.
“You.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
They say some things are better left unsaid, but in my experience, the things wedon’tsay that end up hurting us, and the ones we love, the most.
In my case, I proved it to be true, and I swore to myself and my fiancée I’d never let it happen again.
No walking away from fights. No shutting each other out. No secrets.
Since making those promises, we’ve only grown closer, spending every day together, building a life, making memories. It’s hard to believe it’s been half a year since I proposed. Time is a thief, but with our wedding just three weeks away, it feels like it’s now standing still.
I’m more than ready to make her my wife.
“I’m just saying—” Sully shoves a cookie into his mouth, then makes a show of chewing it quickly to continue his thought. “I don’t see why I can’t give the best man speech at your wedding.”
“Perhaps because you’re not the best man?” Sly reminds him, shaking his head. “That honor is mine.”
“How is that fair?” Sully's finger sweeps through the air between me and Sly. “You hated each other not that long ago.”
“True. But he’s married to my sister, and I’ve let go of the past.”
“As have I,” Sly agrees with a nod.
“I can’t believe the wedding is so close already!” Vinnie takes a seat on the floor at her husband’s feet, pulling their baby from his lap. As she lifts her shirt in preparation of feeding my niece, Emilia, I look away quickly.
“I, for one, feel like it’s takingwaytoo long to get here.” Raina scratches behind Mickey-D’s ears, who’s laying next to the couch, then she slides onto my lap. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close.
Tonight was our turn to host our biweekly dinner, but because of a few scheduling conflicts, only Sully, Vinnie, and Sly were able to make it. The rest of our group has other things going on due to the holidays.
We’ve all gathered in the living room, where the fireplace radiates heat and basks us all in a warm glow of light. It snowed today, and Raina was ecstatic about it. Somehow, she talked me into going up on the roof and having a snowball fight with her. Not that there was a ton of snow to work with, but she managed to get a few good shots on me.
“I’ve told you several times I’d be fine going down to the courthouse and making you my wife sooner than the wedding date.” I squeeze her hip. “It’s not like I don’t have connections there—we could go now if you want.”
She slaps my chest lightly. “You can wait three more weeks.” Pressing her lips against mine, she gives me a quick kiss.
“I have an idea.” Sully jumps to his feet, turning to us. “What if I got ordained real quick? On the Internet! Then I can marry you two.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” I mutter under my breath. “No, Sully, you are not going to marry us. We have an officiant already scheduled.”
“Come on, it might be fun!” Raina jabs me in the ribs with her elbow. “You know he’d totally nail it, too.”
“And I can be the MC at the reception.”
I groan. “Sully, how many different jobs do you want at our wedding?”
“How many are you offering?” He waggles his eyebrows in a very Sully-like manner.
