Page 51 of Sicilian Savior

“It was.” Marcus lifted a hand and walked off.

“What are you two doing tonight?” Wes asked.

Knox and I exchanged glances causing Wes to lift up his hands.

“Got it. I was gonna say you should aim me at the TV, and we could all watch a movie or something, but point taken.”

“Goodnight, Wes,” I said, waving at the screen. “Thanks again for everything.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Luca tonight.”

“Those eyes better stay on Luca,” Knox said, pointing at one of the cameras above our heads.

Wes furrowed his brow. “Why would I be watching you? We have perimeter alarms up for a reason. What the hell do you think I am, Beefcake? A perv?”

“Just saying,” Knox warned with a slight grin.

“I’m not a peeping Tom. Well, if Piper was there maybe—”

Knox slammed the computer shut and laughed. “I love that kid.”

“He’s hysterical,” I agreed. “And he’s younger than all of you?”

“Yeah. We’re all mid-thirties, and he’s just about to hit the big three-o. He was so young when he got recruited. Just turning twenty. I still call him Pretty Boy, but he has grown up quite a bit. Now I just do it to piss him off.”

We laughed, and I settled my head onto his shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s go for a walk. It’s a nice night out.” Knox took my hand and pulled me to standing.

I followed him out past the pool and into the vineyard. It looked gorgeous with the full moon hanging over the vines, illuminating a path for us to walk along.

“When this is over, and you have Luca back, I just want you to know if you don’t want me around, I understand.”

“What?” I tugged him to a stop, spinning to look up at him.

The confidence he normally wore on his rugged face disappeared behind a wall of doubt.

“What d0 you mean?”

“I just mean that you and Luca have been apart for a long time, and if you need some time alone together, I can totally respect that. Maybe you don’t want him meeting some guy right away after everything he’s been through.”

“You’re not just some guy, Knox. You’re my guy. And you’re exactly the kind of man I want in Luca’s life. You’re good and kind. Brave and strong. You’re everything I should have picked when I chose his father.”

Suddenly, I realized maybe this was his way of saying he wanted out... that he didn’t want to be part of my life once my kid was in it. Maybe he really did just want to help me get Luca back, but he had no desire to be a father figure in his life. Suddenly, I felt so terrible I’d just assumed we’d pick up like the family I wished Luca had been born into.

“I’m so sorry,” I spit out. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to force you to be a father figure or anything like that. I realize how presumptuous that sounded. If you have no interest in being part of our lives once he and I are reunited, I can totally understand that. Being in a relationship with a woman who has a kid is a lot more responsibility than just dating someone single. If this is your way of saying you’re not interested, I promise, I won’t hold it against you.”

Even though I said the words without a hint of emotion, inside, my heart broke thinking this may be Knox’s way of saying goodbye. Now that I had him in my life, I couldn’t imagine it without him. But I also would never force him into a life he didn’t want.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Knox tugged me into his arms, tipping my chin up so I looked at him. “That is not what I was getting at. At all. I have always wanted kids, but they just didn’t fit into my lifestyle. No families, no connections. That was the deal to be in our organization. And now that I’ve been out, I hadn’t met anyone that I’d even been interested in dating long-term, much less planning a family with. Until you.” He leaned down, brushing his lips against mine. “I’m all in, Lucia. All in.”

He kissed me again before pulling me back into his arms. “I’m not gonna lie when I say I have no fucking idea how to be a dad, or a stepdad or whatever because mine didn’t raise me very well, but I’m all about giving it a try. I want to do with him what I wish someone would have done with me. I want to take the kid fishing, teach him how to make the perfect s’more, show him how to drive a motorcycle—”

I opened my mouth to say no, but Knox quickly backpedaled.

“I mean a moped. A safe, slow moped.”

“Not until he’s sixteen,” I interjected.