Page 117 of Chris

Valeria’s heart thundered as she watched the elevator, and the little sign above it that said the doors opened on the ground floor. The Marcellos closed down the corridor of the hotel, renting every single room for the night to make sure they had all the privacy they needed for whatever might happen.

Footsteps approached behind them.

Their voices.

Valeria continued watching the elevator.

“I saw him, I did,” Maria whispered.

“I bet,” she said, believing her daughter. “Just a minute, okay?”

Still, the girl practically vibrated in her mother’s arms. It was only in that moment that Valeria realized … she was not the only person caught in Chris’s snare. His caring nature, sweet and yet still firm, caught her daughter’s heart, too.

Maria looked up at her mom by tilting her head. “We never have to go back, right?”

Valeria met her daughter’s stare, so the girl understood she was telling the truth. “Never. Ever.”

“Good.”

The elevator dinged as the two of them broke their staring contest. The first men out of the elevator weren’t faces that Valeria recognized, but she was still quick to stand, and keep her daughter out of the way so they were able to come through.

And then there Chris was.

At the back with his twin.

“Chris!”

Maria’s squeal, punctuated by her jumping in place, had him turning with a wide smile in their direction. Valeria let her girl go, and Maria wasted no time darting forward. Corrado slipped out of the elevator first, but her daughter didn’t seem to have an issue differentiating who was who between the identical twins. She gave him a smile, sure, but the man Maria wanted was the only one she reached for.

Chris came out of the elevator with arms open, already kneeling to hug Maria. The girl’s arms locked around his neck, and he stood, holding her tight all the while. He pressed a kiss to her temple, murmuring something to Maria.

“You still have it?” Maria asked.

Chris grinned and flashed his wrist with the woven leather bracelet. “Of course, bambina. Never take it off if I can help it.”

“Better not.”

“Be nice,” she told her smartass child.

At her quiet admonishment, Chris’s gaze came her way, and she swore the world stopped. Like her ability to breathe, and the beats of her heart.

It all just … stopped.

For him.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Chris’s features softened. “Do you?”

She was very aware of the people behind her. Of the family that gathered, and the others saying hello to men who arrived back. None of that mattered to her though. Better people be aware now.

Was it crazy?

Yes.

Was it true?

More than anyone understood.

“I do,” Valeria said quickly, “I love you.”

Chris came forward, still holding Maria—although he shifted her to one arm instead of two—and reached for Valeria. Once his arm locked around her neck, he pulled her in close, his mouth finding hers for a soft, long kiss that made her heart restart all over again.

Damn.

She would have preferred he kept kissing her, but she didn’t mind when he pulled away just long enough to touch their noses together, his eyes locking onto hers. Softly, he said, “Ti amo—sempre. I love you always. As long as you want me.”

That was perfect.

Because she wanted him forever.