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"Hmm, Gigi, you know we can have dessert before dinner tonight, baby, but I need to pull these steaks off the grill, or they'll burn."
Turning in his arms, I take his lips in mine, slowly coaxing his mouth open with my tongue before dipping it inside and tasting the notes of spiced plum that remain from the whiskey he's been sipping all evening. When my tongue brushes over his and I pull the hairs at the base of his neck, he lets out a heady groan. I do really need to eat dinner. It's been hours since we had lunch, and I've already had half a bottle of wine. Reluctantly, I break our kiss, earning a dispirited sigh. Then, playfully swatting his chest, I ask, "Do you think this will ever wear off?"
He squeezes my ass before saying, "You teasing me? Or..."
Wiggling out of his embrace, I face back toward the counter and gather up the dishes I had been collecting to eat outside before he distracted me.
"No, you know exactly what I'm talk—"
Grabbing my chin, he looks me square in the eyes and says, "I was only teasing, and no, I don't think it wears off when it's right." He places a kiss on my forehead before helping me collect the sides I made to go with the steaks.
Once we make it back outside on the deck, he says, "You never did answer my question back there?"
I give him what I'm sure is a perplexed expression because I honestly don't recall him asking me a question. Once his mouth was on me, anything that came before blew away with the wind. He gives me a knowing smile before saying, "You were clearly deep in thought when I came in there. What's going on in that head of yours? Are you worried about the trip tomorrow?"
"No, I'm excited about taking a vacation. We should’ve done it sooner. I've never been to Cayman, and Elio has never been to the beach. I was a hot mess when I dropped him off at Ethan's this afternoon, but Ethan calmed me down. I'm not sure how it's possible he gets away with using that playboy charm on me when I'm his sister. While I was in the middle of having a freak-out session about making sure Elio was packed and ready for tomorrow, he literally winked at me and said, ‘I'll buy him whatever we forget.’ I know he means well, but I don't want Elio to grow up using money as a crutch and—"
August cuts me off.
"Baby, you're freaking out right now. Elio will not grow up to be some entitled prick. Specifically, because of you, but also because neither Ethan nor I will let him. I've learned a lot about myself going through all of this with you, and I think Ethan has as well. Neither one of us liked how we grew up, nor did we care for the role models we had around us. He'll learn respect, decency, and manners.
“It's okay to indulge once in a while, and that's what we are doing. We are going on vacation for two weeks. People take trips every day, and you've never had one. One vacation will not turn Elio into a spoiled brat. I promise." He takes a drink of whiskey before adding, "You know I support you in whatever you choose to do, but have you put any more thought into going back to school? Maybe finding something outside of Elio will help."
August thinks I worry too much about Elio, but everything we experienced was incredibly traumatic. I haven't gone back to work or looked into school because I needed to put myself and Elio first. About a month after the arrests were made, I gained access to my father's investments, which are now technically mine. My father wasn't only an investor. He was part owner. Mario owned forty percent of the company as a silent partner. Now that is all mine.
"My stress has nothing to do with the fact that I don't have a job, hobby, or school to focus on. We've discussed this, and I thought we agreed that being a stay-at-home mom was a job. I like how you focus on my lack of extracurriculars, yet you don’t seem to have any yourself."
Dishing out the salad and placing a baked potato on each of our plates, I understand his perspective, but I'm not sure he fully grasps mine. My goals are not the same as they were before meeting August. Sure, school is important, but I don't think I'll regret putting my family first. Getting out of my head is my biggest hurdle. Elio is going to be fine. However, I'm lucky I have Ethan to help. Don't get me wrong, August has been amazing, but Ethan being in the picture allows August and me alone time.
Ethan and I share custody of Elio. Technically, I'm Elio's legal guardian, but Ethan has him just as much as I do. The same week we found out that Maria wasn't my biological mother, we also found out that Elio was Mario's son. Initially, we suspected there was a good chance that he was Eduard's due to how everything went down in the end. When they got the news, Elio and Ethan were over the moon with excitement about being legit brothers. Elio, maybe a little more. When he found out Ethan was his real brother, he said, "I can't believe I have a brother, and he's Ethan Grand."
In the press, Ethan is portrayed as a wealthy playboy. He drives expensive cars and lives lavishly. While those things are true, they don't paint an authentic portrait of who he really is. After getting to know him, I discovered that the playboy attitude is his "brand." It's not who he is in private. He told me in so many words that he tries to emulate what sells because it's what's good for the bottom line.
We rotate who Elio stays with every other week, but we all see each other most weekends for family dinners regardless of whose week it is. August and Ethan were able to bury the hatchet for the most part. It took some time for August to fully come around, but knowing he was my brother and not going anywhere anytime soon helped speed up the process.
"Baby, are you kidding me. I don't care if you ever work another day in your life. I love having you home all the time. I wasn't trying to infer that you weren't doing enough. I was only trying to say doing something for you that is only yours would be good for you. It would be an outlet for you. As far as my extracurriculars the one sitting in front of me seems to take up a lot of my time." I don’t miss the sexy wink he throws my way.
He's not wrong; we probably spend an unhealthy amount of time attached at the hip. Ever since I moved in, I swear we’ve spent most of our days decorating and going from store to store trying to find the perfect pieces. Sure, we could afford an interior designer to execute our plans with precision and ease, but doing it myself brings me immense joy, and I think he feeds off of it.
August doesn’t need to work—technically neither of us does. He invested the trust fund his grandfather left him from a young age and it has made him more money than he could ever spend. Regardless, I know what he's trying to say, and he's coming from a good place, but because I've had a hard time expressing my feelings, I don't think he truly grasps my happiness.
"August, I know you mean well, but taking care of Elio makes me happy. Being a homemaker, cooking, organizing, scheduling, running him to all his sporting events, and being here with you brings me deep contentment. It might sound ridiculous that those mundane tasks make me incredibly happy, but I think it's because I grew up longing for those things. I always wanted structure, security, and a loving home. Providing that for Elio is everything, but I'll try to reign in my excessiveness, so I don’t stress everyone out.”
He's out of his seat the minute the last word leaves my lips, coming around to my side of the table. Bending down on one knee beside my chair, he renders me speechless with those dazzling hazel eyes before saying, "You're perfect. I don't want you to ever change. Don't for one second ever believe anything different." Bringing his hand to my cheek, he rubs his thumb across my bottom lip before saying, "Everything we have is all I want." Standing, he leans in to leave a closed-mouthed kiss on my lips that lingers long after he heads back to his seat.
"Gigi, seriously though, enough with the heavy. I want you to be excited about tomorrow. I'll spread you out right now on this table if that's what it will take to get you to shut that pretty brain off."
I can't help but roll my eyes at his empty threat.
"August, we both know there's no way in hell you would delay me eating any meals."
Putting his fork down, he quirks a brow at me.
"Was that a dare? You think I can't give you pleasure and feed you simultaneously?"
I nearly choke on the water I'm drinking at his reply.
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I like my steak on my plate."
