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“You were so against kissing.” I tugged on his shirt and brought his lips to mine. “Look at you now. You’re always kissing me.”
“Our wedding day.” Luca studied my face and smiled. “The day the twins were born.”
“They were amazing days,” I agreed.
“When you said you loved me, even though you thought I was sleeping.” Luca’s intense blue eyes met mine. “But one day that stands out is when you explained my mother’s fresco to me. I knew I loved you right then and there. It just took me a long time to say it.”
I turned to look at Marcello when he yanked me away from Damian with possession. “I have a lot of favorite moments with you, princess. But my top five are our first kiss and the first time we painted together. When you told me you would choose me over Luca.”
“Not the fucking highlight of my life,” Luca shot back, shaking his head. “Dickhead.”
“Don’t be a hater,” Marcello said with laughter dripping from his tone. “I won fair and square, and you know it.”
Luca smirked. “My name is on the marriage license. So the best man still won.”
“Hey.” I snapped my fingers at Luca. “Knock that off. It’s Marcello’s birthday. You’re not ruining it by being a grouch.”
“I’m simply pointing out a basic truth,” Luca said in his defense. “You’re my wife on paper.”
“And I’m divorcing you and marrying Marcello if you don’t stop throwing it in his face.”
“Oh, shit.” Bastian slapped his thigh and laughed. “I’d like to see that.”
Luca warned his brother with an intense look that set my skin on fire. A moment of silence ensued where Luca lifted the cigar box and tossed Cubans to his brothers to diffuse the situation.
Marcello and Luca were closer than ever, but they still had their moments. Time would not change Luca. Not even I could make him become a completely different man. But this was a vast improvement, and I loved how much he’d grown over the years.
Marcello tucked the cigar behind his ear. Luca lounged beside Bastian in the armchair and cut the cigar’s tip.
“I’m not done with my list.” Damian moved close enough that I could feel his breath on my earlobe. “Your first day at Astor Prep makes my top ten. And then, there’s the day you said you love me in the dining room. I didn’t think I would ever be worthy of your love. But you showed me I was wrong.”
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and smiled. “I’m usually right about matters of the heart.”
“The day I learned I would be a dad is another one. Even if I didn’t act like I was happy at first.” He pressed his finger to his blood-red lips. “I only got one of your firsts, but you had almost all of mine.”
Bastian interrupted our sweet moment with his confession. “Taking your virginity is in the top five for me.” He blew out a plume of cigar smoke that gathered around his head. “When the first note of your song came to me, I’d never felt so inspired. I can’t write anymore without my muse.”
I sat between Marcello and Damian, each claiming a thigh.
“All of your favorite moments are mine, too,” I admitted. “I love you. And I love our life together. I couldn’t imagine doing this without each of you. No more fighting, please. I know you guys are all under a lot of stress, but Christmas is next week. This is supposed to be the happiest time of the year.”
“We didn’t mean to upset you, Cherry.” Bastian stamped out his cigar in the ashtray and stood, looking so damn tall as he strolled over to me. “Sometimes, families disagree.” He kneeled between my thighs and placed his hand on my knee. “But we love each other. And we love you. This is going to be the best Christmas you ever had.”
Marcello reached over to rub my stomach, even though I couldn’t have been more than a month along and wasn’t showing.
A smile touched my lips. “We’re going to have a big family.”
“Which means a lot of fighting,” Luca said as he moved behind Bastian, staring down at me. “It’s bound to happen, baby. But Bash is right.” He tapped his brother’s shoulder. “This is going to be a Christmas you’ll never forget.”
My right eyebrow lifted at his confession. “How so?”
Luca grinned like an evil mastermind. “You’ll see.”
Part Two
THE SALVATORE LEGACY
ChapterTwenty-One
