AllFreeNovel
Share Us
SUMMER
Luc’s proposal had sent me to cloud nine, and once again, I had a hard time sleeping. Until I didn’t. One good thing about pregnancy was that I slept a lot. The only dark spot was that the two people I loved, Lauralee and Alison, couldn’t be there to share in the experience.
Our relationship was evolving quickly, but I was okay with it. He got me—the real me, not the one who had a one-night stand with him but the part who’d grown up poor, scared, and mostly alone. The nerdy side of me fit with his genius IQ and eidetic memory. And I didn’t even need to worry if we were compatible physically. That first night had been legendary.
I’d never experienced anything like what I had with him. Each casual touch of his hand or the hard press of his body against me sparked a volley of electrical impulses that traveled through me and heated my core. There was no question we would be good together in bed.
We had decided to tell everyone at lunch. The rest of the wives and bosses would be there, on Nicole’s insistence. Even Tony and Sofia’s brothers, Trey and Nico, would be joining us.
Again, I glanced at the time on the laptop as Luc sat next to me, going over one of the financial forecasts I’d compiled. He’d kissed me in the hallway earlier, and it had taken everything I had not to push him back into the bedroom and take things further. I sensed his restraint and knew it wouldn’t take much to break it. The fact that he cared enough to take things slowly told me more than actual words. In spite of his gruff exterior, he did care, and he showed it in many ways.
When he closed his laptop with a snap, I jumped, caught in daydreams instead of paying attention to what was going on around me. I mirrored his grin because it was kind of funny. He stood and held out a hand for me.
I took it and let him pull me to my feet.
“Ready?”
To tell them.Yeah, I was. I couldn’t wait, actually. “Yep. Let’s do this.”
We left the coziness of the study where we worked in the mornings and headed to the kitchen. Emiliana was at the stove, stirring the sauce for the pasta draining in the sink. Another pan waited on a burner for her to mix the two. I knew she’d made the pasta from scratch and couldn’t wait to eat it. My stomach growled in acknowledgment of my thoughts and the heavenly smells coming from the stove.
“Hey, guys.” She glanced at us over her shoulder. “Can you take the bread out then send Stefano in to help me carry the big bowls?”
“I can take one if it’s ready,” Luc said then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “Go sit. I’ll be there in a second.”
I grabbed the food and headed into the dining room where everyone already was, given the noise level. El and Nicole were pouring wine and passing it around. Sofia’s brothers—Marco, married to El, and the single ones, Nico and Trey—were laughing. I deposited the bread and went to where the wives stood at one end of the table. While I walked around the table, I stopped where Stefano was and relayed Emiliana’s message.
“Summer?” El held up a glass of wine.
“No, thanks. I’ll grab a water.”
“Emiliana and I are going to work on our knife skills this afternoon.” Sofia nudged my arm. “You should join us.”
The answer was an obvious “hell yes,” as I would be joining the family. “That sounds fun. Count me in.”
“Great!” Sofia gave me a side hug, and her high ponytail brushed against me.
Stefano and Emiliana entered with the rest of the food, and we all found our seats. I loved eating with them. I’d never experienced anything like it before—I welcomed the laughter and even the bickering.
Luc sat on one side of me, his hand on my thigh, which made it difficult to concentrate, and Sofia was on the other. When she saw his hand, her brows climbed high on her forehead, and I couldn’t help but laugh.Wait until they hear what we have to say after we eat.
“Hey, Luc,” Emiliana said from the other end of the table, winking at me as she addressed him, “Summer’s going to learn how to throw knives this afternoon.”
I shifted in my seat to get a better view of his reaction. I would do it regardless, but I was curious to see how he responded, especially when I said the next thing. “I’m in. Lauralee and I used to go shooting once a month at least. But I’ve never thrown a knife before.”
“It’s settled, then.” Emiliana grinned. “You’ll be an expert with knives in no time.”
Luc leaned back and gave Emiliana his undivided attention. It would have made anyone squirm. That man was intense. “Sounds appropriate, since we’re getting married, and she’ll be a part of the family.”
Max threw back his head and laughed. “Pay up, fools.”
Emiliana smacked him on the arm. “Congratulations.”
The wives jumped up from the table and grabbed me in a group hug. Nicole winked at me from where she sat. “Welcome to the family, Summer.”
Luc launched a bread missile that bounced off Max’s forehead as he took money from Marco. “You bet on us?”
Marco shrugged, and El rolled her eyes. “They do this all the time.”
