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“They’re beautiful.”
I nodded and smiled lightly. “They’re shared among my entire family. We all have them. The strength to lead, protect, and cherish family above all else.”
Mia bent, resting her hand atop the conglomeration of symbols, as she kissed me again. I felt every ounce of grief and sympathy she felt before she pulled away a fraction of an inch. “You’ll honor them by wearing these for the rest of your life and following the messages.”
When she met my lips again, she didn’t rush. She didn’t push us forward more quickly than necessary. She dipped and moved against my body in a way that showed both comfort and longing. I lost myself to the dips and curves of her body atop mine. I allowed every inch of her to consume me with the heat and passion she allowed to fill the room. All of my touches were fleeting as she moved, removing my elastic shorts with her nimble, brushing touches. I lifted my hips, the pain of the motion secondary to the touches that had my heart racing.
When she sank herself onto me, I groaned, unable to veer my gaze from the look on her face. The ecstasy I could see in her eyes, too. She moved her hips in a long, sweeping motion. She took me deep into her and cried out, and I could only grip her hips tightly as she continued. This wasn’t fast and frantic. It wasn’t a hateful fuck like we’d done before. It was so much more as the emotions flowed between us. Her hair hung down her back, swaying with each motion as she thrust in and out, crying as she found her release.
I reached between us and gripped her chin, leveling her head so that she looked me in the eyes. “I want you to look at me while we fuck,” I told her. And she did just that. In her eyes, I saw as she barreled through her climax, rocking harder and crying against me, and the look of pure trust in her eyes sent me over the edge, too. No matter what came in our future, I knew that right now, everything was perfect. Right now, I had her in my arms, and nothing could touch us here.
EPILOGUE
MIA COLOMBO
Vincent had planned this for a month, and I held my glass of water close to my chest as I hoped it came together seamlessly. Five places were set at the table, but I knew that there’d only be four people there. The fifth was to be honored.
The doorbell rang, and I rushed forward. Vincent beat me there, and when he opened it, Luca stood there, holding a small pile of dishes. Vincent groaned and took the top few before they had a chance to clatter to the ground. “Luca, pizza would’ve been good enough.”
He only shrugged. “It’s for old time’s sake.”
I’d gone to only one of their weekly family dinners, and Luca had made the meal. Vincent claimed that it had been a constant among their group, and I realized that was one thing we needed on a night like tonight.
Vincent carried the plates to the table before opening one and gaping at it for a moment. I furrowed my brow as I watched him tense. I wondered briefly if he was having a stroke, but as I took a step forward, he looked at Luca. “It was his favorite,” he said.
“I made it for the last two birthdays. I couldn’t make something different this year.”
Vincent didn’t say anything else as he helped lay out the spread, and I waited, leaning against the counter, far more nervous than I had any right to be. I wondered if Caterina would come as she’d said. I could only imagine what she was going through with the loss of Alessio. I’d seen her in passing as she left meetings with Vincent, but much like Luca, she didn’t stay here anymore. She had her own apartment in the inner city, and she worked for Vincent more traditionally. I knew how much he missed having his friends close. I knew he missed having a large family here, and I hoped that tonight would bring that back. This was our way of trying.
Unlike Luca’s knocks, Caterina simply strode into the house about ten minutes later, interrupting a conversation between Luca and Vincent. We all sat around the table, two places empty. The one at the end of the table had always been Caterina’s, and the seat in the center of it… well, nobody looked toward that mat as she sat. “Sorry I’m late,” she said with a wince. “I was in pretty deep today, and it took longer than expected to disentangle myself from the situation.” She didn’t need to elaborate. She had been at the Commission, making sure all our dealings had held. We’d managed to unravel the web of lies my father had woven, and she was there to make sure nobody tried to take advantage of our misfortune.
When she caught sight of what rested on the table, she froze. It had been two months, and nobody had healed from Alessio’s death entirely. It had kept us all apart for a while, but I hoped this evening would change things. “You know, he probably brought up this pork recipe at least once a week all year around,” she said. Luca chuckled and passed her the bowl first.
For a few minutes, the conversation was tense. Alessio had always been the one to break the ice before, but he wasn’t here now, and it had to be done. And there was only one thing that would get everyone to stop thinking about the elephant in the room. “I’m pregnant,” I finally said, looking around the table.
Caterina’s head jerked upright as she looked between me and my barely expanded belly. Luca’s knife clattered to the table, and Vincent glared over at me. “I thought we agreed on subtle,” he chastised.
“How far along?” Caterina asked.
“Far enough to know it’s a boy,” I told her. Vincent reached beneath the table and rested a hand on my knee, moving his thumb around it lightly. The touch sent a spark of longing through me, but I forced myself to ignore it as he continued moving his hand.
She looked at Vincent, a wide smile spreading across her lips. “You’re having a boy,” she stated, shaking her head as if she was in denial. “God, I feel horrible for the poor kid if he inherits your attributes.”
I couldn’t contain the laugh, and Vincent’s hand tightened on my knee in a silent, humorous warning. “You can say that again,” I agreed.
Instead of remaining on the knee, his hand moved up my thigh, and every muscle in my belly went loose as his fingers trailed forward and backward. Vincent smiled at all the people in the room before speaking. “Hopefully he has more of Alessio’s traits, since he’s going to have his name.” Caterina gasped, and Luca…smiled. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen that smile, but he did just that. He looked at his plate and took a bite, but I could tell that this snippet of news had made a difference for both of them. “And I hope that you’ll both be here more often so you can get to know him when he gets here.”
Caterina nodded, and I acted like I didn’t see the small tear welling in her eye. “As long as Luca makes dinner, I’ll come every week.” She paused and looked at me for a long moment. “And as soon as that baby comes out, there are a few things I can teach you—things that’ll serve you well as you live here.” My eyes dipped to the knife at her side that I constantly saw her flipping, and I nodded eagerly. There were so many things I couldn’t wait to learn from her. “To Alessio,” she said, holding her wine glass up and staring at his empty placemat.
“Happy birthday, buddy,” Luca said.
Vincent didn’t say anything as he lifted his glass, and I smiled a bit. “It was an honor to meet you,” I whispered, and we all sipped our drinks.
Vincent’s hand began moving again, reminding me of that heat in my lower stomach. His fingers drifted a little higher—high enough that they nearly grazed the sensitive bundle of nerves between my thighs. I bit my lip and took a bite, forcing myself not to choke on it as hedidbrush me this time. I leaned into his touch, and it was gone immediately as he pushed away from the table. “I look forward to a lot more dinners like this,” he said, nodding at each Caterina and Luca. “But if you’ll excuse us a moment, there’s something my wife and I need to take care of in the kitchen.”
This time, I did choke on my food for a moment before swallowing it properly. “Vincent,” I scolded. But his stare told me that there was no discussing this right now. I stood and turned from the table. “We’ll be right back with dessert,” I promised.
“Not for them,” he muttered in my ear.
