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“Then I swear you’ve made me the happiest bastard in the world,” I whispered in the crook of her neck.
If Antonio killed me earlier, then I would have missed my opportunity at hearing her admit her feelings out loud.
“It feels good, right? Feeling so happy you might explode?” she asked as she hooked her arms around my neck. Not minding my horrid face, she kissed my cheeks carefully, and then my lips.
Wewere happy. I couldn’t possibly ask for more.
“Feels fucking fantastic, actually.”
I planned on expressing my feelings all night long. If Frankie was able to accept me likethis,when I looked worse for wear, then I knew we’d survive every rough patch that life tried to throw at us.
Marco
One year later
Antonio Franzolli did not seem to be the type to throw a birthday party. When his daughter reached her first year of age, hedemandedeveryone come with a present. Yeah, I knew better than to skip out on this event.
Frankie was glued to my side, a present clutched in her grip. We didn’t exactly know what kids liked these days. Honestly, we had gone to the store last minute, staring at all our options with nothing to base our choices on.
Aria, the baby, just liked to put stuff in her mouth. Was she even old enough to play with a toy? The kid couldn’t even walk yet, crawling all over the place instead.
“He’s not going to get pissed if he doesn’t like our present, right?” Frankie asked next to me. She looked a bit nervous. “Lettered blocks are a good present, right? Maybe we should’ve actually picked something that sings.”
“Luckily for us, I don’t think so. Well, maybe not today. He might wait until tomorrow.” I rubbed her back, trying to reassure her. “Our present isfine.”
Spotting Ramona and Elias sitting at one of the tables all by themselves, the woman noticed me before her husband had. I gave a slight smile and wave.
Ever since Elias learned he was going to be a father, the crazy bastard never left her side or let anyone approach. Funny that he called me a dog. The madman foamed at the mouth any time he thought Ramona risked being stressed. She must’ve loved it from the way she encouraged him through her sweet smiles.
“There’s a table with presents. Look how many there are, oh my,” Frankie muttered.
“We’re a big family, that’s for sure.”
With both the Franzolli and Mariani families combined, the entire estate was covered with people.
When Antonio wanted to celebrate, he made sure to invite everyone.
We set our gift down, moving to hunt down another familiar face.
Kelsie would be with Antonio and Aria. Bruno and Lily had to be around somewhere.
“You think he’ll do this every year?” Frankie grimaced as she nearly bumped into someone.
“Most definitely.”
Living out on our own, we’d really grown recluse over the last few months. I couldn’t possibly find the energy to go to gatherings like this more than once a year.
When we got married in a few months, I’d make an exception. Only for Frankie.
It took a while to find Bruno. While he stood around like a statue, his wife socialized for him. Lily spotted us and squealed.
Frankie flinched when the younger woman threw herself at her. Lily was always so welcoming.
I looked at Bruno and he sent a small shrug. We both looked like we needed a drink. While he was busy trying not to scare his nearby peers, I was trying to ignore the nonexistent eyes pointed in my direction.
“People are the worst,” I muttered.
He chuckled, nodding. “Antonio has been surrounded since people started showing up. Want to test our luck?”
