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“I love you,” I say with a smile.
His hand slides along my body. “I need to get you out of this dress,” he says huskily.
I smile widely at him. “No one is stopping you,” I purr.
He looms over me, and I press a kiss to his lips.
Fuck, I got lucky. I got so damn lucky.
Dario Gallo is my everything.
Our passion still burns strong, and I hope it will forever do so.
EPILOGUE
DARIO
Eighteen Months Later
Entering the house, my nostrils flare as I smell homecooked marinara sauce. It reminds me of when I was a boy and my nonna would cook dinner.
“Portia?” I call out, knowing we’re not alone. I love my wife, but she can’t cook for shit. She would burn water if left to her own devices.
My beautiful wife steps into the hall wearing a purple sundress, her hair tied up into some stylish up-do. She’s barefoot, and her bump noticeable. She’s pregnant with our second child. Our first is a boy, a terror who reminds me a lot of Elio but also has the sweetness of Portia.
“Hey, honey,” she greets as she walks over to me. I pull her into my arms and kiss her. Since she was taken by that bastard, Robert, things between us grew strength by strength. We no longer were toying around. I knew she was all that I wanted, and I was done playing. Since then, my life has never been happier. She’s fucking perfect. “So, Nonna came home today, and she’s been cooking up a storm,” she tells me, her eyes bright and filled with happiness.
“Has she made enough to freeze?” I ask, but I already know the answer. Nonna never makes just enough. She always goes overboard. I have a feeling she’ll have our freezer stocked with food for the next six months.
Her laughter is soft and willowy. “Of course. Not only that, but she and Mama have been having a great time cooking together.”
I grin. Marianna is still not comfortable around men, but I have her trust, as does Beppe and Santo. When Marianna comes here, I ensure that it’s one of those men who are here also. I make sure it’s the same when Portia and our son, Davide, go visit with Marianna.
Portia loves having her mom around. The two have grown even closer since our marriage, and Marianna dotes on Davide.
“That’s good, baby. Did you speak to your mom about taking Davide tomorrow?”
Her eyes darken as she gives me a heated look. “Of course. She told me she’s taking him for three nights because she wants us to have some time alone.” She shakes her head. “I love you, honey, but I can’t be away from him for that many nights.”
I get it. With everything that’s happened in her past, we’re apprehensive about letting him out of our sight. Asking Marianna to take him for a night has never happened before, and while I appreciate her wanting to help us have alone time, she won’t be having him for that long.
“I’ll speak with her,” I assure her. “Now, will you tell me why you’ve been grinning so widely since I arrived?”
She wrinkles her nose at me. “It’s family dinner. Nonna said so.”
I take off my jacket and hang it on the rack in the hallway, then take Portia’s hand and lead her into the dining room. Nonna always insists that dinner happens at the dining table, and what Nonna says, happens.
“Well, it’s about damn time you got your ass here,” Rocco says.
I stare down at my wife, who beams up at me. This is what she’s so happy about. Over the past eighteen months, we’ve only managed to have two family dinners. We’re busy, and our schedules never seem to match up. And whenever they do, something comes up.
I glance around the table and see that it is indeed a family dinner. Rocco and Jade are here, along with their adoptive son, Santino. Elio and Teagan too, who’s six months pregnant. Adelina and Hayden, with their two kids, Vivi-Anna and Connor. What shocks me the most is that Niccolò Caruso and his wife, Inessa, are here with their two daughters, Alya and Giana.
“Surprise,” Ade says with a laugh. “We know how weird you are about birthdays, and we’ve not been able to celebrate anything for you, so Dario, we’re celebrating your birthday a week early.”
I narrow my eyes at my sister, who doesn’t blink as she smiles sweetly at me. “You let her set this up?” I ask Portia.
She nods. “Of course I did, then Nonna overheard and, well, you know what Nonna’s like when she puts her mind to it.”
