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“She does.” He says, answering for me and pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.
The priest’s words are filled with panic, his body already turning to run for the hills as he yells, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
I shove back from Gavino at the same time the priest’s limp body hits the ground, rolling down the little hill to bump against his car’s tire. My eyes find Remy immediately even in the growing darkness. His silhouette moves toward us at a leisurely pace, every step that brings him closer allowing me to see more of him. Blood is splattered across his arms and face, staining his shirt and jeans. His lip is split, blood dripping from his brass knuckles that sit on his right hand.
Gavino grabs for me, almost desperately, angling me in front of him. “We’re married!” I hear his gulp in my ear, feel his clammy hands as he grasps onto my upper arms. “There’s nothing you can do Remy, she’s mine now.”
Remy’s pace doesn’t slow, his left hand rising to shoot someone who tried to sprint from the bushes away from the house. Gavino jumps with the shot, his breath panting in my ear.
“There’s nothing you can do broth—”
I jolt at the abrupt silencing of his sentence, warm liquid spraying the side of my face and arms. It takes me a second to realize that Gavino’s been shot, his hands trailing down my skin as he slowly slumps to the ground. I don’t look back at him, a sob I didn’t realize I was holding in my chest, working its way from my throat as I run the rest of the way to Remy. I fall into his chest, allowing him to lift me up into his arms.
“I got you,cuore mio, I got you.” His words rumble against my ear, his arms wrapping around me, the cool metal of his gun pressed to my arm as he holds me close.
My palm finds the beat of his heart, using the soft thumping to help quiet my own as he walks us back to the front of the house. His lips press to the side of my head and my eyes close at the contact, the lump in my throat making it hard to swallow as he hugs me to his chest. I feel the hands of the others on my skin, silent reassurance as we get into an SUV. I don’t even try to process anything that’s happened, not yet, just let myself fall into Remy.
“We’re going home now, Bev.” His breath ruffles my hair, blowing on my face as he cradles me, “You’re safe, baby.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BEVERLY
My teeth are chattering with caged adrenaline as Remy carries me to the bathroom. Rough fingers graze my cheeks as he cups my face in his hands, drawing my gaze to his. “Beverly, I’m going to put you in the shower, okay?” At my shallow nod, he leans down to kiss my forehead, reaching past me to adjust the shower.
After a moment, the zipper on my dress is undone, the bloody, dirty fabric falling into a giant chiffon puff onto the floor that Remy grabs with his foot to kick to the side. Lowering so his face is level with my navel, he presses a kiss to my belly before hooking his fingers into the sides of my underwear to slide down my legs. He lifts each foot with gentle fingers, unhooking it from the material to toss away like my dress, his thumbs stroking the inside of each ankle before setting it back down.
Rough, calloused palms slowly run up each calf, stroking the outside of my thighs as his dark gaze searches mine. I can see my anxiety reflected in the pools of honey, but his worries are of me instead of mentally reliving the past month like I am.
Reaching for him, I run my fingers along the short hair at his nape to pull him to me. Placing another soft kiss on my belly, he wraps his arms around my hips, resting his stubbled cheek against my skin. He lets me hold him for a moment before he slowly stands and pulls off his bloody shirt, letting it fall from his shoulders and onto the floor. His boots and socks go next, tossed loudly to the side, before his boxers and jeans find the floor with them. Stepping into the shower, he holds his hand out for me, and I take it, letting him pull me into the warm spray of the water.
Gently tilting my head back, he moves me under the spray, working the water through my hair. Grabbing his shampoo, he lathers my hair up, finger sinking into my scalp in soothing motions. Using a soapy cloth, wipes down my jaw and chest while it rinses, blood running down my body to swirl into the drain. He shifts us with light fingers on my shoulders, moving me so I’m out of the direct spray before running conditioner through the ends of my hair. Washing his own head and body quickly, he moves me back under the water, fingers running over my scalp.
Taking my face in his palms again, his thumbs brush along my cheeks, eyes scanning mine. “Are you starting to come back to me,cuore mio?”
I hadn’t noticed until now that my hands are steady, the pounding of my heart a softer rhythm. I nod up at him, and he gives me a sweet smile, his left dimple winking from his cheeks. I trace my fingertips over it, then skim his skin to run them over his lips before letting my hand drop.
Taking one of his hands in my own, I run my thumb gently over his bruised and split knuckles. “Is it over? You’re really Capo Famiglia now?” My words are a low whisper, gaze still on his knuckles.
Raising our hands, he hums, lips pressing to my palm before bringing it up to his cheek. “It’s over.” Letting my hand slip away, he grips the back of my head and pulls me up so our noses just brush. “Every day from here one out, it’s just you and me, Bev.”
“And the babies.” He smiles against my lips, palming my cheeks while he places soft, sweet kisses on my mouth.
“And the babies,” He mumbles in confirmation, lips brushing mine.
I smile at him, reaching back to turn the shower off as I add, “And the dog.” Pulling from his grip, I step out of the shower and grab us both a towel, holding his out for him.
Taking it, he chuckles, “And the dog.”
Dropping my towel to the floor, I scoop up one of Remy’s tee shirts off of the edge of his hamper, pulling it over my head as I walk into his bedroom. Flicking off the light, I hear Remy’s feet padding on the floor behind me as I climb up onto his bed. Vanilla wafts from the sheets, the scent warm and inviting as I crawl under his blanket. It’s dark, but there’s a small streak of moonlight shining through the room, casting long shadows along the floor. Remy’s body walks through them, his face illuminating for mere seconds before the mattress dips and he’s climbing up next to me.
I reach for him in the dark, my fingers skimming the warm contours of his skin as he pulls me close, sharing my breaths. His palm settles heavily on my side, his legs snuggling between mine. His nose skims mine as I break the silence. “What happened to Viva?”
Remy’s fingers trail up my thigh, pushing the fabric of my shirt high on my hip. “I killed her dad and gained all of his piers.” His breath fans my lips as he shifts, his arm looping up under my pillow. “We got a divorce, and I kicked her out.”
The casual way he discusses it makes my heart pound. The man really was a monster, a product of his conditioning. The question I want to ask is on the tip of my tongue, but it takes me a moment to gain the courage. “You were trying to have a baby with her?”
Remy sighs, the hand on my hip pausing, his face scooting back so he can look at me more fully. “No. That’s what my father wanted, but I didn’t touch her. I couldn’t.” His hand moves again, fingers pressed lightly into my flesh. “Not while I had you.”
