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All I need is a glistening ring.
ChapterTwenty-Five
DINO
No money baby.
Darn.
"I really thought those checks would've copulated by now," I say, adjusting the bathrobe Romeo slid me into after our bubblebath when we returned from the crazy mission.
Romeo rubs my shoulders. "You’re looking for the wrong thing."
"What do you mean?"
"Checks don't have live births. They lay… eggs."
In the back of the safe where Romeo told me to stash the checks, I find a tiny green egg.
It’s gorgeous.
The emerald exterior glistens in the sunlight drifting in through the window, sparkling like a gem.
My eyes well with tears. "This is the same color as my eyes."
Romeo tucks a strand of hair over my left ear. "It’s a money egg. Green and beautiful, modeled after the distinct makeup of your irises. I took a photo to the jeweler."
I crack open the egg and pull out a diamond-encrusted key. "What’s this?"
"This is for the plot of land I purchased from the Riccardis in Tuscany. It has beautiful rolling hills, olive trees, and endless sunshine. While I’d intended to develop it and turn it into another part of my portfolio, I’ve decided to make it a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to Paulo Riccardi that we can visit any time."
"You’re joking."
"It may not be the highest and best use of the land—and it’s certainly not something a mob boss ought to do—but after hearing the Riccardis out today, I do think we started this entire thing by killing their brother. Yes, he was in the way and yes, Mafia killers shouldn’t feel bad about taking out a member of an opposing family. But from the sound of it, Paulo wasn’t really involved in their Mafia dealings, and despite his brothers’ actions, we shouldn’t have killed him."
My eyes water. "This is so kind. You’re a good, good man. Not many mob bosses would do this—especially because I’m sure this decision will cost you a lot of money."
"It will, boy. But I’m willing to do it because it’s the right thing. No matter how much money we lose, we should always make the decision that sits right in our hearts. One thing isn’t for sale in this life—our conscience."
I sniffle. "What led you to this realization?"
"You." Romeo pulls me close. "You’ve changed me, Dino. Before I met you, I was a closed-off, repressed lonely man. I was in a marriage, but my partnership with Isabella hadn’t fulfilled me in many years. I tried to resist my attraction to you, but I couldn’t. Something about you called out to me. It spoke to a side of me I assumed was long dead. Letting you into my life was the best decision I’ve ever made. I was living in Italy, but my heart was stuck in rural Scotland, surrounded by nothing but rain and freezing wind year-round—even in summertime. You brought my spiritual being back to Italy. I want to make the right decisions for me and those around me, boy. Let light into my life. I can do that by doing the right thing with this plot of land."
"You changed me, too, Daddy. Before I met you, I was scared of people coming after me and my family. I adopted a tough, ruthless exterior to fend them off, but that was only because I didn’t want to let them in. Greater personal connection requires openness and I wasn’t comfortable with that because I didn’t want anyone to hurt me. You showed me that it’s okay to be vulnerable and trust men. They’re not all going to hurt me like the Riccardis did to my father, no. Some wonderful men want to protect me. That’s what you do every single day, Daddy. I’m grateful for the patience you’ve shown me even when I didn’t deserve it. When I filmed you without asking. That was wrong, but it was only because I was keeping my heart safe. Now, I know that I had nothing to worry about. You’re crazy about me and I’m crazy about you—and today, you saved my life. That’s something no man’s ever done for me, and I doubt any would have before I met you. You’re one of a kind, Daddy. I’m grateful to be your boy."
Romeo’s thumb brushes against my soft cheek. "Give Daddy permission to kiss those pretty lips. Making my heart all mushy and soft."
"I thought you’d never ask."
Leaning in, Romeo crushes his lips to mine.
My heart swells in my chest, and he pushes his tongue in deeper, past my lips.
My fingers find purchase in Romeo’s hair, gripping his roots as I surrender to him.
We’re in the perfect position for Romeo to lift me into his arms, then take me to his bed where he lays me down.
"Beautiful prince," Romeo whispers, clutching a handful of my bathrobe. "Let me love on you a bit. Take away your scaries from this afternoon."
