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I turned her around in the circle of my arms and kissed her, pouring out my love with every breath. When we came up for air, I was unable to keep a smug smile off of my face at the sight of her pink cheeks and lust glazed eyes. I pecked her on the nose and released her, allowing her to go back to cooking.
Putting my hands on the counter behind me, I leaned back and crossed one ankle over the other. I would have loved to stay there all day and watch her, but there was something I needed to do.
“Sophia will be asleep for several hours with the pain medication she took. I’m going to run an errand after we eat so I can be back here when she wakes.” I said nonchalantly.
She paused in her task and looked at me curiously. Obviously, I hadn’t done a good enough job disguising the importance of my errand. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing for you to worry about, mia dolce.”
She scowled with irritation but didn’t push for more information. I winked at her as she scooted by to reach a cupboard on the other side of me. I lightly smacked her sexy little ass and grinned when she glared at me, barely holding back a smile. Having taken off her shoes earlier, she wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the bowl on the top shelf, so I reached up and grabbed it, handing it over and stealing a kiss.
“Hmmm,” I mused as she stepped away, her cheeks pink with a sweet blush. “My ring is on your finger, you’re in our kitchen, barefoot. There’s only one thing missing from this picture, mia dolce.”
She hesitated and glanced at me warily. “About that—”
“Another time, Gianna.” I cut her off but softened my words with a smile. “I’d like to go soon so I can get back to my girls as quickly as possible.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but she simply asked, “Tonight?”
“If we have time to sit and discuss it,” I answered noncommittally. She studied me for another moment, her eyes narrowed, then went back to tossing a salad before announcing lunch was ready.
I helped Gianna bring the food to the table and waited for her as she wrapped up a small, plain lunch, and put it in the refrigerator. Warmth filled me as I realized she’d made food for Sophia, keeping in mind that her stomach was sensitive because of her medication. Gianna was everything I could have ever dreamed of for a wife and mother of my children.
I rang the doorbell of a small apartment building situated not far from the Columbia campus. Gianna’s father was a math professor at the university, but she’d mentioned he had no classes on Mondays and worked from home.
When the door opened, I was surprised to see a beautiful woman, no older than her late forties, with mocha skin, short, curly hair, and twinkling brown eyes. I was sure I hadn’t gotten the address wrong, so I asked, “I’m looking for Mr. and Mrs. Martin, am I at the right home?”
She smiled brightly and something about her seemed familiar. “I’m Mrs. Martin, what can I do for you?”
I was taken aback by her response and more than a little confused. “You’re Gianna’s mother?” I asked. Then wanted to kick myself for how rude it must have sounded.
“Gianna?” A funny expression came over her face, but then she laughed again and nodded. “I am Anna’s mother,” she confirmed, “but I didn’t give birth to her.”
Her stepmother. I mentally rolled my eyes at myself for not considering that option. I decided to start over. “I’m Nic DeLuca.”
“Ah, Nic. I’ve been expecting you.”
“I—you have?”
She stepped back and waved me in as she spoke. “My daughter and I speak quite often, Nic. Hearing how you met and the way she talks about you. I figured it was only a matter of time,” she said slyly.
I grinned, I already loved this woman, I could see the sass she’d passed down to her daughter. “She is irresistible.”
“I agree.” She held out her hand in greeting and I took it, kissing the back. “I’m Olivia Martin, but you can call me Livy. Please, come in.” She led me to a sitting room and when we entered, I was immediately drawn to the walls filled with my sweet Gianna. They told her life story and I studied every picture until I heard a deep voice from the doorway.
“DeLuca. It’s about time you got here. I was wondering if I was going to have to dig out my trusty shotgun.”
I turned to see a tall, olive-skinned man, with brown hair and a bushy mustache, both beginning to streak with gray. Livy smacked his arm and murmured something that sounded like “Behave.” His arm slipped around her waist and he pulled her close, placing a kiss on her forehead before turning back to me. It was easy to see where Gianna had learned to love so openly. I never doubted Gianna loved Sophia like her own, but from the way she spoke about her mother and seeing her parents together, it was clear that she had a deeper understanding of the love between a child and their parent, whether they are genetically related or not.
