Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
He laughed against my lips before he pulled me into a slow, deep kiss that I felt from head to toe. When I pulled back, he took a step to the side and let me see that my brother and Gabe were both standing there, smiles on their faces and phones pointed at us.
I turned to my dad behind us. “So I’m assuming you didn’t say no?”
“Oh, I said no.” He shrugged. “I said no the entire first week, but when he showed up a few days ago, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“You really are sneaky.” I looked up at him. He pulled me to his side and kissed the top of my head.
“Only when I’m surprising you with something good.” He pulled me into a kiss again. “By the way, Nico’s taking your clothes to my house as we speak.”
“What?” I pulled away. “Dominic!”
“I want my wife in my bed.”
“Your fiancée,” I said, smiling wide.
“Mine.” He kissed me one more time before Santi and Gabe rushed over to hug and congratulate us.
We set the table, laughing and talking. When we were about to sit down, Dad held a finger up and walked outside. I leaned over to see what he was doing and saw Adio and Marco wiping their shoes on the rug and brushing the snow off their jackets. Dad gave them plates and told them to pull up whatever chair they could find, and we all sat around the table like that. A family. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy, and free, and loved, and safe.
EPILOGUE
DOMINIC
4 months later
“You know Rosie’s going to kill you, right?” Rocco set the other side of the couch down in my new living room, our new living room.
“She might.”
I hadn’t exactly told her that I bought us a house, so I wasn’t sure what her reaction to this surprise was going to be. Cat and Isabel were bringing her over here after their girls’ night out. Cat had her pack a bag under the guise that they’d be staying at her and Loren’s house. I told her to start sneakily recording Rosie’s face when they drove past their house and parked two houses down in our driveway.
“I’m thinking she’s going to be upset for two minutes and then freak out because the house is nice as hell,” Jimmy said, bringing in a lamp.
I smiled. The guy may be the enemy on the field, but he was actually pretty cool. Besides, Rosie liked hanging out with him and that meant that he was forced to hang out with me. Every time she told me that there was no need for me to be around all the time since they were just friends, I reminded her that his ex-fiancée probably said the same thing about the guy she was with now, and that shut her right up. Even if I hadn’t known that fact, there was no way in hell my Rosie was going to hang out alone with the nation’s most eligible bachelor. The guy was the spokesperson for a shampoo company, for fuck’s sake.
“It’s a second home,” I said. “We’re still going to live in the city.”
“I’d live here,” Jimmy said, looking around.
“Yeah, well, there are a few houses for sale, one block over,” I said. “You and your Pantene hair are not moving in here.”
He laughed. Rocco shook his head.
“Brought beer, wine, and water,” Gio announced from the door. He looked around. “Damn, this is nice.”
“You need more furniture,” Lorenzo said walking in behind him. “The echo is annoying.”
“The only furniture I bought was this couch, side table, and lamp because Rosie pointed the out at the store. I’m not buying anything else without her.”
“Sure, nothing else without her, just a fucking mansion,” Rocco said with a shrug. “No biggie.”
“Holy fuck.” That was Gabe as he walked in. “This is way nicer in person.”
“Did you assholes park where I told you?” I shot them all a pointed look.
“All the cars are in Loren’s driveway,” Gio said, looking at his phone. “Isabel says they’re a block away.”
I took a deep breath and walked to the window. Marco pulled up, parked in front of the house, and opened the door for the three of them. Rosie was talking to Cat about something, probably ballet-related, since Cat somehow managed to convince her to dance in the opening of her new ballet theatre. The historic theatre Gio purchased for her. And they wanted to tell me this was an exuberant gift. Isabel and Yari were having a separate conversation. When they got close to the door, I rushed over and opened it for them. Cat, Isabel, and Yari stood behind her, holding back a laugh as Rosie looked from me, into the house, and back to me, in confusion.
“Dominic.” She eyed me warily.