Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
My body shook in silent laughter as I lightly scratched at the short hairs that covered his nape.
He dipped his face into my stomach and pressed his lips to the area just under my bellybutton, kissing us both dotingly.
And just when I thought I couldn’t adore him anymore than I already did, I went and fell all over again, loving him more today than I had yesterday.
Chapter 24
At peace
Ettore
There was no hiding how ecstatic I was about our baby and I couldn’t wait to tell my family. Vittoria and I both agreed not to make the announcement until twelve weeks as was recommended by the good doctor. And when the time approached, I saw Tori had become riddled with nerves.
“What’s wrong?” I stepped in behind her, slipping my hands over her not yet visible bump, pressing my front into her back.
“Nothing,” she clipped out.
I planted my chin on top of her head and caressed her stomach, soothingly. “Liar.”
And when her shoulders slumped, my brows drew down as she started then stopped, then started again. “I’m just worried.”
“About what?”
She scoffed as she cut up small pieces of fruit to put into a bowl. “God, name something, Tor. Telling the kids. Telling your family.” The knife slipped through the apple harder than necessary. “Feeling so damn happy and knowing your brother will find a way to take that happiness and flip it in the way he always does.” The blade hit the chopping board hard when she anxiously uttered, “It won’t be long before my sister finds out and-” The cutting paused when she breathed out a shaky, “And I don’t know what she’ll do.”
Frustration built up inside of me.
Nope. I didn’t like this.
I reached out, took the knife from her and set it down before spinning her around and when she glanced up at me, the way her mouth pulled down was an immediate no for me. I stroked her hip. “Do you trust me?”
She sighed and rolled her eyes, the little shit. “Yes,” she drew out the word.
“Do you love me?”
And although she still looked irritated, her voice gentled. “Yes.”
“Do you trust me to take care of you? To guard you, and protect our children?”
With that, her irritation flew the coop. She wore her soft heart on her sleeve when she looked straight ahead, at my chest, and reached out to lightly poke my stomach. Her voice quieted, “Of course, I do.”
My hands rose then settled on her dainty shoulders. She glanced up at me and I peered down at her. God, I wondered if there would ever be a time I wasn’t physically moved by her beauty. “Then let me take care of it.” She closed her eyes in that way she did when she didn’t want to deal with something, but I wasn’t having it. My hands moved to lightly collar her neck and my thumbs glanced her throat. She reluctantly opened her eyes and I told her, “I need you to do something for me now, okay?” My young wife looked up at me intently, knowing I had never once asked for a favor. Her nod was all I needed. “Stay happy and healthy, and look after our baby. Can you do that for me?”
Her lips straightened, then lifted and her sweet smile was all I ever needed. It kept me warm in the cold. “Okay, honey.”
Fuck me. I loved it when she called me that.
“Good. Now kiss me,” I demanded.
Tori stood on her tiptoes, her arms circled my neck and when she pulled me down so our faces were level, she looked me in the eyes a moment before she leant in and pressed her warm, soft lips to mine. And when my chest expanded with raw, tender emotion, it was almost hard to believe that I’d hated her at some point.
Somewhere along the lines, this woman, young and naïve as she was, became the very air I breathed.
I cupped her cheek and pecked at her pursed lips until she laughed softly into my mouth.
Did she even understand I would do anything for her? Could she ever possibly know what she meant to me?
My heart had been damaged for so long, and Vittoria had slowly mended it with honey sweet lips, light teasing and wide smiles that were so bright they put the sun to shame. Every time she kissed me with a tender heart, whenever she climbed into my lap just to be close to me, when she moaned my name as I fucked her and spent myself in her tight, pink pussy, another piece fell back into place.
I didn’t realize how close I was to falling apart until she embraced me and held me together with unconditional love.
She pulled away from my teasing lips long enough to let out a breathy, “I love you.” Like I didn’t know.