34. ENZO
34
ENZO
I never want to leave this bed.
My hand lazily grazes the side of Quinn’s waist, watching her perfect breasts rise and fall with the rhythm of her breathing.
It only took her to move her hips a certain way against my body this morning for us to initiate another round. Now, in post-orgasm bliss, I lie beside her, in awe of what she’s able to make me feel.
She smiles at me. “Should we get out of bed soon?”
I straddle her by bracketing her with one of my legs, “Absolutely no need.”
Her body vibrates underneath me as she laughs. “Enzo, we can’t stay here in bed forever. It’s a weekday. I’m sure you have work lined up.”
“Work can wait.”
Her presence is intoxicating, and I lose myself entirely whenever she is around. Last night was one of the best nights of my entire life, and I’m eager to repeat it—over and over again.
Only with her. Because she is the only woman who is capable of making me feel like this.
My phone starts to ring, and it’s Valentino’s name flashing on the screen.
“I think you should really get that…”
I pick up, wondering if it's an emergency.
“Dad, are you home? I’m in your living room.”
A few moments later, I’m dressed and meeting my eldest son downstairs.
The first thing I notice is how crinkled his clothes are. He’s not looking like his top self—in fact, he’s still dressed in yesterday’s clothes.
“Long night?” I raise my eyebrow.
Valentino rubs his eyes, and his voice is groggy. “You could say that.”
I’m immediately curious. It’s not every day that Valentino goes out partying, and clearly, he did last night.
“Let me fix you a glass of water, at least.” I grab a glass from the cabinet and pour a glass. “Here.”
“I would have cleaned up a bit before coming here,” he mutters, then pauses to chug down the water. “But I thought I needed to do this as soon as possible. I think we’ve got Silvano now.”
“Lorenzo recorded his testimony?” My face lights up.
“Yes, he did. And the police are confident that he’ll be behind bars soon enough.”
A smug smile pulls at the corner of my lips.
“What?”
“I think we need to pay him a visit. Deliver the great news to him in person.” I smirk.
Valentino’s mouth drops, but he doesn’t reject the idea. “It would be a good show of power.”
“Exactly, so that he thinks twice about doing something like this again.”
I leave Quinn a small note in the kitchen, Be right back. Make yourself at home. Love you.
Valentino and I drive down to Silvano’s property. His guards stop us.
“We’re here for Silvano.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.” I smirk. “But why don’t you give him a call and tell him Enzo Marchetti is here.”
Two minutes later, Silvano is coming down the stairs. He’s still clad in a robe, and I’m happy to have ruined his morning with my unexpected visit.
“I thought you knew to stay off my property. There are this things called phones, in case you haven’t heard of them?”
“Somethings you cannot convey over the phone.” I’m outside the car now, flanked by Valentino. “You should start counting your days.”
Silvano laughs, hollow and mirthless. “What’s this about now?”
“The court case,” Valentino chimes in, his voice steady. “We have proof you sabotaged our wine.”
Silvano pauses, and then brings his long, slender fingers to rest against his cheek. “Is that so? Well, unless you have an airtight case, I can fight whatever allegations you have. Even witnesses, not that you have any.”
We don’t mention the man testifying for us because we want that to be a surprise he can’t prepare for, but there is one more card up our sleeve.
I grin. “Does the name Liam sound familiar to you?”
Anger flares on Silvano’s face, and he snaps his fingers.
I seem to have hit a sensitive spot with him.
His men surround us, armed with guns.
“You really want a fight, don’t you, Marchetti?” he growls. “Well, then you should battle it out like a real man.”
The click of guns being cocked fills the air, and one of his men hands Silvano a small pistol of his own.
Silvano grins, as he aims it right at my head.
“So brave hiding behind a gun instead of fighting like a man.” I roll up my sleeve.
“You shouldn’t talk about being a man, Enzo.” Silvano’s words are full of bitterness. “You are as pathetic as they come.”
“Then you’re the most deluded. I see right through you, you know. You parade around like you’re trying to restore some meaning to Valentina and your friendship when what you’re after is just money from the sale of land.”
He recoils slightly. “Say that again, and you’ll find out exactly what the consequences are.”
I go to square up against him, but Valentino pulls at my arm to hold me back.
“Dad, no. He might actually hurt you…”
“I don’t care.” All I see around me is red. “He needs to be put into his place.”
“ Dad,” he begs. “You have a family to look after. You’re better than this.”
The image of Quinn and our unborn baby flashes in front of my eyes followed by my other three children, and my shoulders fall slack.
“What is it?” Silvano smirks. “Scared, already?”
“I don’t expect you to understand. If you had anything worth living for, you’d know,” I spit back and follow Valentino to the car, slamming the door shut behind me.
Valentino takes the wheels. It’s not until Silvano’s residence has faded firmly in the background that he decides to speak again.
“I’m glad you didn’t act on your ego back there,” he admits. “Who’s to say if you would have walked out of there alive? We were too outnumbered.”
I rub my temples. “Quinn… is pregnant. For the sake of the child, and all of you, I held back.”
The surprise registers on his face for a moment, but he handles it well. “You’re having the baby?”
“Of course, we are. I’m not about to let her walk out of my life again.”
“You misunderstand me. I’m not criticizing you. Just trying to make sure I know what’s going on.”
My voice softens. I don’t mean to take my anger against Silvano out on him.
“You’ve done a good job these last few days, taking the lead. For someone so young, you’ve filled the role gracefully.”
He nods and grows quiet. A rare thing for him.
I wait until he pulls into the driveway to deliver the next part of my speech to him.
“This Silvano thing.” I sigh. “I think it would be better if we just let the police handle things from here.”
Valentino purses his lips. “It feels like we are just giving up on making him pay.”
“But we are not,” I say firmly. “We’re just playing the long game, waiting for the right moment to strike.”
Seeing him this morning was a mistake, we showed him our cards too soon. I would not put it past him to pay someone to get rid of all the evidence we got so far.
Valentino huffs but nods.
I put my hands against the tops of his shoulders and get him to look at me.
“There’s one more thing. I’ve decided to hang up my hat for good. I want to legally transfer all power over to you.”
“Dad, that is—”
“The next logical step.” I nod. “I love this life, and I’ll be here to help you and support you every step of the way. But it’s time I step down and you step up take the reins.”
“What will you do, then?”
A smile appears at the corners of my lips, “Settle down with Quinn. Build a life together. Give her the attention she deserves. I want to enjoy life for once.”
Valentino stiffens up, and I know he’s feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
“I have full faith in you to manage things. Maybe even better that I was able to.”
“Dad, that means a lot to me.”
“And as for Silvano, he’ll get what is coming for him, sooner or later. But for now, let’s focus on us, on your mother’s dream. I’m counting on you.”
He nods. “I’ll make you proud, Dad.”
“I know. You already do. Now, I’ll talk to my lawyers. We will begin the transferring process soon.”
“Dad, do you think I’m ready to take over from you?”
I meet his gaze. “I know you are.”
Valentino and I say our goodbyes, and I decide to focus on the biggest responsibility that rests on my shoulders now: Quinn.
Everything and anything to do with Quinn.
I head to the kitchen to cook a hearty breakfast for her. The house is just as I left it, including my note, so I assume she hasn’t come down yet.
I put the note in the trash and get to work on breakfast.
As the food cooks, I decide to make a phone call.
Dialing a friend in law enforcement back in the States, I explain the situation and email him the recording Quinn gave me.
Maybe this will be enough to get him arrested and never bother Quinn again.
It goes smoother than I expect it to. But then again, that might just be the Quinn Effect. Everything seems to run smoother when she’s in my life.
I’m in the middle of flipping over a pancake when a pair of arms wraps around me from behind, and someone nuzzles into the back of my neck.
“Good morning, honey.” I turn over to kiss her on the cheek.
“I might just have had the best sleep I’ve had in years last night.”
“Good.” I laugh, setting the plate of breakfast on the table.
She follows me, taking a seat.
I kiss her forehead. “Get ready for a lifetime of those.”
She scarfs down nearly half the plate in impressive time. She must have worked up an appetite last night. And I’m the one she worked it with. I grin.
“A lifetime with you sounds like exactly something I need.”
I lean over to her from across the table and grab her hand. “I’m serious, Quinn. Move in with me. I’m not letting you leave anymore, not if I can help it.”
She blushes, and then nods. “I was hoping you would ask me that. I don’t want to do long distance either, especially with the baby…”
I kiss her on the lips. “I want to do this the right way.”
I did not plan on this, but I fall down to one knee in front of her. She brings out the spontaneity inside me, and I want to seize the moment.
“Enzo?” Her hands fly over to cover her mouth.
“I don’t have a ring, but… Marry me, Quinn. I love you. I don’t want to take it slow, I want to make you mine. I want to be yours. Please let me.”
She collapses into my arms. “Yes, yes, yes. For you, always.”
I breathe in her scent, wondering how I got so lucky to meet someone like her.
My hand is placed over her belly, holding it protectively.
And then, we both feel it.
“The baby…” Quinn meets my gaze. “It… it kicked. It must sense —”
“That they’re loved and made from love.” I kiss the tops of her knuckles. “I want to give you everything, Quinn. You’re the love of my life.”