Episode Nine
T hey say when you’re dying, your life flashes before your eyes. That didn’t happen for me. No, I only saw one face when I thought I was on death’s doorstep. Antonio’s.
I saw the life we haven’t lived yet. I saw him waiting for me at the altar of a big old Catholic church, filled to the brim with our families and friends. I saw him holding our newborn babies. And I saw him holding my hand throughout all of it. I saw a life I desperately wanted, a life I was going to fight to keep.
And then I saw him without me. I saw the devastation my death would cause him. I felt it deep in my soul and it broke me.
When I woke up, my parents were in the room with me, but Antonio wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents, but I wanted him. I needed him. I don’t think there will be a time I don’t need him. That I don’t want him.
The days that followed the shooting are fuzzy—thanks to the good drugs the hospital kept me doped up on. But now, it’s finally time to go home.
I’m currently stuck in the middle of an argument between my father and my fiancé. Dad isn’t pleased I’m not going back to my childhood home. Mom isn’t much better, but she’s at least pretending to be okay with it while I’m excited to see the house my future husband and I are supposed to grow old in.
Although I haven’t shown Antonio the estate I bought for us. I went with my Zio Theo to look at it and knew straight away it was what I wanted. It was where our future children were meant to be raised. Other than Zio Theo, no one knows I bought it. I really want Antonio to see it first.
“Papa, I’m okay. I’m going to be okay. We’ll come for Sunday dinner at Nonno’s,” I tell my father when he tries to insist I should go home with them again. Sunday is tomorrow. It’s not that long until they’ll see me.
“It’s safer for you to be at home, Tilly,” Dad argues.
Antonio opens his mouth. I can only imagine what he’s going to say, which is why I cut in before he can. “I’m going home, Papa. Please, don’t make this any harder for me,” I plead with him.
He sighs and wraps his arms around me. “Ti amo, Matilda. You are my world,” he whispers into my ear.
“Ti amo. I know,” I tell him. I have to pry myself out of his arms. He really doesn’t want to let me go.
“Dante will go with you,” Dad says.
“No, he won’t. Dante can go with you.” I laugh.
“Dante is right here,” my brother says while scowling at us.
“Come on, let’s go. Romeo, you need to let her go.” Mom tugs on my father’s arm before turning to my brother. “Dante, make sure Josie gets home okay.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Dante says, quickly hugging me before he escapes with his girlfriend.
After finally parting ways with my parents, Antonio opens the passenger door of the car and helps me climb inside. “You know they’re going to be calling you in under ten minutes.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I sigh.
“Don’t be. They love you. If it were me, there’d be a bloodbath before I let you go home with anyone else.”
“Well, lucky for you I don’t want to go home with anyone else.” I lean in and press my lips to his.
“I count my blessings multiple times a day, babe,” Antonio says before closing the door. Seconds later, he’s sliding in beside me.
“Home?” Rafe asks from the driver’s seat. Emilio is sitting right next to him.
“Yeah,” Antonio says.
“Actually, I have somewhere else I need to go first,” I interject. “I’m sending you the address now.” I pull my phone out and text the address to Rafe.
“Where?” Antonio asks me.
“It’s a surprise.” I smile. I can’t wait any longer to show him the house I bought for us.
“Matilda, we can’t just go to random places without checking them out first. We need to run through security protocols,” Antonio tells me.
“This place is safe. Trust me. No one even knows about it, not even you. So, we’re going,” I tell him.
“Where is it?” he asks again.
“Like I said, it’s a surprise and it won’t be one if I tell you about it before we get there,” I remind him.
“I don’t care for surprises, Matilda. What I care for is your safety,” Antonio grunts. “Emilio, have some guys get there before we do, wherever there is.”
“Nope, don’t do that, Emilio,” I say. Then I turn to my fiancé and take hold of his hand. “Antonio, I promise this place is safe. There are no monsters hiding in the shadows here. I’ve been waiting to show you this for a while. Please, don’t ruin the surprise.”
Antonio groans and runs his free hand down his face. “Fine, but if we pull up and it doesn’t look safe, we’re not getting out of this car,” he says.
I smile. That’s a win for me. “Deal. It’s completely fine. You’ll see.”
“I fucking love you,” Antonio says.
“I know.” I smile at him.
When Rafe pulls up to the gate, I tell him the code to enter. It’s the date Antonio and I first slept together. Which Antonio recognizes right away if the look on his face is anything to go by.
“Whose place is this?” he asks while raising a questioning brow at me.
“You’ll see.” I’m so excited it’s hard to keep still. I’m also nervous.
What if he doesn’t love it as much as I do?
When the car stops at the front of the house, I open the door. “Okay, you two need to wait here. Antonio, you’re coming with me.” I’m slow to climb out, and before I even manage to step down, Emilio is at my open door scowling at me.
“Sissy, you really need to stop opening that door yourself,” he says.
I roll my eyes at him. “Look around, Emilio. Do you see anyone here?”
“It’s what you can’t see that’s always more lethal,” he tells me.
Antonio is at my side as soon as my feet hit the ground. “Matilda, whose place is this?” he asks, looking up at the house.
“It’s ours,” I tell him. “Surprise! I bought us a house.”
“You bought us a house?” he repeats, looking from the front door back to me.
“I did. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Oh, it is,” he says.
“At least come inside and check it out before you decide you don’t like it,” I tell him.
Antonio glances at me again. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.”
“Then so do I,” he says before bending at the waist and picking me up bridal-style.
“What are you doing? Put me down.” I squeal as he makes his way towards the front door.
“I’m carrying you over the threshold. Where are the keys?”
“It’s got a keypad lock. It’s the same code as the gate,” I tell him.
Antonio opens the door and walks us inside.
“Okay, put me down.” I laugh.
“You bought us a house,” he says while setting me down on my feet.
“I saw this place, and it just… I don’t know. I really thought this could be where we raise our family.”
“You use your own money for this?” he asks me.
I roll my eyes. “Yes. I had Zio Theo come with me to look at it. For security purposes, he says it’s perfect.”
Antonio taps something out on his phone.
“Who are you messaging?” I ask him.
“Emilio. Telling him to replace the funds in your account.” He smirks at me.
“Antonio, this is the twenty-first century. If I want to buy our home, I can.”
“I know and you did. Come on, give me the tour.” He takes hold of my hand and walks us farther into the house. By the time we’re finished the whole tour, he looks at me. “You’re right. It’s the perfect place to raise our family.”
“You mean that? You really like it?” I ask while peering up at him.
“I love it,” he says, wrapping me in his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I rest my head on his chest. “I saw our life, you know. When I was… Well, I saw our whole future and it was really good.”
“Any future with you in it is bound to be great,” Antonio replies with a grin.