Chapter 58
Days Later
“You’re off for a whole week?” I ask, surprised.
Elodie takes her career very seriously, and we’ve had a few arguments when I’ve tried to interfere—like rearranging some of her flights to my advantage.
“Yes. Are you complaining?”
“No. I’d never question the chance to have several consecutive nights of sex. But why did you pull this stunt now, of all times?”
My girl told me she asked Miles, an older colleague, to swap some flights with her, but she still hasn’t explained why.
She smiles, mysterious. She’s still wearing a robe, which is strange because she asked me to get home early for dinner. Elodie always insists on being dressed up and made up, even when we eat at the villa.
“I have plans, Italian, and your idea of several nights and days of intense sex fits perfectly with them. Now, could you go to the kitchen and check if the roast is done? It’s your mother’s recipe, and I don’t want to mess it up, because Greta would never forgive me.”
“Mamma would forgive you for almost anything.”
“Almost?”
“She wouldn’t forgive you for breaking my heart.”
“I have that power?”
“You’re the only one who does.”
She smiles. “Because I own it.”
“As much as I own yours, you tease.”
“The roast, Gianni. Don’t let it burn.”
“What happened to my army of servants?”
“I gave everyone the night off.”
I know she’s up to something, but I have no idea what it is.
I head to the kitchen, checking my phone to see if my surprise is ready, and when I see that the headline has already gone online, I smile.
I open the oven to peek at the roast, but it’s turned off. She probably forgot she did that.
When I return to the living room, however, instead of finding my girlfriend, I walk into a room full of our families. Beau and Amos are there with their wives. Even Ricco, Luna, and Chiara came.
I barely have time to recover from the shock before Elodie appears and leaves me speechless. She looks fucking beautiful in a dark yellow off-shoulder dress with a flared skirt and all the accessories she loves.
I know about her origins. We both used our free time to research her family, and although we haven’t been able to trace them yet, I’m increasingly fascinated by the rich culture of my wife’s ancestors.
Still, I’ve never seen her dressed in Romani clothes before. She loves colors and bracelets, earrings and accessories. She’s grown her hair out again, like when I first met her, back when a stylist told her to cut it to her shoulders and my woman actually followed the advice.
Elodie has her own unique style that makes her stand out wherever she goes, but even so, I’ve never seen her in her true element.
And as sure as hell is hot, if it weren’t for our families being present, I’d throw her over my shoulder, drag her to our bedroom, and fuck her in that sexy outfit.
“Say something.”
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” I say, earning laughter from our relatives.
“Do you know why I’m dressed like this? Because I’m Romani in heart and soul. I wanted a symbol of my people today, even though we can’t follow all the rituals since we already live together.”
She steps closer to me.
“A traditional Romani bride is promised to her groom as a child. In my case, that would’ve been impossible because we grew up in different worlds.
Still, even so different and distant, we found each other.
So, the only conclusion I can reach is that we’re meant to be.
Marry me, Italian. I won’t promise you only happy days,” she continues, repeating what I told her weeks ago, “but I promise you my love and devotion.”
“Ah, my Romniya.” I pull her into my arms. “Don’t you know the answer has always been yes?
But what you need to understand is that I’m not agreeing to marry you, Elodie, I’m agreeing to make you mine for good.
There’s not one passive bone in my body.
I love you, bella, but prepare yourself for a controlling man. ”
She kisses me, smiling, then shrugs. “What can I say? Our fights are fun.”
“I have a surprise for you, but it doesn’t even come close to what you pulled off,” I say hours later, after we’ve had sex in our room.
“I want to know what it is.”
I reach out and switch on the bedside lamp. Then I grab my phone and hand it to her.
She barely starts reading before she’s already smiling.
Heir of the traditional Andresano family acquires airline and renames it Romni Airlines.
“You’re absolutely insane, Italian. It wasn’t enough to spend a fortune on a company just so I could fulfill a dream, now you’ve gone and renamed it after my people?”
“I’m insane about you, Elodie. I’d go to the ends of the earth for just one smile from you. There are no limits to what I’ll do to ensure your happiness.”
“I want another baby. I don’t want to wait until the wedding. I want to make one today, or at least try. I stopped taking the pill.”
She sounds nervous, her words tumbling over each other, and I know how hard it must be for her to take that risk again.
I try to hide the emotion clogging my throat.
There’s nothing I want more than to have a child with her, but I’d never pressure her.
“In that case,” I say softly, “we’d better start some intensive training right now, my Romniya.”