Chapter 42
MATTEO
Waking up still hurts. My throat is raw, the wound in my chest pulses with pain and I’m stiff like I’d been lying down for ages.
The first time I woke up, I was sure it was in hell and that made perfect sense.
But then I saw Goldie’s eyes staring into mine, kinda scared, kinda hopeful, mostly happy. And all the pain went away.
The same thing happens now whenever I wake up.
She’s always there. Sometimes sleeping in the armchair beside my bed, her golden hair draped over the back of the chair, sometimes standing by the window looking out over the city, sometimes sitting real close, holding my hand, her head resting on the pillow beside mine. I love those times the most.
Today, she’s standing by the window, looking at the pale yellow morning light, her hair pulled up into a messy bun at the back of her head, her cheeks rose gold like she’d just been outside in the cold. But it’s not cold outside and it’s certainly not cold in this hospital bed.
“Why don’t you come over here?” I call to her. My voice is so hoarse I barely understand what I said myself.
She turns, the smile on her face bright enough to light up the whole room. “You’re awake.”
She rushes to me, takes my hand and plops down in the chair by my bedside. I’d prefer it if she climbed under the covers with me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. Because I know that look in her eyes and I don’t ever want to see worry and pain there again. I’ve seen enough of that in the past few weeks to last a lifetime… which I hope will be long now that I’ve escaped this brush with the curse.
“Nothing,” she says. “I just want you home. And to put this behind us already.”
There might be something she’s not telling me. But the good news is, I’m done with hospital stays.
“I’m getting out of here today,” I tell her.
She gives me a confused look. “The doctor didn’t say anything about that.”
I grin at her. “That’s because I haven’t told her yet. But it’s time. I have an empire to rebuild and my intended to take care of.”
She flinches, even as she smiles wide. “Don’t call me that… the curse… you barely survived.”
She’s right. I’d needed two surgeries, it was touch and go for three days, but I’ve been in the hospital for a week now and I’m definitely on the mend. I can do the rest of my healing at home, with Goldie. In peace.
I rise, ignore the twinge of pain in my chest, and kiss the top of her head. Kissing her, touching her, even just looking at her never fails to take all my pain away.
“How about I call you the mother of my child?” I say. “Would that work?”
She smiles. “Yes, you can call me that. And we’re both doing fine.”
She takes my hand, lays it over her stomach, then leans down and kisses my lips. Slowly, gently, making it last. I don’t know what pain even is by the time she pulls back.
“My father wants us to marry. He wants you to make an honest woman out of me,” she says. “I told him no way, never. That’s why I was worried before, because he’s insisting. Citing some ancient paternal rights for a say in the matter or whatever. He’s been driving me insane.”
I scoff. “Your father also wanted me dead and that didn’t go according to his plans. He should be glad he’s alive and learn to take a back seat. He’s not in charge anymore. I am.”
The worry and fear are back in her eyes. “You won’t… you’ll let him live?”
I cup her cheek and smile. “I’ll let him live. I had it coming since I did steal you from him. He didn’t know you’d fallen madly in love with me by the time he shot me.”
She smiles and kisses my hand. “That I did. And thank you. I don’t know if any other man would be so understanding. Or so forgiving.”
“My family didn’t come all the way out here to LA to follow the same old ancient rules.
In fact, we came here to get away from all that,” I tell her.
“So I’m not going to build my empire based on that and your father will just have to accept that.
No wedding ring. No revenge. Though I think maybe we beat the curses, don’t you. ”
She smiles and kisses me again. “Yes, I think true love destroyed both our curses. I thought so from the moment I first knew I loved you. But I don’t want to risk being wrong.”
“And I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen from the moment I saw you,” I say, watch her sweet, eyes soften and take away yet more pain from my body, my soul, my past.
“Married or not, you’ll always be my one and only,” I tell her. “And I’ll always be by your side from now on. Unless you want me gone.”
“I won’t ever want that,” she says and then does what I wanted her to do since the first time I woke up and she was sitting by my bed.
She lifts the covers and climbs in bed beside me, wrapping her arms gently across my stomach.
“But no more dangerous stuff, OK?” she says. “I couldn’t bear sitting by your sick bed again, hoping and praying you’ll wake up.”
“Deal,” I say and hug her tight. And it’s a good thing she’s not looking at my eyes, because she’d know I’m at least partly lying.
“I know it’s not a promise you can make, but at least promise me you’ll try,” she adds with all the wisdom of a mafia wife that’s seen it all. All that wisdom is in her eyes too as she looks at me.
I didn’t know I could love her more than I already do, but it turns out I can. And I’m glad to learn that.
Because I plan on spending the rest of my life finding more and more ways in which I can love her more, better, forever.
I kiss her this time, soft at first, gently like she kissed me. But then I deepen the kiss. Because she’s not close enough, I need her closer. From now, until eternity. Forever. And beyond.
And from the way she kisses me back, the way she presses her body to mine and wraps her arms around me, I know she wants the same. And that’s a dream come true all in itself. Just one of many happy dreams she already has and will continue to make come true for me.
And I can’t wait to live every one of them.