38. Dominic
The house sat at the end of a quiet street.
Luca called it a “fixer-upper,” but it was a dump. The windows needed replacing and the roof leaked, but it was ours. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t pouring money into a fortress. I wanted to build something for us.
It’d been two years since Luca had walked away from the family. It hadn’t been easy, lots of therapy and school, but Luca got through it. He had another couple years before graduating with his engineering degree.
“Dom, what the hell is this color?”
I stepped through the doorframe, wiping my hands on my jeans. Luca stood in the middle of the kitchen, holding up a paint swatch that was so blindingly yellow it looked like the sun threw up on it.
“It’s cheerful,” I said, shrugging.
“It’s vomit.”
“Delilah picked it.”
Luca groaned. “That explains it.”
I crossed the room, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him close. His wedding band caught the light, a small flash of gold. Luca leaned into my arms, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“You’re cute when you’re bossy.”
“Don’t start,” he muttered.
We got married a year ago in Hawaii. Happiest day of my life. Just family, close friends, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore as Luca stood there, fidgeting in his suit, scowling at the sand like it had personally offended him. He looked perfect, his sharp features softened by the sunset.
I kissed the side of his head, my chest aching with something so full it hurt. Two years ago, I couldn’t have imagined this.
“What are you thinking about?”
“How you ruin me every day,” I admitted.
His hand slid over mine. “So dramatic.”
“Every day, I’m grateful for you. I didn’t know what having a real family was like until you walked into my life. To have nieces and nephews who make me birthday cards and laugh at my bad jokes. I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere until you.”
He gave me a real family. A family that didn’t give a damn about where I came from or who I loved—so long as I loved him.
And I loved him.
I loved him like the ocean must love the shore, always reaching, grateful for every moment we touched.
Luca turned in my arms, his dark eyes searching my face. He still didn’t know how to take compliments. He shrugged them off like heavy coats, always uncomfortable wearing them for too long.
I kept giving them anyway. He deserved them.
“Did you ever think we’d end up here?” I asked softly.
He hesitated. “No.”
“Not even in your wildest dreams?”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “My dreams weren’t this good.”
Damn .
I kissed him, trying to tell him that I’d give him everything. He deserved every bit of peace we’d fought so hard for. When I pulled back, his breathing hitched.
“I was such an asshole to you,” he muttered.
I chuckled. “You mean when you broke into my house and tried to kill me?”
“I was… testing the waters.”
I kissed his temple, smirking. “Good thing I’m impossible to resist.”
“I tried. It didn’t work.”
“And look how far you’ve come,” I teased, brushing my thumb over his cheek. “You went from homicidal maniac to my husband. That’s character development.”
He snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”
“It’s true. You don’t break into houses anymore. You just steal the covers and drink all my coffee.”
“Maybe I should go back to trying to kill you.”
I grinned. “You’d miss me too much.”
He rolled his eyes again, but when I kissed him he didn’t pull away. His arms tightened around my neck.
“Thanks for not giving up on me.”
I pressed my forehead to his. “You’re stuck with me. Forever.”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “Forever sounds about right.”
The front door creaked open, followed by heavy footsteps. “We’re here!” Santino’s gruff voice rang out.
“In the kitchen,” I called back.
Santino appeared first, carrying a box of tools. Delilah followed, balancing a tray of coffees and a stroller in her other hand. Inside, their toddler, Sofia, slept soundly, her tiny fist curled around a blanket.
She set the carrier on the floor and handed Luca coffee. “You’re going to need this if you want to survive today.”
Luca took the cup. “Thanks.”
Hours later, the living room looked halfway decent. Delilah had managed to get paint in her hair, and Luca had spent more time laughing than working. My shirt was ruined, my arms ached, and I’d never felt more at peace.
Later that night, after Santino and Delilah left, we sat in the half-painted living room. Luca’s textbooks were spread out across the coffee table, engineering equations scrawled in his handwriting.
“You’re going to ace the exam.”
“We’ll see.”
“You’re on the honor roll every semester. You’ll be fine.” I leaned back, stretching out my legs. “What’s next on the list after you graduate?”
His eyes lit up. “I want to see Italy with you.”
I smirked. “Big dreams, huh?”
“With you? Always.”
“Wherever we go,” I whispered, “I’m with you.”
Luca smiled. “Sounds perfect.”
I tightened my arm around Luca’s shoulders. Perfect didn’t begin to describe the life we were building. It felt like a foundation—steady, real, and ours.
Thank you so much for reading Ruined ! Need more mafia romance? Get Arranged now, the first in my Sinners of Boston series! Or keep reading for the first chapter!
I've inherited my sister's fiancé.
She had him first. Alessio Salvatore. Charming, gorgeous, and completely off-limits. I watched him propose and counted myself lucky when my sister said "yes" to the notorious gangster. I have plans for my life. None of them involve sleeping with the enemy, even if it's to broker peace between our families.
But when my sister mysteriously dies, my life turns upside-down. I'm now the heir of my father's assets, and without an arranged marriage, our families are on the brink of war.
Until my father gives Alessio an offer he can't refuse.
Me.