Chapter 31
31
G ia
“Hey, sweet baby,” I murmur to AJ as we lie on the expensive rug with baby toys scattered around us.
I’ve been back for a few days. I feel better now, and the doctor was right; the bruises are slowly but surely decreasing.
I look around the bedroom—Dante’s. He insisted I sleep in his bed, and the three of us have been a happy unit.
Katie, Collen’s niece who’s now working for Dante, is a sweetheart. She knows when to make herself scarce, like now, so I can share a precious moment with AJ.
Being around her again is the best. She’s grown so much in three weeks. She’s already getting into a crawling position with her hands and feet, and I’d bet money she’ll be crawling soon. Will I be here to see it?
God, I want to. Badly.
I missed AJ when I was gone, but being back, holding her, sniffing her fresh baby scent, and squeezing her chubby cheeks amplifies my love for her.
Lazily, I run my finger down her button nose. She smiles and grabs my finger, squeezing it.
A jolt of raw emotion travels through me. “Did you miss me?”
She coos, and I take that as a yes.
I lift a baby toy, and her attention is rapt. She focuses on the stuffed bear that makes annoying sounds, then laughs, amused. My heart shrinks for a moment, and I pick her up in my arms, hugging her like she’s about to be ripped away from me.
“I missed you,” I whisper. “A lot,” I say, louder.
She shifts in my lap, and I loosen my hold to let her explore the toys around us again.
Tears well up in my eyes, and I completely surrender to the emotions bubbling inside me. I love AJ. I want to be in her life, any way Dante will let me. I can’t give up on her completely. Hell, I don’t want to give up on him, either.
Though Dante is more complicated. Besides, maintaining a relationship with a baby is way easier than with an adult. A chuckle floats up my throat.
The sound of the door opening yanks me from my thoughts. I look up to find Dante striding into his retreat, with Katie following behind.
“Having fun?” he asks, walking up to us.
“Catching up.” I smooth my hand over my shirt. I opted for a casual gray shirt and matching sweatpants since I’m not allowed to go anywhere. Not that I’d want to be out now, anyway. Until this situation with Santini is solved, I’m prioritizing safety.
It’s funny. I longed for my freedom, was one step closer to it after I left Ciro and started my plan to save money. Then, when I ended up in Tulip, living alone, studying, with enough financial dependence to last a lifetime, I missed the feelings I experienced when I was with Dante and AJ. I realize now. That he gave me a different kind of freedom. A kind I never expected.
“I’ll give AJ her bath,” Katie says, carefully lifting the baby from the floor and leaving us alone.
“How are you?” Dante asks, sitting next to me on the rug.
I suck in a breath and accidentally catch a whiff of his masculine scent, fresh and crisp. “That’s a loaded question. Happy to be back, and sad because of what happened. And worried.”
I give him a lingering glance and internally add, and horny. Man, does he look good in the fitted pants, dark shirt, and leather jacket. A spark of arousal flits through me, but I clear my throat and look away. I need to focus. We haven’t talked about us, what the future holds, or anything.
I assume he kept quiet because he wanted me to rest and not worry too much. What if there’s another reason? He told me about how he wasn’t able to commit to AJ’s mom.
“Happy to be back… do you mean it? I thought you loved your new life.”
“I did… I just missed AJ.”
“Is AJ all you missed?”
My heart thrums in my chest, but I don’t want to make it easy for him. “Why don’t you tell me what it was like for you when I was gone? Katie seems fantastic,” I manage to say casually.
“Katie is all right. But she’s not you.”
My pulse skitters. “Yeah?”
He reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket and takes out a rectangular velvet box wrapped with a silver bow. “For you,” he says, kneeling next to me and offering me the gift.
Surprised, I carefully unwrap the bow as a nervous chuckle escapes my throat. I open the box, and the sparkle of a diamond tennis bracelet greets me. I pick it up. Wow. It’s beautiful.
“Read inside,” he says.
I accept his suggestion, bring the bracelet closer to my face, and read the engraved words. Not. Every. Girl.
“Gorgeous,” I whisper.
Pure, unfiltered hope wells up inside me, and I stare at him as he helps me secure the bracelet on my wrist.
“I missed you. I had a man track you while you were away… I told myself it was because I needed to ensure you were safe, but I also needed to know how you were doing. Every time Randy texted me updates, I experienced a giant wave of heat, of regret, of longing. I wanted to call you to get you back. But I was scared.”
“You were?” I’m entranced by his words and note his verb tense. He was scared. Is he not anymore?
He leans closer to me, his gaze on mine. “I’ve never felt this way before.” He catches my hand and presses it against his heart. The second I feel his erratic beats, a zing of awareness shoots through my wrist and spreads within me as if touching his heart ignites my immediate, organic response. “I love you, Gia.”
He stares at me, dipping his head like he’s searching for a better angle to study my response.
My heart stops working for a beat or two. My entire body comes to a halt.
“You love me,” I repeat like I’m learning a different language. Having this amazing man so close to me, telling me these things, is the coveted lottery prize I never bought a ticket for. Never even believed life would award me. But… maybe he didn’t either.
Not women loving him. I’m sure he’s experienced that—but him loving them back? I don't think so.
“Yes. I love you like fucking crazy,” he admits, his eyes holding mine hostage with such intensity, I could burst at any moment. “I was miserable when you were gone, but I wanted you to have your shot at the new life you dreamed of. When you went, you took something with you, and I felt?—”
“Less free?” I say tentatively, holding my breath.
“Yes. When I’m with you, my world is complete in a way that’s brand new. It scared me at first because as the depth of those emotions grew, I felt confused and guilty.”
“Because of Andie?”
He shrugs. “For a while, yes, because I didn’t love her back. What I know now, though, is that you, Gia, are the one for me. It’s not just that I wasn’t able to give or receive these feelings… In a way, I was waiting for you to come along. Even if it took me a while to realize.”
My heartbeats are so out of control that I hear buzzing in my ears as my blood pounds in my veins. My body is in a delicious overdrive of emotions.
“I love you too,” I say in a low, careful voice like every word is so delicate it could break.
“Marry me.” He holds my hand and deposits the gentlest kiss on my wrist. “Marry me, and I promise I’ll be the husband you deserve.”
Marry me. His words swim in my brain. More than his bracelet, more than his declaration of love, he wants to marry me. My insides soften, and a warm glow flows through me. I don’t even know how practicality will play a role in this—can I get divorced from a dead man who’s not officially dead yet? We need a lawyer to take care of these details. The bottom line is that Dante is offering lifelong commitment.
“Yes. Yes.”
He lets out a long exhale. “You will? Fuck, I almost died just now.”
“I’m making you work for it, aren’t I?”
“I’ll work relentlessly for you,” he says, putting his arms around me. “Until my last breath.”
Oh, my god. I touch my forehead, light-headed. Damn it. I believe him. I want to work for him, too. For us, until we die. I want to be his forever. I want to be his… now.
I’m out of breath, my chest rising and falling in shallow pants. “How about we get started?”