Chapter 84
Harlow
Instead of waking up to Caterina between my legs, I woke up to Titus and Lucifer snuggling with me.
It wasn’t the exact wakeup call I was expecting, but I was always happy to see my sweet boys.
Titus licked my face as Lucifer nuzzled his face into my neck.
Caterina wasn’t in bed, but I knew she wasn’t gone.
I pulled myself out of bed and stepped to the bathroom, washing my face and getting ready for the afternoon.
Caterina let me sleep in, and it was already three in the afternoon.
Sleep felt like a luxury now, but I wasn’t one to complain.
Titus and Lucifer followed me downstairs into the kitchen and stayed by my feet.
I learned that they would only attack if Caterina or I told them to, or if I was in obvious danger.
Caterina was in the kitchen with Antonio cooking a late lunch.
She smiled when she saw me and walked towards me with a strawberry.
“Good morning, mia vita.” She kissed me before giving me the strawberry.
“I decided we could have a small lunch. I want you to meet an old friend of mine. He owns a restaurant in town, and he is finally back from traveling after two years away.”
I nodded, biting the strawberry. “Yeah. I’m okay with meeting him. I’m sorry if I get jumpy.”
“Don’t apologize. I won’t tell him anything, but he will know boundaries will be in place. You won’t be obligated to hug him or even shake his hand.”
I loved this woman. “When do we need to leave?”
“We will go tonight after the auction, if you want to?”
“It’ll be perfect. A nightcap after an exhilarating night. Is Serenity awake?”
“She’s with your mom.”
“Do you want to see how the boys are with her?”
She nodded. “I’ll meet you in the gardens with her.”
I took Titus and Lucifer to the gardens.
They were our sweet boys, and I knew they would love Serenity as much as we did.
Today felt like the perfect time to do this.
I kissed Lucifer’s head as Caterina and Serenity walked into the gardens.
Lucifer and Titus both wagged their tails, but I told them to sit.
I reached for Serenity. “Good morning, my love.”
“Good morning, Mommy,” she cooed. “Who are they?”
“These are our favorite boys, Titus and Lucifer. We wanted you to officially meet them.”
Caterina directed Serenity with what to do and they both sniffed her, but the moment their tails continued to wag, I knew there wouldn’t be an issue. They loved her just as much as we did. Serenity hugged Lucifer and giggled when he licked her face, followed by a sneak attack from Titus.
Caterina looked at me, and I knew she was screaming with joy on the inside. Her dogs were her pride and joy, next to me and now Serenity. Her so-called demon dogs were truly lap dogs, just like their mama. All it took was the right person to domesticate them.
“Lucy and Titus.” Serenity giggled. “They are big.”
“And they are protective. If you ever need something, you just scream and they’ll be by your side,” Caterina explained.
“When we get the chance, do you want a puppy?” Serenity beamed.
“I want you to have your own Doberman to grow up with and then they can protect you like Titus and Lucifer protect Mommy.”
“Do they protect you, too?”
Caterina smiled. “They can, but you see, Mama is like her dogs, and this mama bear protects her girls.” Caterina brushed Serenity’s hair out of her face. “Grandpa won’t get you a dog, will he?”
I laughed, enjoying this moment. “Careful, Caterina, she’ll go and ask him for a dog and he might get her one.”
“He told me no.”
“She’s the grandbaby.”
We stayed in the gardens for another two hours watching Serenity with the boys as the afternoon slowly crept in.
Soon we would have to get ready for the museum auction and then meet Caterina’s friend tonight.
Life truly was going as planned, and I couldn’t wait to get on track with doing everything I once dreamt of.
Red was slowly becoming my favorite color to wear, because I loved the way Caterina looked at me when I wore it.
I knew it was her favorite color, but it also looked amazing on me.
Lizzy helped me do my hair and makeup. Even after a year, I was horrible at simple things, but I also didn’t care much for it.
Tonight was special, and I knew my face would be on the news.
I stepped back into the room and Caterina’s eyes trailed down my body. “Penso di essermi innamorato di nuovo.” I think I fell in love all over again. She took my hand and spun me into her arms. “You look breathtaking.”
I grabbed her by her suspenders. “I think you look amazing. Don’t wear dresses anymore, because I love these suspenders. God, I’m lucky.”
She pressed my lips to mine. “I’m the lucky one, mia vita.”
I pressed my lips to hers in a soft kiss. “I’m sorry if I get jumpy or scared. There are going to be a lot of people there.”
“And I will be by your side. Gemma knows no one is allowed to touch you or invade your space.”
“You really planned everything out, didn’t you?”