Chapter 27 #2
“I feel good,” I said. “Especially now that you’re here.
” Then the thought struck me that he might not be staying.
He might have come all this way to see me one more time so we could part on better terms and move on with our separate lives.
The thought alone was excruciating. I wouldn’t fucking let him go.
If he tried to leave, I’d tie him to my bed with those fishing nets over there.
“This place is…” he inhaled the fresh air, smiled, and glanced around. “Really something.”
“Are you staying?” The words flew out of my mouth before I could think to be more tactful.
He met my gaze, and I saw his own nerves reflected. “If you’ll have us. But if you’ve changed your mind—”
I grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him into me, our lips smashing together again to put an end to this bullshit. No more walking on eggshells, wondering whether this was for real. I broke the kiss and grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look into my eyes.
“I’m all in, Finn. I wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to.”
He smiled. “I wouldn’t have left even if you’d asked me to.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”
“Except… it’s not Finn anymore.” I let him go, and he held out his hand to me, offering a handshake. “It’s Ross Tiero.”
My smile widened, my cheeks aching as I took his hand firmly in mine and shook it. “Ross, short for Rossetti, by any chance?”
“Close enough.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ross. I’m Eli Drake.”
“Eli Drake. Fuck, that’s a better name than Ross Tiero. Alessio screwed me.”
I burst out laughing because, yeah, it really was. He smiled at me, with so much warmth in his dark eyes as his skin crinkled at the corners.
“You look different, too,” I said, taking off his cap and putting it on my head backwards. His dark hair was longer, making him look younger. “You look… happy.”
“Because I am,” he husked, pulling me closer again. “You just proved to me that dreams can come true.”
My eyes sparkled as excitement swarmed through my veins at the thought of showing him where I lived. Where we lived.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
I grabbed his hand, and he called for Neri.
I frowned when he didn’t use a different name.
“Her documents say Rina Tiero, but I’ll always call her Neri,” he explained.
She came running over, gushing about all the friends she’d made, even though they didn’t speak the same language.
I’d teach her Greek quickly enough, and in the meantime, many of the locals could speak English, so she could use that.
I gave them a quick tour of the town, stopping to grab Neri some ice cream with sprinkles, then following the path to the far end of the village, where the sea pushed right up against the land. I stopped in front of the house and turned to Finn.
It was a modest two-storey house with weathered shutters.
Three bedrooms, with a balcony off the master bedroom offering the best view of the Mediterranean.
The front garden bled straight onto the beach.
No high gates. No guards. No walls. It wasn’t anything like how we lived in Italy, and it made me nervous. Would it be enough for him?
“What do you think?”
He didn’t answer straight away. His eyes widened and slowly moved from the balcony to the blue door, then behind him to the secluded beach view. When his gaze met mine, all the unease was stripped from my body with that look alone.
“It’s perfect. Exactly how I’d always imagined it.”
My mouth curved into a soft smile, knowing what he was referring to. The dream I had ten years ago—half afraid to believe in it myself. The one that had inspired me to find the perfect place to start my life over.
“Do I have a bedroom?” Neri asked. I laughed, lifting her off Finn’s hip and tickling her until she shrieked and tried to escape.
“Of course you do! I made it yours. Go see!”
I opened the front door and let her run inside, her feet pounding up the stairs. Seconds later, we heard a high, breathless scream, followed by rapid gasps and squeals. We both laughed at the easy and carefree sound. Once again, I was hit with emotion, knowing they were here.
Finn stepped inside, taking it all in. I’d decorated with them in mind. Soft, warm colours and home comforts. Neri’s room was nearly identical to what I’d done for her birthday. I knew if they ever came, they’d be coming with nothing, so I wanted to make sure it felt like home to her straight away.
He stopped in the kitchen, brushing his hand against the wooden surface.
“This is…” he swallowed. “It’s fucking perfect, Enzo.”
He stepped closer, his hands settling on my hips as he gently pushed me back against the fridge.
“Eli,” I smirked at him for already forgetting.
“Eli, fuck. That’s going to take some getting used to.”
I chuckled, but my expression soon turned serious. “Thank you for choosing me. For choosing us. For giving up the life you knew for me. I know how hard it would have been to leave it all behind. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure it was worth it—for you and Neri.”
“No. Thank you for fighting for us.” He brushed his nose against mine. “You are my life. I didn’t give anything up. I chose you, me, and that little hurricane upstairs. That’s it. That’s what it’s all about.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held his gaze.
The longing to have him naked was almost painful.
But it was also grounding. The pull between us was tied by something stronger now.
Responsibility. Love. The quiet weight of being someone’s father.
I couldn't think with my dick whenever I liked. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“So,” I whispered, resting my forehead against his and breathing him in. “Maybe there is some truth to it.”
He raised his brow. “To what?”
“When you start to love yourself, life starts to love you back.”
His lips curved into that familiar smile, the one that had always been just for me. “It does when you're brave enough to go after what you want. La fortuna aiuta gli audaci.”
He kissed me, slow and tender, melting the world away until there was only the steady truth of us.
We’d survived the blood, the heartache, and the ghosts that haunted our names. Standing in the beach house at the edge of our own little world, we were ready to live the one we deserved.
It was the first day of the rest of our lives, and for the first time, it felt like nothing could be taken from us.