Chapter Thirty-Seven Ella
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ella
Iwake up the next morning wrapped tightly in Tiero’s embrace. A heavy arm holds me firm against his chest, his leg draped over mine.
Is he so afraid I might bail that even in his sleep he needs to make sure I can’t get away?
I can’t really blame him after what happened the last time we spent an incredible night together.
Though things are different now. He understands he can’t dictate my life. He promised to find a way out of the Mafia.
The implications of that hit me all at once. Questions spiral through my head.
How will he leave la famiglia? Where will we live? What will he do with himself if he’s no longer the Don?
Would he miss the lifestyle he grew up in? Would he resent me one day for giving it all up?
But hasn’t he demanded the same of me? At least that puts us on more equal footing.
We still have so much to talk about, so much to figure out.
What matters most, though, is that he’s willing to work on us. I truly believe he’s learned from his past mistakes and wants to make amends. It’s why I gave in to what we both so desperately wanted.
Will his old tendencies to control and dominate vanish? No, of course not. It’s part of who he is. I’m under no illusion about that.
But as long as I call him out on it and stand my ground, we might have a chance.
I still have no idea what my life will look like from here. The uncertainty bothers me, but after months on the run, I handle the unknown better than I used to.
The one thing I’m sure of is Tiero’s love for me and our baby. I feel it in every touch, every kiss, in the way he looks at me. It’s intoxicating to have such a powerful man so completely devoted to me.
How did that even happen?
When he opened up about his childhood last night, I felt transported back to his island, where talking to him for hours felt effortless. Just like then, hours of conversation turned into hours of lovemaking. This time was no different.
I grin to myself at the memory.
After our chat, we shared a bath that turned into a make-out session, followed by… well, you can imagine what. The bathroom ended up flooded. Not that Tiero cared. And in that moment, neither did I.
That wore me out, and I managed a few hours of sleep before Tiero’s mouth woke me in the most delicious way, and round four followed. This one was slow and tender, and on a whole new level.
I honestly can’t say which way I prefer he takes me. All of it is mind-blowing.
Tiero’s steady breath behind me tells me he’s still asleep. Wanting to look at him, I carefully ease myself from his hold and turn in his arms.
His lips are slightly parted, his breathing soft. He looks peaceful, untouched by the worries of the world. His dark hair is a little longer than when I last saw him, mussed from sleep and our nocturnal activities.
I brush my fingers across his forehead. I want to pepper his face with kisses, but I don’t want to wake him, so I resist.
He’s so damn handsome, it should be illegal.
My mind drifts back to yesterday and his sudden appearance.
Shit.
Rhia. Lex. Claudette.
Guilt stabs me.
So caught up in everything Tiero, they completely slipped my mind. Some friend I am. Still, there wasn’t much I could have done with them sedated and heavily guarded for the night.
The thought that I spent the night indulging in makeup sex while my friends lay unconscious only a short distance away sits heavy in my chest.
I need to check on them. Now.
As if sensing the shift in me, Tiero stirs. His eyes open and a sleepy smile spreads across his face when he catches me looking at him.
He pulls me closer. “Now that’s the most beautiful sight to wake up to. I want that every day.”
I rub my nose along his neck and press gentle kisses to his skin.
“Me too.” And I mean it.
A life without Tiero is unimaginable. I can’t picture my world without him.
It only deepens my guilt.
How do I explain what happened between Tiero and me to Rhia after being so adamant about getting away from him? After all the help Lex and Freemont have given me? It’s like I’m betraying them.
The bile rises fast. I push Tiero’s hands away and scramble out of bed.
I barely make it to the bathroom before I’m bent over the toilet, retching.
Tiero is there instantly, holding my hair back, rubbing soothing circles along my spine.
“Morning sickness?” he asks.
I nod, not trusting myself to explain what really set this off.
How do I even begin to put it into words?
When it passes, he drapes his shirt over my shoulders to keep me warm. When I stand, he helps me into it, his gaze darkening as he buttons it up.
“You look so damn mine in that shirt,” he murmurs. “Never take it off.”
Despite the unease twisting in my stomach, I grin.
After rinsing my mouth and drying my hands, I let Tiero guide me back into the main room and settle me on the sofa.
“I need to see them,” I say quietly. “Rhia. All of them.”
“You will,” he says immediately. “But not like this.”
“I’m fine,” I argue, even as another wave of nausea rolls through me.
“No,” he says flatly. “And neither is our baby if you don’t eat something first.”
I open my mouth to argue, then stop.
His hand settles over my belly. “Just a little. For my peace of mind. Please. You and the baby need nourishment. Then we go.”
I hate that he’s right. And with the way he’s looking at me so earnestly, how can I deny him something so reasonable?
“…Fine,” I mutter. “But only something small.”
Not long after, we’re sitting in the breakfast nook of the cabin, and I’m nibbling on a piece of toast Tiero made for me. He offered eggs, but I shut that down immediately. I can’t stand the smell.
Besides, Tiero has never cooked a day in his life. I would have loved to watch him try. Maybe another time.
Outside, the lake lies glass-still, mirroring the heavy clouds hanging low in the sky.
Is today the day it finally snows?
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, coffee in hand.
His attention has been on me from the second he woke up, and I wonder what he sees when he looks at me.
Someone adjusting to the weight of the choices she’s made? Someone trying to picture a future that still feels unreal?
“Many things,” I say.
“Care to share?”
“Well… I think it’s going to snow today. We were going to spend the winter in a mountain retreat that gets snowed in.”
“We?” he asks. “Who’s we?”
“Claudette and I. She’s friends with the owners. There’s a whole community up there. We shared a cabin. We left only because of Rhia. We were supposed to go back before the snow fell.”
His expression hardens. “You can’t go back.”
The firmness in his voice grates on me. “You’re not trying to dictate my movements already, are you?”
His fists clench and unclench as he grinds his teeth.
“No. But you have to see it’s not wise to spend months snowed in somewhere. What if you need medical attention? Besides, you and I need to be together, and I don’t do cold weather for long.”
I had no intention of returning to Mountain Breath, but I’m certainly not going back to Sicily.
“They have a very capable naturopath who’s been looking after me,” I say. “I don’t want to be apart from you either, but maybe it would make sense for me to winter there while you sort out… everything.” I wave a hand vaguely, unwilling to say leaving the Mafia out loud.
“No,” he says without hesitation. “We won’t be separated again. I’m going to be part of this pregnancy. I’m going to be there for you every day.”
“I’m not going back to Sicily,” I say firmly. “That hasn’t changed.”
He exhales slowly, clearly reining himself in. He isn’t used to being challenged.
“We’ll work it out.”
I have no idea how. Deciding to leave that for now, I push on.
“Are Rhia, Claudette, and Lex captives, or are they free to go?”
“They can leave whenever they want.”
Then why are they under guard? I keep that thought to myself, unwilling to get dragged into semantics.
“A car is waiting whenever they’re ready,” Tiero adds.
Why do I get the impression he’s keen for them to leave?
This is far too much like my Sicily vacation all over again. The difference is that this time he’s not pretending otherwise.
“Are they awake?”
“Claudette and Rhia are. Alexander Dougal is still out.”
“How much sedative did they give him?”
Concern and guilt sink their claws into me, and the few bites of toast sit heavy in my stomach.
“He’s fine,” Tiero says, reaching for my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Dr. Agosti monitored them all.”
Needing to see it for myself, I swallow the last bite of toast.
“I’m done,” I say, pushing my plate away. “Let’s go.”
We head for the door to put on our coats. I pause. “And Tiero, I want to talk to them alone.”
His body stiffens. He studies me, suspicion darkening his expression.
He doesn’t seriously think I’m about to hatch another escape plan, does he?
I swallow my irritation and force myself to see this from his perspective.
We’ve been back together for less than a day. After how many times I tried to run, of course he has doubts. Trust doesn’t rebuild overnight.
I step closer and wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him into me before he can retreat. I kiss him.
After a beat, he grips me tighter, kissing me back with a desperation that melts me on the spot.
Is he insecure?
God, leaving him really did more damage than I realized.
I pull back and cradle his face. He turns his head and presses a soft kiss into my palm.
“I want to be a family with you. Gualtiero Leandro De Marco, I love you. I won’t run.”
He exhales sharply and leans forward until his forehead rests against mine. Closing his eyes, he breathes me in.
“Thank you,” he whispers, before claiming my mouth again.
My reassurance was exactly what he needed.