Chapter 59
Chapter Fifty-Nine
RICCI
I’m spellbound.
I stand in the middle of our living room, transfixed, unable to look away from her.
I guessed she would love the puppy, well, I hoped she would, but not like this.
Not this completely. Not this fast. Her whole face transforms the second she sees the little grey bundle wriggling in my arms. Her eyes go wide, soft, shining with something so pure it makes my chest ache.
I watch her heart melt, right in front of me, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
She falls in love with him instantly.
And I see it happen in real time — the way her breath catches, her hands reach out without hesitation, the way her entire body leans forward like she’s being pulled by something she can’t control.
The puppy lets out a tiny, excited yip, and her face lights up even brighter.
My throat feels tight. I’ve spent years watching her from the shadows, memorizing every small expression she tried to hide from the world, but I’ve never seen her like this. Open. Radiant. Completely unguarded.
Then she buries her nose in his soft fur for half a second before rearing back with a startled laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Oh my God,” she says, half-laughing, half-groaning. “He stinks. He really, really stinks.”
She’s still laughing as she holds him at arm’s length, the puppy wriggling happily in her grip, completely unbothered by her reaction.
I stare at her, completely enthralled. The way her cheeks flush with laughter, the loose curls falling around her face, the pure joy shining in her green eyes.
It all does something to me I can’t even name.
I feel it fill my chest like a glowing ball of happiness.
She glances up at me, still smiling, eyes bright. “Can I pause dinner for a little while and clean him up?”
I nod. “Yes. I’ll come with you.”
She hurries ahead of me up the stairs, the puppy cradled carefully against her chest like something precious.
I follow close behind, watching the way she moves, the soft sway of her sundress, the way she keeps murmuring gentle nonsense to the little dog the entire way.
When we reach her bathroom, she runs the tub, testing the water with her wrist, adjusting the temperature with the same focused care she gives everything.
I lean against the doorframe and just watch her.
She sets the puppy gently in the shallow water. He splashes immediately, clumsy and excited. She laughs again and kneels beside the bath. The sight of her gentle hands carefully washing the tiny puppy does something dangerous to me. My mind drifts somewhere I’ve never let it go before.
A baby.
For the first time in my life, I picture it.
Not in some vague, distant way. I see it clear and sharp: the two of us right here, bathing our child together.
Her hands gentle and sure, my arms around her, the same soft laughter filling the room.
I once told myself I had no interest in any of that.
Kids, a real home, the kind of life that could be taken away with a single bullet.
But now the image blooms so fiercely in my heart I feel like it might burst from it.
The desire is sudden and overwhelming, a deep, aching yearning I didn’t know I was capable of feeling.
Unable to resist, I head in, roll up my sleeves, and join her. As we bathe the puppy together, me holding him steady while she carefully works the soap through his fur, she glances up at me, eyes curious and warm.
“How did you even get him?” she asks, voice soft.
“I heard one of my men saying that their family pet had a litter of puppies and they needed a home. I remembered that once you saved a dog in the old house. You wanted to keep it, but Salvatore refused.” I pause, watching the way her fingers move so tenderly over the puppy’s ears.
“So I decided to get one for you. I went to the man’s house and picked one. ”
She looks up at me, eyes shining, then leans in to kiss me, a quick grateful kiss, her lips soft and warm against mine. When she pulls back, she whispers, “You picked the right one. He is perfect.”
“How did you know which one to pick from the litter?” she asks, genuinely curious.
I recall standing in the man’s backyard, the puppies tumbling over each other in their box.
“I already picked the biggest, strongest boy, the brave one who came right up to me, looked directly into my eyes, and smelled my hand. But I realized that he wasn’t for me, he was for you, and he wasn’t the right one.
” I smile at her. “I wanted the one that would melt your heart, so I went for the shy one hiding in the basket.”
She doesn’t say anything for a moment. She just looks at me, eyes soft and huge. “Thank you.”
I watch her the whole time while we finish bathing the puppy, completely in awe of her beauty.
The way the light catches on her skin, the gentle curve of her smile, the absolute tenderness in every movement she makes.
At that moment, in my mind, I swear to do everything in my power to keep her safe and happy.
No matter what it costs me. No matter what I have to do to make it happen. This life we’re building one small moment at a time is the only thing that matters anymore.