Chapter 46 Bambalina
Bambalina
The sun is rising when the gates creak open and our tires crunch over the gravel outside my home.
I look over my shoulder and see Cristiano and Trilby trailing behind in a black SUV.
Nicolò cuts the engine and looks over at me.
He hasn’t slept for two nights but he looks brighter than I’ve ever seen him.
He curls his fingers around mine and squeezes once.
I nod and smile, holding on to our little secret for just a few seconds longer.
My heart is pounding with nerves but it’s also filled with conviction.
Whatever happens next, Nicolò and I are together.
If our families can’t accept it, there’s nothing we can do.
Trilby was awake and pacing the house when we turned up to the Di Santo residence. She threw her arms around me, eyeing Nicolò suspiciously when everyone else left the room to give us space. When I eventually untangled my arms from her and stepped back into his embrace, her jaw dropped.
“No,” she whispered. “You’re together?”
Words tumbled out of me at a million miles an hour.
I covered everything from the moment I ‘shot’ him, to the way he cleared the vines for me, the damage he did to Taylor in my honor, the support he gave me when I had to visit the doctor, and the intense pull we both felt whenever we were in the same room.
I left out the part where I wrote dirty fantasies about him. No one needs to know that.
Nicolò waited until I’d finished, then said four words that made tears spill from her eyes.
“I won’t hurt her.”
She nodded and wiped the tears away with the heel of her palm.
“I promise,” he said. “With every beat of my heart.”
One down, only five more to go, I think nervously, as we take the steps up to the house. I make a mental note to call Sera as soon as we get over this next hurdle.
Papa, Antonia, Allegra and Tess are huddled on the chairs and sofa, their eyes wide as we enter.
Allegra bursts into tears as soon as she sees us, and Antonia turns to comfort her, tears running down her own cheeks. Tess leaps into me, grabbing Papa’s arm, wrapping it around us both.
“You’re safe,” she whispers, over and over, into my neck. “We’ve been so worried.”
Papa’s body shakes as he holds us tight, and finally, my own tears fall.
“Come and sit down,” Tess says, holding my shoulders. “Let me get you some more clothes.”
I glance down at my bare legs. I had totally forgotten I was still wearing my night shorts. I’ve been sitting in warm cars all morning and basking in Nicolò’s body heat.
I nod gratefully, but I don’t move. When Papa steps back, his red, tear-stained cheeks plump with relief, Nicolò pulls me back into him and wraps his arms around my front. It’s a clear statement. I’m his now. His to keep warm, close… safe.
The sound of Tess’s chatter and Allegra’s crying quiets to a deafening silence.
Trilby’s presence warms my side, Cristiano coming up behind her.
“What’s going on?” Tess whispers.
Nicolò is the one to tell them. “Lina and I are together,” he says firmly.
I stroke a hand over his arms and look into Papa’s eyes. “It’s true.”
Antonia rises to her feet and walks over to stand at Papa’s side.
Her gaze flits between us. “But… when?”
“Before Alessio,” Nicolò replies. “It’s been going on a while.”
“I thought you both…” She struggles to find the words. “I didn’t think you liked each other that much.”
I can’t help my smile as I peer up at my lover.
Nicolò scrunches his nose. “No, I think we always did. We just didn’t want to admit it.”
Papa just stares at us both, open-mouthed.
“The truth is,” Nicolò starts. “I love Lina. I would do anything for her.
Papa clears his throat. “Bambi…”
“Yes, Papa?”
He glances up at Nicolò, apologetically. “You’re still so young. You have a whole life ahead of you. Nicolò, he’s…” His voice trails off.
“He’s a made man,” I finish. “Yes, I know.”
I unwrap Nicolò’s arms and take Papa’s hands. “I’m not any child anymore, Papa,” I say softly. “I haven’t been for a long time. Not since we lost Mama. I think you always knew that; you just didn’t want to see it.”
Another tear collects in the corner of his eye. “I know my own mind, I know my heart. I love Nicolò, and I want this.”
“And I will protect her with my life,” Nicolò adds. “Especially after what just happened. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
Antonia shakes her head. “That’s not possible, Nicolò. You have to work, and Bambi has to go to school. And you’re about to move into your own place, remember?”
A smile crests my lips. My stepmother is thinking about the logistics of keeping me safe—not the feasibility of our relationship.
“I have a young soldier,” Nicolò says, turning to me. “I haven’t mentioned this to you yet, and I won’t go ahead with anything you don’t approve of, but he’s a good, loyal guy, and discreet. He can protect you until I figure something out longer term.”
I blink up at him. “I trust you.”
Antonia lays a hand on Papa’s arm and faces her son. She gives a brief shake of her head, then smiles widely. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy, love. Not since before…”
He curls an arm around my waist, drawing my gaze to his, then he looks at me when he speaks. “Lina makes me happy.”
I feel like my heart is going to explode, more so when Antonia throws her arms around us, squeezing us both tight. I reach out and hold Papa’s arm, and he lays a hand over mine.
It’s quiet, it’s subtle, but it’s a blessing, and I could float up to the sky with happiness.
When we pull apart, Allegra’s face appears, her expression elated. She puts an arm around me and holds up her phone. Sera’s face appears in the camera. I squeal when I see her.
“Bambi!” she shrieks. “You and Nicolò?”
“You heard?” I ask, pressing a palm to my heart.
“Heard? I saw! I can still see. You two are perfect together. I’m so happy for you!”
I grab the phone from Allegra’s hands and plant a kiss on it. “I love you Sera. Come home soon.”
“Girl, I am on my way.” She lifts an arm to show me an overnight bag and I squeal again.
As Antonia, Allegra and Tess rush off to make preparations for Sera’s arrival, and Cristiano takes Nicolò to one side to discuss business, Papa turns to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask, quietly.
He sighs, heavily. “Yes, Bambalina, I am. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. But I’ll never forgive myself for what we put you through.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your engagement to Alessio,” he says with a small frown. “It should never have happened.”
“That wasn’t your fault, Papa—”
“But I didn’t try hard enough to stop it.”
I squeeze his hands. “There was nothing you could have done, Papa. If I were Cristiano, I’d have offered me up for marriage too. It made the most sense. He wasn’t to know I was in love with Nicolò.”
His forehead softens. “Are you really in love?”
“Yes, Papa. He isn’t perfect, and neither am I, but it just feels right. I feel like myself when I’m with him, and…”
“And what, my love?”
“I haven’t felt like myself, really, since Mama died.”
Papa’s shoulders fall. “This is not the path I’d have chosen for any of you girls. I never thought we’d be more to the Di Santo’s than associates. I thought I could shield you from a life in the Cosa Nostra.”
“They’re not entirely bad men, Papa,” I say, my smile lopsided. I still haven’t discussed the killings with Nicolò, but even I know they were carried out with intent.
“As long as they protect and honor my daughters,” he says, with an exhausted sigh, “they can be as bad as they like.”
Allegra kindly offered Nicolò and I the apartment next door so we could have time to ourselves before the whole family descends on our home.
I sit on the bed, my head fluttering with the afterglow of our parents’ blessing, while Nicolò stands with his back leaned up against the wall, his hands deep in his pockets.
He is so damn sexy with two-day-old stubble, unkempt hair and the scent of a pine forest lingering on his skin. I can’t believe I get to call this man mine. But first, I feel like an apology is in order.
“I’m sorry I kicked out at you when you were trying to rescue me,” I say, wincing. “I think I was in shock. Or dying of hypothermia. Possibly both.”
His brow dips. “No, you had every reason to be angry with me. I did lie to you. I killed Dario and Alessio and told you I hadn’t.”
I take a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
He lifts his chin. “I wanted the time to explain properly. We’d just arrived under Alessio’s roof, and I was still trying to figure out which rooms were wire-tapped. I knew he wasn’t on our side—I just had to prove it.”
I curl my fingers together, his gaze falling to them. “And how did you?”
“His son gave me all the proof I needed,” he answers tightly.
I tilt my head. “His son?”
“Fiero.” He walks toward me, coming to kneel on the floor at my feet.
“Alessio was a bad man, Lina. He was cruel to his sons and tried to take credit for everything they’ve achieved.
He’d been involved with his housekeeper since before their mother died, and never dignified their relationship by making it official.
He was working with the Russians to end our rule over New York.
He needed to be removed, and I had Fiero’s permission. Encouragement, in fact.”
“Why couldn’t Fiero kill him?”
“Some law within their family forbade him. No made man within the Bellucci clan can murder their own don. It had to be someone outside.”
“That’s convenient,” I mutter.
He grips my hands. “Lina, I relished it. If you want to know me, and understand me, you have to know that I took great pleasure in killing Alessio Bellucci.”
Something akin to relief fills my chest. He’s finally being honest with me. “I don’t want you to hold back, Nicolò. Don’t keep things from me again, okay? Promise?”
“I promise.”
I lower my lashes again. “Is it true Alessio was planning to kill me and Antonia? Like Orlov said?”
He pauses for a moment. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have put it past him. While he had softened in his later years, he committed some gruesome crimes in the past. He was more than capable of killing without mercy.”
I shudder at the thought. I’d had no idea what a clusterfuck I’d walked into.
Nicolò gets to his feet. “Anyway, I almost forgot…”
I look up. “Forgot what?”
“To give you your present.”
I smile through a frown. “What are you talking about?”
“Your birthday gift,” he says, walking over to a bag by the door. “I never gave it to you.”
He pulls out an envelope and hands it to me.
“Sorry it isn’t wrapped.” He wrinkles his nose. “I’ve been a little busy.”
I open the envelope and pull out some sheets of paper. It takes me a few seconds to realize what I’m looking at. It’s a pair of tickets to Rome.
My mouth falls open. “These are airplane tickets.”
He grins and cocks a brow. “Not just any airplane tickets.” He leans over and points to the Corioni-Di Santo logo. “Our airline tickets.”
I gasp. “We own a jet?”
“Technically, Andreas owns the jet, but we’re family now.”
I hold up the tickets. “There are two tickets here. Don’t I need to take security with me?”
He leans over me, bringing his fingers to my chin, tilting my face up to his. “Are you seriously asking me that? I’m your security, baby.”
He lowers his lips, brushing them softly over mine. “You didn’t need to get me a gift,” I whisper. “Having you is enough.”
“You deserve more than ‘enough’, Lina. You deserve the world, and I’m going to take you to see it.”
He presses his lips onto mine and inhales a soft moan. I uncurl my fingers and thread them through his hair.
He kisses me deeply then pulls back a little. “And when we return home, I’m going to build you a dark room.”
He pushes me gently back on to the bed and crawls above me.
I let him lift my arms above my head and press them into the comforter, his fingers wrapped around my wrists. “I already have a dark room,” I reply, breathless.
He dips down to my lips, giving me just a little before pulling away again. “I’m going to build you a better one. At my place.”
My hips grind beneath him, heat building through the length of my body.
His cock twitches against my shorts. “And do you know what else I’m going to do?”
“What?” The word is carried on a gasp as he kisses my earlobe and licks his way to my collarbone.
“I’m gonna take you grocery shopping.”
I moan softly when his lips reach the crevice between my breasts.
“We never did buy that steak,” I rasp.
“Then that’s the first thing I will cook for you, Mrs. Di Santo.”
He reaches the waistband of my shorts and pauses. I lift my head, locking our gazes together.
Before, when he called me by that name, neither of us thought marriage would be a possibility. It was safe to play.
But now that we have our parents’ blessing, marriage need not be off the cards.
I search his eyes for any suggestion he might be freaked out by the idea, but there’s none.
Only heat, desire and conviction.
And a deep, unwavering love that, finally, I know I am worthy of.