50. This Is Forever
CHAPTER 50
THIS IS FOREVER
J ia
I watch the gentle rise and fall of Marco’s chest, the sea of tan skin buried beneath dark tendrils of hair and that gilded cross nestled in the center. I’ve been thanking God every day since we returned from Puerto Rico with both of us safe and sound.
I also haven’t been resting enough, spending all night just watching him sleep. To make sure he’s still breathing, to make sure he’s still here… I never thought I could love someone so much, so wholly, so completely.
When he was gone, it was as if he’d taken a piece of my heart with him. I inch closer so I’m flush against his side and tighten my arm around his torso. I’ve slept attached to him every night since our return two days ago. We’ve also spent nearly all of those forty-eight hours in this bed.
But today, we would finally have to leave the confines of our happy bubble because it’s finally opening day for CityZen. As if Marco senses the flurry of excitement thrumming through my veins, his lids flutter and he inhales deeply.
“Good morning, spitfire…”
“Good morning, honey.” I roll onto his stomach and press a kiss to his mouth. My thighs are still sticky with his cum from last night, and as I straddle his hips, I’m greeted by his already hardening cock.
“This is how I want to wake up every morning,” he murmurs against my lips.
“I suppose it could be arranged, if you’re a good boy.”
Marco chuckles, the warm sound reverberating through his chest into my own. “Only for my wife.” He frames my face with his strong hands and captures my gaze. “ Dio , Jia, I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you. You have me so completely whipped it’s embarrassing.”
A faint chuckle seeps through as I regard him. “I guess this is what real love is, right?”
He nods. “I hate the feeling as much as I love it.” He pauses to nibble on my bottom lip before continuing. “I’ve never felt so vulnerable, so afraid of losing everything. The human life is frail, fragile, so easily extinguished. In my line of work, it’s the harsh reality we live. The idea of spending even a minute without you has become completely unacceptable. How are we supposed to continue doing what we do? And when we have children…” His hands drop to my stomach, cradling my belly.
“So what are you saying? You don’t want to run the Gemini empire anymore?”
He shrugs. “It’s not something I can just walk away from.”
Just like I couldn’t walk away from the Four Seas.
“But there has to be something we can do so I’m not tempted to tie you to this bed and never let you leave the safety of the penthouse again.”
“I think I would be okay with that.” I rock my hips against his cock, and he releases a satisfying shudder .
“There’s something I’ve never told you…” His lids slowly close, then he shakes his head as if ridding himself of some dark memory. “I wanted to tell you after you admitted the truth about your father because it made me understand so much more about you, and I want you to know everything about me. It doesn’t excuse the way I’ve acted toward women for the majority of my adult life, but maybe you’ll understand why I got so fucked up.”
I still, no longer grinding against his erection. I’ve never seen him so serious.
“You can tell me anything.” I caress his cheek, reveling in the feel of the soft stubble.
“I was only a kid when I first fell in love—or at least, I was certain it was love until I met you. I was nineteen and Isabella had just turned eighteen. She was my world at the time. She was a foster kid like me and we’d met in the system years earlier. I’d already aged out and we continued to see each other, and things finally developed into a serious relationship. She was supposed to move in with Nico and me…”
Tears fill his eyes, and a sliver of my heart nearly breaks right off.
“We’d just started the Geminis back then. We were a rag tag group of kids without families, without love or guidance. Nico and I were hustling on the street to pay for college, anything to make a buck. We were stupid and got into the drug business because it was easy and paid well. Isa was just at the wrong place…”
His jaw clenches as his eyes flutter closed once again.
“She died because of me, in a damned dark alley with a gunshot in the chest. A bullet that was meant for me because I stiffed our dealer a hundred bucks. She died for a mere one hundred dollars. Do you know how fucked up that is?” A dark, rueful chuckle pierces the tense air. “I drop hundreds like dollar bills now. And Isa died because I was a selfish asshole.”
“No, you weren’t.” I cradle his face with both my hands now and sink down closer so our chests are flush. “You were just a boy trying to survive. That poor girl didn’t deserve to die, but you can’t hold yourself responsible for some drug dealing asshole with a gun.”
“But she never would have been there if it weren’t for me.”
“And Qian never would have been in your sights if I hadn’t killed my father.” I snag my lip between my teeth. “And still, I blamed you for his death.”
His head dips, and he releases a slow, pained breath. “After Isa, I vowed never to get attached, never to fall in love because it hurt too damned much. I’d already been abandoned by my mother and father. Isa had no fault in her abandonment, but still, I was left alone.”
“Never again.” I capture his lips, pouring every ounce of love I feel for this man into that kiss. “You’ll never be alone again now that I’m here, and I vow never to leave you, for as long as we both shall live.”
A rueful smile parts his lips as I echo the words of our marriage vows. “I love you, Jia,” he whispers against my mouth before he sinks his cock inside me. “And now, I’m going to show you exactly how much.”
When we reach the corner of Gansevoort, the street is closed off, hundreds of people filling the area in front of my boutique. “What the…?” My head spins to Marco.
“What? It’s the grand opening of CityZen, right? We had to go big.”
I try to peer over Rick’s shoulder as he maneuvers the car through the immense crowd gathered. Not only are there people everywhere, but some sort of a stage stretches across Gansevoort Avenue.
I shoot my husband a questioning glance as a tornado of nerves lash at my insides. “What did you do? ”
“What I had to do to ensure the success of my wife’s new business.” He pulls me into his side and rewards me with his trademark panty-dropping smile. It’s a good thing I’m not wearing any. “Did you know that between the Valentinos and Rossies, we have a pretty decent portfolio of the fashion high and mighty?”
“You went to Luca and Dante?” I know my husband’s relationship with his half-brothers is strained on a good day.
“Only for you, spitfire.”
Rick pulls the car up to the back entrance of CityZen, the crowd parting at our arrival, and I see it. It’s a runway filled with models and rows of seats lining both sides. Marco planned a full out fashion show for the grand opening.
“Oh my God, I love you!” I throw my arms around the back of his neck and squeeze so hard I take both our breaths away. “When did you have time to do all this?”
“I told you, Mel and Ari were on it. We’re pretty damned lucky to have such fantastic assistants.”
“And I’m beyond lucky to have the most amazing husband in the world.” I smash my lips to his, reveling in his familiar taste and touch. If we only had a few more minutes, I would have thanked him more thoroughly, but there is always tonight.
When Rick opens the back door, shouts and applause ring out from every corner. Light bulbs flash as Marco and I step out, and a dozen paparazzi push mics into our faces. He ushers me through the mob, much more familiar with this sort of fiasco than I am.
We reach the stage, and guards move in around us as we rush up the steps, Nicky’s familiar bulky frame slowing the manic fluttering of my heart. Then Marco hands me a mic, and heat flushes my cheeks, the mad drumbeat skyrocketing once more.
“Say something to your fans, spitfire,” he whispers. A glint of mischief lights up his mismatched irises. “This is your show, after all.”
Right. Drawing in a breath, I try to think of something smart and witty to say, but my tongue is hopelessly tied. I can already see the models showcasing my designs lining up behind me beneath the glittering lights.
It’s so surreal.
“Thank you,” I murmur against the mic. “Thank you all for joining us to celebrate the grand opening of CityZen. I hope you find as much joy in my designs as I did in crafting them. Each piece represents a journey of personal catharsis, a revelation that allowed me to embrace my true self—with its scars and flaws and all.”
Marco’s arm tightens around my waist as heat pricks at the back of my eyes. I’m so overwhelmed with emotion I can barely speak. So instead, I hand the mic over to the emcee Marco has hired for the event and press my palms together before dropping my chin to my chest. “Thank you, again,” I mouth over the roar of applause.
The fashion show was a hit, the grand opening of CityZen completely phenomenal. I sold every single piece I’d prepared for the event and I’m so keyed up by the enthusiasm, I have new ideas popping into my head non-stop.
I stand atop the runway with Marco at my side as the crowd has finally dissipated. The lights are still on, beaming rays against the stage. Nico, Luca, and Dante and their significant others litter the area, drinking from the full bar set up along the sidewalk. Arianna is already busy setting up the deliveries with Mel’s help.
My phone buzzes again, and though I’ve been ignoring most of the messages, this one I read because it’s from Yéye . I’ve been sending him pictures all night and he even FaceTimed with me to see the fashion show live.
I smile at his congratulatory message before the sound of my husband clearing his throat draws my attention away from the screen. I glance up and see… nothing.
“Down here.” Marco’s rough voice immediately sets my heart fluttering.
He’s on one knee, holding a red velvet box in his hand.
Oh. My. God.
“What are you doing?” I choke out.
“Something I should have done months ago.” An unsure smile lifts the corners of his lips. The hesitant look is so unlike my typically smirking husband it has my heart floundering. “I bought you this ring before the wedding, but I was too much of a coward to give it to you. I was terrified you’d deny me, and even more panicked that you’d actually accept.”
A smile sneaks across my face even as the tears begin to well.
“I may not deserve to be your husband, but I’m a lucky bastardo, and I get to be anyway. I swear I will spend the rest of my life trying my damnedest to make you happy and become the man worthy of you. I vow to love you to the fullest of my ability, protect you until my dying breath, and cater to your every whim and desire. I will be your partner, your best friend. The man you should have had beside you all along. I love you, Jia Guo-Rossi. Will you spend forever with me, for love this time?” He flips open the little Cartier box, revealing a gorgeous princess-cut diamond with shimmering baguettes along the band.
My head bounces up and down as tears blur my eyes. I leap into his arms as he stands, nearly knocking him over.
I’m barely aware of applause echoing around us, but it all blurs in the background over the desperate drumbeat of my heart. I crush my lips to his as he pins my legs around his waist. “I love you, Marco, so much. This is real and this is forever.”