69. Lars
Three days later, I’m walking through the side door of the estate with Neomi and Gabriel behind me.
The side entrance has always been the practical way in and out of the house—less ceremony, fewer people hovering around. The kitchen lights are already on when we step inside, the soft clatter of dishes filling the space.
Gabriel pauses just inside the doorway, taking in the room.
“You grew up in this home?” he asks quietly.
I glance back at him. “I moved in here when I was ten.”
“It’s beautiful,” he says, sliding his hands into the pockets of his coat.
Neomi nudges my shoulder as she slips past me into the kitchen.
“He’s being polite,” she says. “What he means is that you people live in a mansion that looks like it belongs to an Italian movie villain.”
I shrug. “That’s because it probably did at some point.”
Gabriel glances around the room. “Do I get a tour?”
The back hallway door swings open before I have time to respond.
Violette appears with a martini in one hand and an expression filled with a mixture of love and mischief.
“Well,” she says, looking between the three of us, “this looks promising.”
I step forward and wrap my arms around her shoulders in a hug. Then I motion behind me.
“Vi, this is Gabriel.”
Gabriel straightens, holding out his hand. “Good evening.”
She studies him openly, head tilted as if she’s examining a piece of art. Then she swats his hand and rises on the toes of her red-soled heels to hug him with one arm, still holding her martini.
“You’re a tall drink of water,” she says bluntly as she gazes at him, eyes scanning him head to toe.
Neomi presses her lips together to keep from laughing.
Gabriel blinks once. “Thank you?”
Violette gestures toward the dining room with her glass.
“Come and sit before my son finishes the entire bottle of Sangiovese by himself. He gets insufferable when he drinks alone.”
As if summoned by the comment, Enzo’s voice drifts down the hallway. “I can hear you, Ma.”
“Good,” she calls back. “Then you can hear me saying I hope you have only daughters.”
Gabriel’s face fills with amusement as Neomi shakes her head, linking her arm with Violette's to walk into the dining room.
Enzo sits at the head of the table with Zara beside him, Dante leaning back in his chair near the window. The moment Gabriel steps into the room, all three of them glance up.
Zara smiles first. “So, this is Gabriel. I’m Zara, Enzo’s wife.”
Gabriel nods politely. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
Zara rises from her chair and walks around the table to greet him, her warmth immediate and genuine.
“We’ve heard quite a bit about you,” she says.
Gabriel glances at me.
“I’m not sure how to interpret that,” he jokes.
“No need to worry,” Zara says lightly. “Lars and Neomi have had so many wonderful things to say.”
I motion to Enzo.
“This is Enzo, Zara’s husband and practically my brother.”
Enzo extends his hand across the table. Gabriel takes it.
“Great to meet you, Enzo.”
Enzo extracts his hand and sits back down.
“Good to meet you too, Gabriel.”
Violette settles into her seat, waving a hand toward the empty chairs.
“Sit down before the food gets cold. Poor Zara is wasting away. She needs nourishment to grow my grandbaby in there.”
Enzo lifts his glass with a smirk. “Gabriel, you’ll learn our Matriarch is very concerned with the growth of the family ranks.”
“We need to be sure the Marchetti family thrives.” She points at Enzo. “And when I say I hope you only have girls, I mean it, Enzo. Make it clear to your swimmers that I want a woman to eventually lead this family,” she replies.
I choke on my wine. Gabriel’s jaw goes slack. Neomi coughs to cover her chuckle, then raises her wine glass. Dante sits quietly as he always does, his focus on Gabriel.
Neomi lifts her glass. “Um, how about a toast? To Marchetti women and the men who love us.”
Vi’s expression goes soft. “I’ll toast to that, Neomi.” She takes a sip, lowering her glass to the table. “And I’m looking forward to you joining Zara in giving me grandbabies soon.”
Neomi’s smile dissipates. “I’m not sure about that, Vi.”
Violette barks out a laugh. “I have a feeling it won’t be up to you. Marchetti men are quite virile; their sperm will disregard your birth control, and condoms stand no chance.”
My eyes squeeze shut as I rub my temples. “Oh my God, Vi. Please don’t say sperm at the dinner table.”
Zara clears her throat, changing the subject. “Well, we’ve covered expectations around reproduction. Gabriel, how about you tell us a little about yourself?”
He leans forward. “My life is a bit boring. I work in stocks and travel a good bit for that. I like to play the piano—started learning when I was five. It helps me to relax and clear my mind.”
Enzo sits back as the staff serves dinner. “Do you plan on continuing your travels?”
Gabriel looks at Neomi and me. “Not sure about that part anymore.”
Zara’s eyes sparkle as they dart between the three of us. “I’ll warn you, Marchetti men will have you changing your ways quite quickly.”
Gabriel winks at me. “I’m beginning to see that.” Then he looks at Vi, grinning. “And Violette, if my swimmers ever come into contention in the growth of this family, I must say that I will root for a boy to stand strong and protect the women in leadership.”
Violette laughs, lifting her glass in Gabriel’s direction. “Smart man.”
Neomi ducks her head, fidgeting with the edge of her napkin beneath the table, a shy smile tugging at her lips.
The sight does something to me. My mind drifts to a future I never imagined wanting, one where she’s carrying our child.
The details don’t matter. Whether that child carries my blood or Gabriel’s, they would be ours.
Fuck, the thought makes my cock twitch.
Violette smiles broadly. “My mind’s made up, Lars and Neomi. We’re keeping him.”
Neomi shifts in her chair, crossing her legs. She cuts the chicken on her plate and turns to Violette. “Violette, give me an update on the new patch of roses in the garden.”
The conversation drifts away from reproduction to more polite topics—thank God.
Gabriel listens more than he talks, answering questions and laughing at Violette’s commentary as if he’s been part of the family for years.
He seems calm under their pressure, but I also see moments of hesitation.
He doesn’t eat much, but I wouldn’t either if I were an outsider meeting my family for the first time.
By the time dessert arrives, the tension that filled me when we first arrived has mostly dissolved. Everyone seems relaxed, except Dante. His eyes have hardly left Gabriel since we sat down. But he’s always wary of new people. It’s what he’s trained to do.
I want my family to like Gabriel. If things continue to progress with the three of us, he needs to be comfortable in their presence, and they need to accept him.
I try not to let my heart run away with my mind, because right now, I see a future with both Gabriel and Neomi in it.
When we stand to leave, Violette kisses Neomi’s cheek and pats Gabriel’s shoulder.
“You’re welcome here anytime,” she says, then with one hand on Neomi’s arm and her other on mine, she looks at him earnestly, “Gabriel, take care of them. And think about putting down some roots.”
Gabriel nods, understanding her change in tone. “I will, Violette.”
The drive back into the city is quiet again, but this time the silence feels lighter.
When we pull up in front of Gabriel’s building, he lingers for a moment before opening the door.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come back with us?” Neomi asks.
Gabriel glances between the two of us.
He places a hand on my thigh. “I should probably let tonight settle in before I move into your spare bedroom.”
“You wouldn’t be using the spare bedroom,” Neomi replies.
His smile softens. “Thank you for allowing me to meet your family.”
I lean back in the seat, covering his hand with mine. “It means a lot to me that you came tonight. My family is chaotic, but you handled it well. Swimmers and all.”
Neomi’s voice is filled with amusement as she says, “I thought Enzo was going to die when she brought on the breeding narrative.”
I glance at her in the back seat. “Be careful, Bella. I have no problem throwing away your pills.”
She gasps as her eyes widen.
Gabriel looks between us. “The thought of you pregnant is quite appealing, Neomi.”
Those same thoughts fill my mind.
Neomi’s lips pull into a grin. “Might be fun trying.”
Gabriel exhales. “Fuck, Neomi, don’t say things like that.”
My eyes focus on his hand adjusting his dick in his pants.
He laughs, shaking his head. “I’m going to head up. I have an early call in the morning. But tomorrow evening I’ll be at your door.”
“Text me when you’re on your way,” I say, my fingers threading through the short, soft hair at the base of his neck.
He leans over the console and kisses me gently. It’s soft and too short, leaving me wanting more. Neomi slides forward in the back seat, and he cranes his neck to kiss her goodbye.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Siren.”
He steps out of the car and leans down toward the open window.
“Bye, Lars,” he says to me quietly.
Then he disappears into the building as Neomi opens the back door to shift into the passenger seat.
I pull back into traffic. “Tonight went better than I expected.”
She hums as I lace my fingers through hers. “I really like him, Lars.”
“So do I.”
Neomi kicks off her heels the moment we step into the penthouse, dropping her purse onto the counter with a tired sigh.
I grab two waters from the fridge, holding them in one hand as I take her hand in mine. I lead us up the stairs to our bedroom. When we enter the room, I set the waters on the nightstand and turn to her.
I cup her jaw in my hands and draw her in, my mouth finding hers.
She meets me instantly, pulling me closer.
I trace the seam of her lips with my tongue, and she opens without hesitation, soft and warm and mine.
The kiss deepens, unhurried at first, then stronger as I pull her against me, needing her closer than before.
I could kiss her forever.
I swallow the quiet sound she makes, and it goes straight to my cock. But it’s more than just the pull of her body. It’s everything that comes with it. The mornings. The way she looks at me like she wants to keep me. She fits into my life as if she always belonged there.
What started in Vegas was reckless. But I think it was meant to happen that way because I would have been too scared to jump otherwise.
I pull back just enough to look at her, my hands still in her hair, my thumb brushing along her cheek. Her breath is warm against my mouth, her eyes locked on mine.
“You’ve changed my life, Neomi,” I say, my voice trembling. “I didn’t plan for any of this. But you’re the perfect match for me. The way you soothe me, the way you trust me, the way I can trust you. I’ve never felt the things that I feel for you before. You make me believe in love.”
Her eyes shine, but she doesn’t look away. “You deserve to be loved, Lars,” she says softly. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world because I get to call you mine.”
I rest my forehead against hers before I say the words I’ve held back for too long.
“I love you, Neomi.”
She lifts her hand to my face, her thumb brushing along my jaw as she holds my gaze. “I love you, too, Lars.”
“Fuck, those words sound so good when you say them.”
My mouth is back on hers, and this time it’s frantic and filled with need. I feel all the pain of the past melt away. I no longer watch love from the outside. I live in it—with her.