Chapter 48
EMILY
NANTUCKET
“Look, Emily! I’m swimming!”
Teddy’s voice screams above the ambient chorus of laughing children and gently rolling waves.
I wave back to him from the shade, watching his dark head bob up and down against the sparkling Atlantic. It’s only been a few weeks, but he’s recovering well.
And he’s growing up so fast. He is actively trying to stop calling me Mimi—the name I trained him to use as a toddler to replace Mama.
And now he’s stubbornly forcing himself to use Emily instead. He wants to be a man, but to me, he will always be my boy.
I settle deeper into the plush, comfortable lounging chair inside the private beach cabana. Lorenzo purchased this grand experience for us on the shores of Nantucket.
The five-star resort behind us boasts a massive deck overlooking the sand. But down here, our private sanctuary features a wide daybed that shelters us perfectly from the harsh afternoon sun.
“Thank you,” I say to Lorenzo, snuggling back into his strong, protective arms.
The air is warm and inviting above, and the sky is an impossible, unbroken blue against the ocean. “I feel like I’m in paradise.”
Lorenzo shifts, taking my hand.
His large, calloused fingers play with each of my smaller fingers in turn, his touch a familiar anchor.
“This isn’t the traditional honeymoon I would have chosen,” Lorenzo says, his deep voice vibrating against my spine. “It isn’t the most conventional romance, taking a kid along. But I wanted you and Teddy to have time together.”
He traces my jaw with the forefinger of his large hand.
“You have been separated for too long, and after the nightmare of last week, the stress needed to be washed away.”
Memories of the dark room, the Russian muzzle flashes, and the terrifying threat to my brother try to bleed into my mind.
But Lorenzo’s presence drives it back. I stumble deeper into his arms, letting his heartbeat soothe me.
“We’ll have plenty of time for just the two of us later,” I say, tilting my head up to look at him. “Right now, I am just enjoying being with my two strong men. Last night was perfect.”
“You enjoyed the lobster?” he asks, a trace of amusement in his dark eyes.
“Loved it,” I beam. Last night, Lorenzo took us to Nantucket’s finest lobster house.
Teddy had never actually seen a whole lobster served on a plate before. Our modest upbringing meant we were never accustomed to luxury lobster dinners caught fresh from the New England waters.
I enjoyed watching Teddy dip his fresh lobster into the rich, warm buttery sauce and pronounce it absolutely delicious.
Down by the shore, Teddy suddenly stands up, water dripping from his trunks.
He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts across the sand toward our cabana.
“Hey Lorenzo, I’m so glad you’re my Dad!”
Teddy freezes mid-sentence, his face instantly flushing bright red.
A look of sheer panic crosses his features as he realizes what his subconscious just slipped out.
He clears his throat quickly, flashing a gleaming, apologetic smile. “Oh! I meant my brother-in-law!”
A massive surge of pride swells in my chest, but I quickly look at Lorenzo, my heart stopping.
I never thought I would get married under a contract, let alone end up with a ready-made twelve-year-old son. But sometimes, you just have to take what life hands you.
Lorenzo stares out at the boy for a beat, a metallic, flashing grin cutting across his handsome face.
There is only the briefest consultation in his own mind before he speaks.
“You can call me Dad,” Lorenzo shouts back over the roar of the waves. “If you want.”
Teddy’s eyes go wide. “Really?”
I turn to my husband, utterly startled, my eyes stinging with sudden, emotional tears.
“Really?” I whisper.
Lorenzo pulls me closer, his eyes locked onto mine with absolute, permanent devotion. “Really. I mean it.”
Teddy comes running up from the water, cold and shivering, his bare feet kicking up wet sand.
I am quick to rise, grabbing a heavy, sun-warmed towel from the cabana rack and wrapping it tightly around his fragile shoulders.
Lorenzo watches us both, a quiet, uncharacteristic humility softening his rugged, dangerous features.
I bet he’s wondering if he could be a good father to Teddy.
It’s a big responsibility for a man who, not too long ago, was one of Manhattan’s most notorious playboys.
Well, we’ll see how it all spins out.