Elena
Christmas Eve, and I'm surrounded by mountains of wrapping paper, scissors, and curling ribbon in Luca's living room.
The triplets are finally asleep upstairs, although we’ve locked the double doors into the living room in case one, mostly like Rocco, decides to see Santa come down the chimney.
"You're terrible at this." I laugh, watching Luca struggle with wrapping a dollhouse for Adalina that has more odd angles than straight edges.
"I'm a Don, not an elf," he mutters, tape stuck to his fingers as he attempts to salvage the crumpled wrapping paper.
I reach over, gently taking the mangled package from his hands. "Here, let me show you."
Our fingers brush, and even after these weeks of reconciliation, that familiar electricity still runs between us. His eyes meet mine, and the wrapping is momentarily forgotten.
"I never thought I'd have this." His fingers brush over my cheek. "A real Christmas. With you. With our kids."
“But here we are.” I lean into his touch.
“Here we are.” He laughs. “And what an adventure it is. I can’t believe Rocco wanted to leave cannoli for Santa instead of cookies.”
“I wonder how many households are serving cannoli to Santa,” I say.
“Speaking of which, we should get this finished.” Luca starts on the package again.
We work in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds the soft crinkle of paper and the occasional snap of scissors.
Outside, snow has started to fall, adding another layer of magic to the night. The kids will be thrilled to have a white Christmas.
We finally finish and study our handiwork. “There’s a lot of stuff,” I say, thinking Luca might have gone overboard.
“There’s something in there for you,” he says.
“I already got my Christmas present.” I lean against him.
“Me too.”
I press my lips to his. "Merry Christmas, Luca."
He surprises me by digging under the tree. Finally, he comes out from underneath the branches and boxes.
“Here it is.” The velvet box looks a bit worn and it’s not wrapped. He takes a breath and kneels in front of me. “I’ve been carrying this around for seven years.”
He opens the box, revealing a stunning vintage ring with a cushion-cut diamond surrounded by smaller sapphires set in platinum.
I don’t want to presume what this is, but my heart hammers in my chest full of hope. "It's beautiful."
“I picked it up the day I was supposed to meet your father. It’s why I was late to meet him.” Luca's eyes cloud with memory. "I was going to ask Umberto for his permission that day."
The air leaves my lungs in a rush. “Luca.”
“I was nervous. I wanted to look perfect when I asked for his blessing." A bitter laugh escapes him. "My vanity saved my life."
The guilt I’d been carrying about how I treated Luca has waned in the last week, but at moments like this, it wells painfully in my chest.
All these years, I'd blamed him for betraying my father, when in reality, he'd been planning to propose.
"If I had been on time…" Luca's voice breaks. "I would have been arrested with him. Maybe died in that prison too."
I jerk my gaze to his as his words bring home the reality of what could have happened had he been on time.
"I kept the ring as a reminder of what I'd lost," he continues. "Of what Aldo took from us."
I reach for his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"So much has gotten in the way of our happiness," Luca continues, turning the ring box in his hands. "Seven years apart. Your father. My exile. The secrets between us.”
I watch his face in the soft Christmas lights, seeing the vulnerability he rarely shows to anyone. Only to me.
"Since Rocco came home," he admits, "I've been afraid. Afraid that something else will happen. That someone will take this away from us again."
He gives me a sheepish smile, as if he thinks his fears are silly. "Every night, I check the security system three times. I've doubled the guards. I wake up in cold sweats thinking I hear one of the kids crying."
My heart clenches. I've noticed the shadows under his eyes, the way he tenses at unexpected sounds.
I thought it was just the burden of his new position as Don. It turns out it’s more than that.
“My father would have given his blessing,” I say. "After thoroughly intimidating you first."
That pulls a reluctant laugh from him. "Yeah, he would have. But I would have withstood it. For you."
I lean closer to him. "I spent years being afraid too. Afraid of Aldo, afraid for our children, afraid of what would happen if the truth came out." I cup his face in my hands. "I'm tired of fear stealing our time."
He tilts his head, kissing my palm. “Me too. That’s why I spoke to Dominic yesterday. I asked for his blessing, as head of your family."
"You asked Dom?" Truthfully, I don’t need anyone’s permission to marry, as far as I’m concerned. I suspect if Dom said no, Luca would still want to marry me. But there is tradition that our families like to respect.
"He seemed shocked at first." Luca's lips quirk into a half-smile. "Not that I wanted to marry you. To that, he said that it was about damn time. He was shocked that I showed him the respect as head of the Vitale family."
“It was good of you to do that.”
He shrugs. “He did what I couldn’t, protected you and the kids. I’m grateful for that.”
For a moment, we sit in silence, staring at each other like lovestruck teenagers.
"So," I tease, gesturing to the ring box still in his hand, "are you proposing, or just showing me your jewelry collection?"
He chuckles. "Let me finish, woman." He takes my hand. "Elena Vitale, mother of my children, keeper of my heart for seven long years, will you marry me? Will you be my wife through whatever comes?"
"Yes!" The word spills from my lips before he even finishes speaking. "Yes, Luca."
He slides the ring onto my finger. It’s a perfect fit, as though it was always meant to be there.
"I can't believe this is happening.” I stare at the diamond now adorning my hand.
Luca pulls me against him. "Believe it. We finally made it, baby.” He kisses me, and it’s filled with love and hope and promise.
I push him back, straddle him. "I want to open presents early.”
"The children will be disappointed," he murmurs, but his eyes darken with understanding as my hands slide down to the buttons of his shirt.
"Not those presents.” I work each button free.
His breath catches as I push the shirt from his shoulders, revealing his muscled chest.
"Elena," he groans.
I place a finger against his mouth. "Shh. I’m not done."
“I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever.” He pulls my sweater over my head and then cups my breasts, rubbing his thumbs over my nipples. “Do you think we’ve made a baby yet?”
I rock my denim-covered center over his denim-covered dick. “I can’t imagine we haven’t, but you know what they say?”
“If at first you don’t succeed…”
“Practice makes perfect.”
I lean over and kiss him, and then there are no words. Our hands finish undressing and then caress and squeeze.
He levers up, his lips wrapping around my nipple and sucking.
I feel it straight to my pussy, and the need is too great to hold off. I lower over him, taking him in, deep, deep, deeper.
“Ah… fuck yes, Elena.” He lies back, his face full of pleasure as I rock over him. Luca is a man who likes to be in control, but he has no qualms about giving in to my touch, letting me lead.
Right now, the world beyond these walls ceases to exist. Here, under the Christmas tree with a warm fire crackling beside us, there's only Luca and me. There’s only us.
“Baby…” He rolls us, his body covering mine, and I wrap myself around him, holding tight to what I thought I'd lost forever.
"I love you,” I say as he moves with me, like he’s a part of me.
“Ti amo, Tesoro mio.” I love you, my treasure.
Finally, everything is exactly as it should be. I don’t pretend to think life will be without its challenges, but I’m certain that our love will sustain us through every hardship that comes our way.
Before, the world broke us apart, but it won’t happen again. That I know for sure.