Chapter 15
15
VIVIENNE
M y worry about rambling around Rafa’s mansion by myself while he was gone turned out to be unnecessary. About an hour after he left, Gabbi showed up with their mother in tow. They had apparently been giving us space to get to know each other better but decided that wasn’t necessary any longer since I had been left to my own devices.
Rafa didn’t know it yet, but he owed his sister something extravagant. Not only had she distracted me from my fear about what was going on, she also scored him major brownie points by sharing lots of stories about what an amazing big brother he was. Then Mamma Giulia—who insisted I call her that even though my place in her son’s life hadn’t truly been decided yet—broke out the big guns…baby pictures.
It was nearly impossible to hold on to my anger when I had visions of him as an adorable, dark-haired, brown-eyed baby in my head. They also made it all too easy to picture the children we could make together—including the one that might already be inside my womb. Something I tried not to think about around his mamma because what we’d done to possibly put it there made me blush furiously.
Mamma Giulia was as sweet as could be, but she was also very astute. Something I’d learned over the past twenty-four or so hours.
Tapping the photo in front of me, she smiled widely. “My Rafa will make beautiful bambini , eh?”
My cheeks burned even hotter, and Gabbi giggled. I narrowed my eyes at her before returning her mother’s smile. “Yes, he will.”
A sly gleam shone from her dark eyes, so similar to her son’s. “And una bella ragazza like you will, too.”
It took every ounce of my willpower not to allow my gaze to drop to my flat stomach. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t a single sign I was pregnant. She would know what I was thinking. “I hope so…someday.”
Gabbi finally swooped in to save me with the one thing that could distract her mother—food. “Is there any pastina soup still in the freezer, Mamma ? With the cold front coming through, I bet Vivienne would love a bowl of it to warm her up from the inside out, like you always tell us your Italian penicillin does.”
“Ahh, my minestrina .” She stood and nodded with a grin. “If mio figlio already devoured it all, we will send someone to my house for the new batch I made yesterday.”
My brows drew together. “Italian penicillin?”
“If you’ve never had pastina soup, you’re in for a treat,” Gabbi assured me, patting her belly. “My mamma is an amazing cook, and it’s one of my favorite things that she makes.”
Mamma Giulia patted her daughter’s cheek. “You used to ask for it whenever you were sick, mia cara ragazza .”
Gabbi beamed a smile at her. “Because I always felt better after slurping down a delicious bowl of homemade chicken broth and the tiniest pasta ever made.”
I licked my lips at her description. “Yum.”
“Ah, we’re in luck,” Mamma Giulia called from the freezer. “My boy must’ve been distracted because he hasn’t eaten a single drop yet.”
Gabbi wagged her brows, her eyes going wide as she shot me a look filled with humor. “I’m sure he had a lot of…business to handle.”
“Mm-hmm,” her mother hummed in agreement, the sound somehow loaded with innuendo.
My cheeks were still burning when she set a steaming bowl of soup in front of me, along with a thick slice of warm bread slathered with butter. I tasted my first spoonful and let out a low moan of appreciation.
“You like?” Mamma Giulia asked.
I nodded. “Mmm, I am already addicted.”
“Good.” She patted my cheek in a similar gesture to what she’d done with her daughter, warming my heart in the same way her soup was heating my belly. “I will make it for you whenever you want.”
I loved how open and welcoming she’d been with me, making it clear that if I was important to her son, then I mattered to her as well. She was everything you could ask for in a mother…and the complete opposite of my own. “Thank you.”
Falling in love with Rafa’s family was just as easy as it had been with him. And it made me feel even more deeply for him.
By the time Gabbi and her mother left on their golf cart to head back to their home, my belly was full, and so was my heart.
The house was eerily quiet when I climbed the stairs to our bedroom.
Our.
I wasn’t sure when I had started thinking of this place as home, but that was exactly what it had become.
Slipping beneath the silky sheets, I let out a slow breath, unsure if I would be able to fall asleep without Rafa next to me. But my worry must have been for nothing because the next thing I knew, the mattress dipped under his weight.
The scent of his soap, fresh and clean, wrapped around me like a warm embrace. I must’ve been in a deep sleep if he’d managed to shower without waking me.
Then his hands were on me.
I hummed in appreciation as he trailed his fingers over my skin, nudging the straps of my camisole down my shoulders.
But reason took over when I remembered how I’d felt when he left. And that there was a lot we needed to talk about. If he kept going, I would be lost to the fiery passion that burned between us, and we’d never finish our earlier discussion.
“Rafa.” My voice was soft, but he still sighed, his hands pausing their exploration.
Then he reluctantly leaned back, propping himself on one elbow. “What, cara ?”
I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, he gripped my chin, tilting my face to meet his intense gaze.
“I love you.” His voice was rough with emotion. “I’m going to marry you. We’re going to have a family. End of discussion.”
My lips parted in shock.
Rafa was the only person I knew who could effectively bulldoze over an entire conversation with one declaration.
Hearing those first three little words from him changed everything. They made me better understand how Rafa had reacted to everything—the woman he loved had been threatened.
“I love you, too.” I traced my fingers along his jaw, feeling the tension beneath the whiskers. “But I don’t want to be your arm candy. To go from one gilded cage to another.”
“You won’t be arm candy, cara . You’ll be my queen.” His eyes burned into mine as he added, “And you won’t be in a cage. You’re free to come and go as you please.” His thumb brushed against my lower lip. “As long as you have guards with you.”
I couldn’t be annoyed by his insistence that I had security to protect me. Because that was Rafa—fiercely protective and unwilling to risk anything happening to me. I had to accept this side of him because it was part of why I’d fallen so hard and fast for him.
And I couldn't ignore that he lived in a dangerous world. Just being with Rafa made me a target because his enemies would know that I was his weakness. I wouldn't risk what we had for anything. If that meant having a security detail, then so be it.
With a soft laugh, I twined my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his. “Fine, but I get to pick the wedding date.”
His low growl of approval sent a shiver down my spine. “We’ll see.”
Then his hands were back on me, sliding beneath my camisole to push away the thin barrier between us. I melted into his touch, my body already responding to the possessive stroke of his palms.
But when I stroked my hands down his broad chest, I felt the brush of something cool against my finger. I glanced down and froze. A massive, sparkling diamond twinkled in the moonlight shining through the crack in the curtains.
The ring was an undeniable symbol of everything Rafa had just declared…and it had already been on my hand before we even started our conversation.
I gasped, my heart racing as I lifted my hand. “Rafa, how? When?”
He smirked, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “While you were sleeping, before I headed into the shower.”
A laugh bubbled out of me, full of joy. “You sneaky, overbearing?—”
He flashed me a cocky grin. “I told you, my angel. I’m never letting you go.”
“Good. Because now you’ve put a ring on it, I’m all yours. And there are no take backs.”