Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“You’re already giving me exactly what I want, too.” I rubbed my palm against his bearded cheek. “You as my husband, Sophia as my daughter, and a baby. The only thing which would make it even better is if I could be Sophia’s mom in the eyes of the law, too.”
“Consider it done,” he promised, crashing his mouth on mine to seal it with a kiss.
“And a kitten,” I whispered against his lips when he lifted his head.
“You want a kitten?”
“Not for me,” I giggled. “For Sophia. She told me she wanted one the very first day I met her.”
“Yet another reason why she’s lucky to have you for her mom,” he murmured, eyes lit with appreciation.
“Is that a yes for the kitten?” He answered with a bark of laughter and a nod. “Good, it needs to be white or grey and super fluffy.”
“I think that can be arranged.”
And it was... the very next day. Sophia named her Snowball. It was the perfect name for the tiny, white, fluffy kitten.
Chapter Twenty-Four
NIC
“Don, you’re the DeLuca family fucking lawyer. It’s not like you aren’t used to doing shady shit.” I gripped my cell phone so hard, I’m surprised it didn’t break. After dinner the night before, I’d made a call to the family lawyer about getting the adoption process rolling. I wanted to be able to present them to my girls as a wedding present.
We’d discussed what was needed, and I e-mailed all of the documents over. He promised to be at the courthouse first thing the next day and have all of the paperwork expedited. Having a notorious reputation and government officials in your pocket definitely paid off in times like those.
The next call was to Gianna’s parents. I worried that Livy would insist on a longer amount of time so she could put together a proper wedding. I was prepared to put my foot down and steeled myself against Gianna’s disappointment and, I shuddered, tears. I hated it when she cried. However, Livy had shrieked with glee and began babbling about all of the things they needed to get done before the big day.
Gianna looked a little overwhelmed, and I knew the gallant thing to do would have been to suffer through it with her. Alas, I was no one’s white knight and I escaped to the den with a beer and a baseball game. I felt her glare burning into my back as I left and knew I’d pay for it later.
In the morning, I headed to one of my downtown offices for meetings. Shortly after I arrived, Don called to inform me that no matter whose pockets I lined, they couldn’t complete the process without the “mother” (granting her that term was bullshit) giving permission or having her parental rights severed. I could have petitioned for the separation years ago, but I’d never really thought about it because she didn’t factor into our lives. I never expected my sweet Gianna to drop into my world and change everything. She lit up every dark space, and seeing her with Sophia, those moments made me love her even more.
They deserved to be mother and daughter in the eyes of everyone, not just in their hearts. I’d be damned if I couldn’t make it happen.
“Put Thomas on it. I don’t care what you have to do, who you have to break. Find her. Or you’ll be out on your ass,” I threatened, before launching the phone at the wall. The sound of it shattering didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t have time for this shit. I had work piling up and I was a man down with Brandon on the hunt. Luckily, Antonio had been picking up some of the extra slack.
“Nic?”
Gianna’s soft voice came from the doorway to the office, and I looked up to see her staring, wide-eyed, at my broken phone.
Fuck. She had never seen me lose my temper, and I wasn’t happy she was witnessing it now. I couldn’t say I was sorry she’d arrived, though. As usual, her presence calmed me, filling me with happiness and contentment.
“Come here, mia dolce,” I encouraged, holding out a hand to her. I was relieved to see there was no hesitancy in her step as she walked over to me. I pulled her down, so she was sitting sideways on my lap, and kissed her soundly. When I lifted my head, she had a dreamy look on her face, and I couldn’t help grinning arrogantly. The incident with the phone was apparently forgotten.
“I’m always happy to see you my beautiful girl, but what brings you down to this area?” I asked, burying my face in her neck and nuzzling, breathing in her fresh, sweet scent. I would never get enough of mia dolce, her love was an intoxicating drug and I grew more and more addicted every day.