Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 123153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“You have always been my life. For years, I knew I could never show how I felt for you in public, but I let that shit get out of hand. I didn’t mean to abandon you. Yet, I know year after year, I lost more and more of what I was trying to hold on to in the first place.
“I wanted the house, the girl, and my best friend who would keep it all glued together. I knew he loved you too, but it only seemed right. From the time I was two, I can only remember the three of us. You were our everything.
“I remember when you started to crawl. Jace and I would push things out of the way so you wouldn’t bump into them.”
Jace chuckles. “I remember that too. We weren’t much bigger or older.” He shakes his head. “There was that and stopping her when she learned how to get out of the baby gate.”
“You mean trying to stop her. It was better to take her hand and allow her to come with us.”
Ny shrugs. “I’ve always been determined. You guys weren’t going to leave me behind.”
“I’ve never wanted to leave you behind, but your safety has always been my priority. So much so that I’ve hurt you myself while trying to keep you safe.
“I’ve been, no, we’ve been—” My phone rings, interrupting my words. Looking at it, I see it’s Dante. I can’t ignore this call. “Fuck. Give me a minute.”
I get up from the floor and sit in the accent chair behind me before I pick up the phone and place it on speaker. “Hey, Dante, how you doing? What’s going on?”
“G,” he chokes out. “She was my wife. Why don’t I feel anything?”
“She showed her ass earlier. You shouldn’t be hard on yourself about that,” I say, as if I don’t know where this is coming from.
“I’m not talking about that. Bethany was murdered. Someone killed her tonight. Yet, I feel nothing. I’m trying, but I can’t.”
“Fuck outa here. Are you serious?”
“I can be cruel, but I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”
Nyla gets up and moves over to sit on the arm of the chair I’m in. I look up into her eyes. She runs her hand through my hair and kisses my forehead, then leans into my ear.
“You should go to him. I’m not going to run. He needs you. Go take care of your brother.”
I close my eyes and nod. I created this situation, so it’s my job to make sure Dante doesn’t go off the rails. I can already hear how detached he sounds, and he’s been drinking from the sound of it.
“Marone. Dante, listen, Jace and I are on the way. We’ll get through this with you. It’s going to be okay.”
“Thanks, G. I love you.”
“You know I love you too. I’d turn the world upside down for you and Bella. I’ve got you.”
The call ends and I wonder for a split second if I did the right thing. As if both are in my head, Jace and Ny say at the same time. “You did the right thing.”
I smile, stand, reach into my pocket for the key card to the apartment and hand it to Ny. “This is yours. We’ll drop you home first.”
I breathe in relief when she doesn’t protest. Deciding to go for it, I reach into my other pocket and palm her ring in my hand. I close the space between us and crush her lips in a devouring kiss.
She fists the front of my shirt as I grasp the back of her neck with my free hand. I’m starved for her, but this isn’t the time. I cover her hand that’s fisting my shirt and break the kiss, looking into her eyes.
I place the ring on her hand and lift it to my lips, kissing the ring but not breaking eye contact. “Don’t ever take it off again,” I say as I lean in to peck her lips.
She smiles. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“No, I’m not. You beside me has always been my endgame.”
“But when can I actually stand beside you?”
I wrap an arm around her waist and tug her into me before I kiss her hard. “Since the day you stepped off that plane. I’ve had a plan for everything. I told you to give me time.”
“All I’ve given has been time, Gio.”
“I know, baby.” I nip at her lip and tug it. “Barbieri is gone and honestly, I wouldn’t give a fuck if he wasn’t. We’ve given enough. I figured something out.”
“What’s that?” she asks as she searches my face.
“This has always been mine for the taking. They haven’t been teaching us to wait for what we want. They’ve been teaching us that if we want it, we have to take it. This is me taking what I want.