“You asked me to.”
“Is that the only reason?”
I study his face, my mind racing with the thought that I hurt him and that I’m too late. My body heats and frustration overwhelms me. “Of course not. I’m here because I love you.”
His lips turn into a smirk. “Because you love me?”
“Of course I love you, you idiot.”
He grins before pulling me onto his lap for a kiss. “Are you ready to join the mile high club?” he whispers into my mouth.
I chuckle. “I think we already did that.”
“No, we didn’t. This plane has a bedroom, and I plan on sealing our deal by spending the whole time on this flight inside you.”
I laugh as he pulls me into the bedroom, where he sticks to his promise.
twenty-one
Salvatore
Five months later
I turn into the street where our house is. Yes, the same house I bought for Isabella. It is still under her name. The only difference is now it is our house.
Since we didn’t do much with it when we moved in the first time, we changed everything. We started over and we decided that the house also needed a new start.
I park in my parking space and grab the rose I now bring home with me every day. It has become a tradition, so why stop it when it brings a smile to my wife’s face?
On special occasions, I bring a dozen of them. Like last week when we celebrated the day we met. The day I caught her in my office snooping around.
We celebrated in my office with her on my desk, where I did all the things I imagined doing that night when she was a journalist, rummaging in my office for the evidence to put me behind bars.
I press my palm on the screen, and when the door opens, I enter the house. My nostrils fill with the smell of rosemary and spices. Since we came back, Isabella has made it her mission to learn how to cook. She wants to learn her mother’s recipes.
She is never alone. Our housekeeper, Rosa, is always with her and guides her. Like tonight, she wanted to cook for my family.
Tonight is the night when she is going to meet my mother and my siblings. To say I’m nervous is an understatement.
First, I go to check in the kitchen, but when I find Rosa alone, I climb the stairs into our room where I find Isabella at the mirror in a green unzipped dress.
With a smile on my face, I lean on the door. “You need help with that?”
She looks at me through the mirror, a smile spreading across her face. “Oh, yes, please.” I walk toward her and stop when I’m just inches away from her. With the tip of the rose, I trace her naked back before zipping up the dress.
She runs her hands down her dress. “I’m nervous.”
I wrap my hand around her, pressing her into me, my cheek on hers. “You don’t have to. They are going to love you as much as I love you.”
She wraps her hands around mine. “I hope so.”
She pulls from my grip. “Now I need to finish before they get here, and that is in five minutes.”
I chuckle and let her go, then lean on the dresser, watching her finishing her makeup. I spot the package of small pills, and the craziest idea comes to my mind. I never asked aboutcontraception when we were in Italy. A small part of me wanted to get her pregnant just to bind her to me. Later, she told me she was on the pill.
I take the package and look at Isabella, whose eyes follow my movement. “Is this what I think it is?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Yes.”
“I think it’s time you stop using them.”
Her eyes shine with hope. “You sure?”
I pull her into my arms. “Yes. It’s time for us to build our own family. To have our own dreams.”
