Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I choke out a watery laugh. “I’m not cramping.”
“Okay. Then, why are you crying?” He swipes a tear from under my eye. “Talk to me.”
“I’m crying because I love you so much. And I’m so happy, and it’s making me emotional, which is making me cry.”
“What?” he hisses, jerking back in confusion. “Jesus, woman. Thank God you’re already half baked because I don’t think I could handle ten months of you crying.”
I laugh harder, which causes me to cry harder, and Matteo pulls me into his arms.
“You good?” he asks once I’ve calmed down and the crying has ceased.
“Yes, I’m good.”
“All right, let’s get some food in you. The books said that pregnant women should consume at least sixty grams of protein and thirty grams of fiber a day. Yesterday morning, you had a croissant and a coffee. We’re going to need to do better than that, Little Russo.”
He threads his fingers through mine, and I follow him down the hall and stairs and into the kitchen, where he tells me to sit at the island. He proceeds to make me a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast, and the entire time, I cry because despite everything that’s happened in my life, somehow, I managed to find love and happiness, and it’s all because of the man I’m about to marry. The man who swore he wasn’t husband or father material … is, in fact, both.
39
Matteo
“You nervous?”
I glance at my brother. “Not in the slightest,” I tell him truthfully. “Marrying Dani will be the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
Dominick smirks. “Who would’ve thought when you were talking all that shit about me having to marry her back in the day that you’d end up being the cradle-robber?”
“You’re a dick for that one.” I shove him to the side so I can make sure my tux is in place, and he laughs. “Dani might be twelve years younger than me, but she’s more mature than both of us combined.” I side-eye him. “Well, she’s maturer than me. You’re like an old fucking man.”
“Oh, Uncle Matty said a lot of bad words,” Damien says, reminding me that he’s in the room with us. Dominick gave him his phone to watch some videos until it’s time for the service.
“He did,” Dominick deadpans. “And he should probably start watching his mouth so his own child doesn’t pick up his bad habits.”
“If the worst thing my kid does is say a few bad words, I’ll consider it a win.” I shrug.
“Yeah, I’m sure Dani is going to feel the same way,” Dominick says dryly.
“Unlike you, she doesn’t have a stick shoved up her A-S-S.”
“That spells ass!” Damien announces proudly.
Dominick glares, and I laugh.
“Damn, kid, you’re smart! Already spelling at four years old.”
“That’s only three letters.” Damien scoffs, sounding like a mini version of his dad. “That’s easy.”
“All right, what about this word? F—”
“Matteo,” Dominick growls.
“Chill out, bro. I’m not spelling that word.” I definitely fucking was. “F-I-R-E.”
“Fire!”
“Good job.” I high-five him.
“Is everyone decent?” Bri asks, opening the door and walking in without waiting for anyone to answer.
“Auntie Bri!” Damien shouts. “I’m in a suit, like Daddy!”
“Yes, you are,” she says, kneeling in front of Damien and fixing his bow tie.
We didn’t plan to have anyone in the wedding besides my brother standing beside me and Lorenzo walking Dani down the aisle and standing beside her, but then Damien asked if he could walk down the aisle, too, and Dani deemed him the ring bearer.
“Everyone ready?” she asks, standing back up.
“Yep,” I tell her. “How’s Dani doing? She run away yet?” I joke.
“No.” Bri grins. “She’s ready to marry you. And she asked me to give you this.”
She hands me a small box, and I glance at it in confusion.
“What is this for?”
“It’s a wedding gift.”
“What do you mean, a wedding gift?” I look from her to Dominick. “Why didn’t anyone fucking tell me that we were supposed to buy each other wedding gifts?”
Dominick raises his hands. “I just assumed you knew.”
“I don’t know anything!” I bark. “How the hell would I know that? When was the last time I got married? Never. Did you give Peyton a gift?”
“She’ll understand,” Bri says at the same time Dominick says, “Of course I did.”
“Great. She got me a fucking gift, and I didn’t get her shit.”
“Here, give her this,” Lorenzo says, grabbing a gift-wrapped box from the table.
“What is that?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says. “But it’s wrapped like a gift, and since you don’t have one …”
I snatch it from him and tear it open, and inside is a bottle of thirty-year-old Macallan Double Cask scotch.
“Did you buy this?” I ask Dominick since he’s the only person I know pretentious enough to buy me a five-thousand-dollar bottle of scotch.
“No,” he says, bending down. “There’s a card.”
He hands it to me, and I open it, hoping like hell it’s not another gift from Dani. It’s bad enough she already got me one when I didn’t get her shit.