Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 143870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 480(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 480(@300wpm)
I’ll pass those same stories and songs down to my children, and in that way, there will always be a little piece of her here with us.
“Hey, Mama,” Cristian murmurs against my ear.
“Hi.” I smile up at him.
“I like this.” Warmth floods his eyes as he observes me with the baby.
“I know you do.” Amusement touches my voice.
There’s nothing ambiguous about the way he looks at me now that the soft curve of my belly is visible. I’m in my sixteenth week of pregnancy, and my body is starting to change. Cristian loves it, and with every passing day, I know he’s imagining what it will be like when I’m holding our baby in my arms.
As happy as I am, it’s also a reminder that, at some point, I’ll need to do the thing I’ve been putting off.
It’s been on my mind since he gave me the ring—which turned out to be an oval diamond with the word Aeterna engraved on the band.
It means eternal.
I cried when I opened it, and I’ve been trying it on at least once a day when he’s busy working. It feels like the happy ending I never thought I could have.
If only we could skip past the bad part.
“I have to go into the city,” Cristian tells me.
“Okay.” I nod.
That news doesn’t make me panic as much as it used to.
They still haven’t found Elias, but he’s been off the radar for so long, part of me hopes he just gave up. Although I still don’t like the idea of him being out in the world after everything he’s done, I also just want that chapter of my life closed.
“Do you know how long you’ll be?” I ask.
“A few hours at least,” he says. “But I’ll check in to let you know.”
“Thank you.”
He palms my face and gives me a long, lingering kiss in front of everyone.
It’s only when Rafe makes a smart-ass remark from across the patio that Cristian pulls away and flips his brother off.
Rafe smirks, and Cristian glances back at me.
“I’ll see you soon, gattina.”
“See you soon,” I murmur.
He presses one last kiss to the top of my head and leaves, and only when he’s out of sight do the comments start.
“Holy hell.” Serafina fans herself. “That man is feral for you.”
“I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around when this even happened,” Val says.
“It’s a long story.”
“Not that long,” Gabi argues. “He was so obviously into you.”
“Please enlighten us.” Abella shoots her a look.
“Well, for starters, he always had that stormy expression on his face when he looked at her, and trust me when I say I know it well.”
“Your husband is the king of stormy expressions,” Val agrees.
Gabi’s cheeks pinken. “He really is. But I used to think he hated me, just like Chantel thought Cristian hated her. That’s why it was so obvious to me. He would steal your drinks, make comments to get a reaction out of you, and act like you were the bane of his existence. But when you weren’t paying attention, I caught him watching you more than a few times.”
“Really?”
A flutter stirs in my chest as I imagine the cold, broody Cristian I used to know watching me when I didn’t even realize it.
“Yep.” Gabi shrugs. “I had a feeling this might happen eventually.”
“Well, apparently we all need to pay more attention.” Serafina laughs.
“Yes, we’re all very happy that you’re getting railed by an Italian god every night,” Lucia says. “But more importantly, where do we find one of our own?”
“Well, he does have two single brothers,” Abella points out.
“Yeah, right.” Lucia huffs in amusement. “Those two will live the bachelor life forever.”
“Wait, what happened to Gio?” I ask.
“Ugg,” Lucia groans. “He turned out to be a run-of-the-mill cliché. I caught him banging a cocktail waitress in the bathroom. Mind you, this was while we were on a date.”
“God, what a prick.” Serafina rolls her eyes. “This is why I want to stay single forever.”
“I hear you.” Lucia sighs. “It’s grim out there.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “That really sucks.”
“Want me to have Romeo blow up his entire life?” Gabi asks. “Because he totally will.”
All of us laugh, because as crazy as it sounds…it’s also accurate.
“Eh, I can’t be bothered.” Lucia shrugs. “I’m going to have myself a thank-you-next party and get revenge by living my best life.”
“What does a thank-you-next party consist of?” Val asks.
“Drinking while my friends tell me I can do better.”
We all nod as if we suspected as much.
“Hey.” Mariella joins us at the table. “Sorry I’m late.”
“We’re just happy you’re here,” Serafina says. “It feels like forever since we’ve all seen each other.”
“It does,” Lucia agrees. “Next time the island goes on lockdown, I want to be held hostage with you.”
“Fair enough.” Mariella laughs.
“Okay, we should probably get this meeting started,” Abella says. “We can go over The Fifth House stuff quickly before we move onto Aegis. Because I guarantee I’m gonna have to feed a hungry baby any minute now.”