by Belle Aurora
And I returned my own to him.
I live for you.
I would kill for you.
I love you more.
Having lived many places in my lifetime, nowhere felt more like home than Antonio Falco’s arms.
How very frightening.
When he suddenly took my left hand, peering down at the ring I continued to wear, he kept his eyes on the sparkling diamond but uttered, “Always find my way back to you.”
Yes. He did.
But my heart stuttered because it sounded sad coming from a man who didn’t do sadness, and that worried me.
“We’re getting married,” I told him as my throat thickened with emotion. And I don’t know exactly where I was going with that. Maybe I just needed to throw the reminder out there.
And when he shook his head, my heart clenched, but what he said had my insides unraveling. “Don’t care what anyone says. Don’t care what the law says. If I call you my wife, then you’re my wife. But if you wanna make it official, we can do that, baby.” He kissed my knuckles. “Far as I’m concerned, you’re Mrs. Antonio Falco.”
I blinked up into those eyes that warmed in my hold. I pulled my hand free and framed his face with them. I ran my thumbs across his rough cheeks, caressing them lovingly because he was precious to me.
My voice quiet, I confessed, “I’m scared.”
He didn’t respond, simply nodded, and I knew we were on the same wavelength.
Lowering his head to the valley between my breasts, he laid on me with his arms around me as I stroked his hair, hugging him tightly, feeding him the comfort he so desperately needed.
Because Twitch’s past was catching up to us.
I just hoped we had a little more time together before we were finally caught.
We made love slowly in the afternoon, leisurely, with our lips never far from the other’s, and it was everything.
Something changed with that gentle lovemaking session, and I don’t know what precisely, but deep inside, I felt it was a good kind of change. Like the complex man beside me had opened himself to me completely. And as we lay together in the nude with my leg draped across the both of his, Twitch pulled me into his side before taking my hand and holding it to his mouth.
The sweet gesture made my heart swell, and in that moment, I felt truly treasured.
In the stillness of the space around us, I kept my eyes closed, and spoke quietly. “I want more children.”
I felt Tony’s mouth pull into a smile against my hand.
And I was sure he felt my responding smile against his chest.
As I gently placed my hand on his chest over his heart, he put his lips to my forehead, and uttered smoothly, “Whatever my baby wants.”
My chest ached as my heart went from full to bursting. “I love you.”
He pressed his face into mine, his lips softly kissing wherever they could reach, and I closed my eyes, taking in the love he gave as well as the unspoken words he said. Because Twitch let his actions speak for him.
And I liked what they were saying.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
Ling
“I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
Sick of being babysat, I stood and made to leave my bedroom. But the maddening man I called my brother rushed me, putting his hands to my shoulders and directing me back inside. “Ling Ling, you need to lay low. This is not up for discussion.” He looked down at me warmly. “Be good. Please?”
In the days after the death of Aslan Sadik, Van had some of the better-trusted Dragons scour my city apartment, cleaning every inch of it while my brothers took care of the bodies. In mere days, that apartment was back up on the market with quite a lot of interest, but I refused to sell, and without explaining myself, I wondered if Van knew why. Because if I sold, it would be gone, all of it, as would all of my best memories I had with the beautiful Turk.
It was hard being unable to mourn because I was on lockdown and my brother was trying his hardest to occupy me, but nothing could occupy a broken heart as well as sorrow could.
I moved slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed, talking low. “Why did you do it?”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Van still. He didn’t answer for a long moment, but when he did, his voice was rough. “You would have done it for me.”
Would I have?
I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Grief was doing funny things to my perception.
“Come here.” I held my hand out to him, and he came to me without hesitation, sitting by my side and allowing me to take his hand.
What I would give to feel anything other than what I was feeling then.
I would do anything, terrible, disgusting things, just to feel something other than the depression coursing through my veins.
“You told them we were in bed together,” I muttered, taking his hand and placing in onto my bare thigh, keeping my tone quiet. “How would you like the make that rumor a reality, brother?”
Van closed his eyes, gripping my flesh hard enough to bruise. “Ling. Stop.”
No.
Placing a gentle hand on his jaw, I turned him to face me, and his eyes shut so tightly I thought he might cry. “Look at me.”
But my brother shook his head firmly, and whispered, “Don’t do this.”
But I wanted to do this.
I wanted to forget myself for a while and I didn’t care how.
My heart lurched as I leant up and in, pressing my lips to his.
It felt wrong. Even more so when Van’s mouth remained slack.
“Kiss me back,” I said sadly.
But he didn’t.
My eyes stung. “Kiss me back,” I begged, and my breathing hitched as the first of my tears fell. “Please.”
Van kept his eyes closed and his lips lax. And that was the moment I truly realized how low I had sunk.
Az was right.
I wasn’t a queen. I was a fucking joke.
Clearly uncomfortable, my brother’s body stayed rigid even after I scrambled back, away from him.
My voice weak, I dipped my chin and felt ashamed for the first time in years, crying softly, “I’m sorry.” When the man beside me stood and headed for the door, I panicked. Eyes wide, I called out, “Don’t leave me.”
His, “I have to,” was said in a way that told me if he didn’t, we’d do something we’d regret.
So I watched him leave.
The thing was, I was headed in that direction anyways, and if I didn’t make a bad decision here in my bedroom, I was afraid I’d make one elsewhere.
With a stone-cold expression, I took my shopping cart towards the checkout, and when I was called on, I rolled up, unloading the items onto the conveyor.
The plump checkout chick scanned the items, placing them in bags.
After a while, she scanned the small black hoodie, holding it up and smiling. “Oh, Lord. That is adorable.” She threw me a smile before peering at the rest of my items, and saying, “Someone’s getting spoiled today. How old?”
“I don’t have him yet, but—” I removed my sunglasses and smiled coyly. “—he’s five.” I looked over at the conveyor full of boy clothing and toys. “And, yes. He will be spoiled.”
“That’s lovely that you’re adopting. It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing.” The checkout chick made a gooey face. “You’re going to be a great mother,” she said knowingly before nodding. “I can tell.”
Yes.
I would be a great mother.
A great mother indeed.
***
Lexi
The second I opened the front door, my eyes widened happily and a loud gasp left me. I shouted excitedly, jumping up and down, clapping enthusiastically before throwing myself into the small redhead’s arms.
“Manda!”
The woman I affectionately called my sister chuckled as I forced myself on her, making her stumble and put a hand to the wall by the door to steady herself. My exhilarated laugh rang into th
e fresh morning air.
I pulled back, reared my arm back, and grinned like a fool when I lightly slapped her arm. “What are you doing here?”
She shrugged, smiling hard at my excitement. “I told you I’d be back, didn’t I? But—” She twisted back to look at the car parked on the street, sounding a little anxious. “—I might have done something really dumb here, Lexi.”
My eyes narrowed on her before they rolled over to the parked car. When the three men exited all at once, my face went slack, and I released a quiet, “Oh.”
Automatically, my face spun, looking back into the house uneasily, then came back to rest on Manda’s apologetic face. I spoke quietly, “You should have called.”
Her suddenly weary expression told me she knew this, and my concern increased as I heard Twitch approach. From behind me, I felt him still at my back as he peered over the top of my head to our guests. Feeling his body stiffen, I quickly spun, and when my eyes landed on him, his eyes were unblinking, jaw rigid, on one of the men.
The oldest of the men.
His ice-cold stare came to rest on Manda. She immediately let out a hushed, “Don’t be mad at me.” When he didn’t respond, she closed her eyes. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
The silence dragged on, and as the three men kept their distance, Manda revealed solemnly, “He’s sick, Tony.” Twitch looked down at his little sister, and she added, “I know I sprung this on you, but he doesn’t have a lot of time left, and I just thought if you got to meet him,” she sighed tiredly, “you’d have some closure.”
The silence coiled tight around my chest like a vice.
When Twitch spoke, he spoke to me, low and rumbling. “You wanna meet my dad?”
I did, desperately.
My face came up, and I uttered, “This isn’t about what I want.”
He looked down at me, his eyes cold, his words warm. “My entire being is about what you want.” When I didn’t answer, he got his answer and sighed softly. “She wants to meet him.” And when he lifted his hand and waved the men over, my heart started to thump in time with their steps.
But as they reached us, I felt coldness at my back and I realized Twitch was gone.
My chest ached painfully, but I pasted on a smile as the tallest of the men stepped forward, and when he opened his mouth, his silky smooth Scottish brogue caressed my skin. “Is this my sister-in-law?”
“Wow,” was what I stupidly said, and Manda chuckled.
My stunned gaze landed on her, and Manda’s ridiculously handsome husband took the hand dangling at my side, brought it to his mouth, and planted a kiss to my knuckles. He continued to hold my hand as he looked me in the eye, almost hypnotizing. “Hello, gorgeous. The name’s Evander, but almost e’ryone calls me Vander.”
“Oh, wow,” escaped me, and as my cheeks heated, I turned to Manda, and uttered, “I totally get it.”
And although her husband’s eyes narrowed on me, he kept smiling, but from the way Manda’s body shook in silent laughter, she got me. I cleared my throat and smiled widely. “It’s lovely to meet you.” Suddenly embarrassed, I glanced down at my feet before glaring at Manda. “If I had known you were coming—” My eyes met Vander’s. “—I would have dressed more appropriately.”
“Don’t be silly, love.” His eyes landed on my feet and he grinned. “Pikachu’s my favorite.”
Well, duh.
He was everyone’s favorite.
“Please, come in.” I held the door open, and as Manda and Vander stepped inside, I was suddenly standing face-to-face with a man who looked so much like my non-husband that I had to stop myself from reaching up and touching his beautiful face.
Although his face shape was slightly different—angular and much more severe-looking—his neatly styled dark hair, his strong chin, his full bottom lip, the way his eyes hooded unintentionally, they were all Twitch. But he wasn’t Twitch. And from the way he was looking at me with those forest green eyes, unsure and mildly irritated, I could tell he didn’t want to be here.
Suddenly shy, I swallowed hard and slowly put my hand out to him. “Hello. I’m Lexi.”
The man peered down at my hand uninterestedly before the older man slapped him across the back of the head, and muttered coarsely, “When a woman puts her hand out, you take it, Giuseppe.” The mature man’s eyes smiled at me mischievously before he shook his head, and murmured, “Kids, huh?”
Kids?
Giuseppe was in his forties.
I couldn’t help the tinkling laughter that escaped me.
Giuseppe rolled his eyes, gently taking my outstretched hand, pumping it once, then huffing out a clearly annoyed, “I’m Zep.”
Cool.
This guy looked like he was the life of the party.
If the party was held at four a.m. in a dank cemetery, that is.
The older man all but pushed Zep out of the way to stand in front of me, and something strange happened. As we held each other’s eyes, an untold understanding passed between us. He wanted to be here, wanted in on whatever it was we had going here, and I felt that in my bones.
This man was a good man. No doubt about it.
Without a single word spoken, I stepped forward and he opened his arm to me, folding them around me in a fatherly gesture that made my heart twinge.
Antonio Falco Sr. held me a long time before he pulled back to gaze down at me with shining eyes. Lifting a hand, he cupped my cheek and smiled warmly. “Beautiful girl.”
My throat catching, I whispered thickly, “Papa Tony.”
Unable to speak, he patted my cheek, and I leaned into his rough touch before stepping back and letting them both through. Once inside, I was surprised to see Manda looking into the backyard through the window, and when I went to stand next to her, I could see why she was smiling.
Vander and Twitch were out back talking close, smiling, and when Vander gripped the back of Twitch’s neck, pulling him in to kiss his cheek in a brotherly gesture, Twitch let him. As Vander pulled back, Twitch tapped the back of his knuckles to the bulge at Vander’s fly, causing him to jump and Twitch to laugh as they burst into rapid-fire chatter.
It was so strange. They knew each other well enough to play around as they were, yet I didn’t know any of these people. He hadn’t mentioned them to me at all.
I wondered why.
Manda and I laughed quietly at the men’s antics before she turned to me and looked hopeful. “You got any of that top-shelf Australian wine in the fridge?”
Pffft. Did I ever.
As I reached into the fridge to pull out a bottle, I paused before peering at the two men watching me closely. Instinct had me reaching for a second bottle then asking, “What time is it?”
Manda checked her phone. “It’s just past midday.”
“Nice,” I drawled as I gathered a third bottle into my arms. Jerking my chin toward the cabinet, I said, “Grab some glasses, will ya?”
Manda was already on it, holding the stems of six wine glasses between her fingers. “On the porch?”
I grinned at her. “You know it.”
As I pushed open the sliding door with my foot, I stepped outside and set the bottles of wine on the beautiful outdoor setting. The moment the men followed Manda and me out, I couldn’t help but notice the conversation between Twitch and Vander stopped as Twitch’s soft brown eyes darkened a notch. He lost his smile, and I hated that.
I filled glasses and handed them out, but when Vander declined, he brogue was thick. “I brought a bottle of Scotch with me, but I didn’t think we’d be startin’ this early.”
At that, Twitch muttered a cool, “Grab it. Fuck knows I could use a drink.”
Vander’s lips pursed, and when he disappeared, the conversation lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. The second he returned with the bottle, Twitch tapped his tumbler. Vander poured a couple of fingers. Twitch tapped the glass again. Vander poured a little more. But Twitch shot his brother-in-law a look that said, “You better fill that fucker up
,” so Vander did. And I watched as Twitch downed half the glass in one fell swoop.
“Honey,” I started, but Twitch just looked at me, almost daring me to finish my sentence. And because I was who I was and Twitch was who he was, I knew he needed today to be reckless, so I gave him that.
Papa Tony faced Zep and began foolishly with, “Your brother—”
Oh, that did not go well. Not with Zep and not with Twitch.
Zep scoffed. “He’s not my brother.”
“Damned right, I ain’t,” returned Twitch acidly.
Zep glared at Twitch. “What’s your problem?
“I don’t got one.” Twitch barked out a laugh. “But I can see you do, bitch.”
Zep smiled viciously. “You just call me a bitch? You got some balls on you.”
“Boys,” Papa Tony cut in, pacifying.
Twitch held his bitter stare. “Yeah, I’m callin’ you a bitch.” He sat back, looking him up and down. “Spoiled little rich-ass bitch, got everything in the world handed to him. Sad little entitled motherfucker actin’ all jealous, because—”
Zep’s eyes flashed. “I ain’t jealous.”
“—I got Daddy’s fuckin’ name.” Twitch ended by raising his arms, and the more angry he got, the more hood his accent turned. “You want the name? Take it, bro. I don’t fuckin’ want it. Fuck knows it ain’t ever done me no good.”
Zep’s lips thinned, then he clarified quietly, “I ain’t jealous.”
Twitch downed the rest of his tumbler, and when he peered over at Vander with his darkened gaze, Vander filled him up without question. And when Twitch downed another half of his full glass, his eyes became bleary, as he uttered, “Good. I’m glad you ain’t jealous.” He ran his fingers along the outside of his glass before scoffing out a laugh. “The fuck would make you jealous of me?” Those soft brown eyes hooded dangerously. “My stepfather beating on me from the time I was a fuckin’ baby? Livin’ on the streets? Eatin’ out of the fuckin’ trash? The years I spent in juvie?” He let out a harsh, humorless laugh before drawling out a hushed, “While you were safe at home with your mom and pops, I spent my entire life near death, bein’ let down by every fucker who was meant to be protectin’ me. Your life turned you into a prince. My life turned me into a fuckin’ animal.” He sipped at the Scotch, licking his lips. “You had your shit handed to you on a silver platter, my man, while I built an empire from scratch. Made millions. Earned respect from my peers. Was called a motherfuckin’ king in these parts.” His eyes narrowed on his brother. “Had little bitches like you too scared to say my goddamn name out loud.” Twitch shook his head slowly. “You got nothin’ on me. I don’t know you. I don’t wanna know you. But that woman—” He pointed at me harshly. “—is the most important thing in my life, and she wants to get to know you, so I’mma shut my fuckin’ mouth right now and let this shit happen because it’ll make her happy. And when she’s happy, I’m happy.”