Salvatore thought that he couldn’t really be a husband because he couldn’t protect a woman. But he can, and he does every day in so many ways that I can’t even count. He was made to love me and I was created to love him.
This is our life, him and me. It’s not pretty, it never will be, but he is my salvation as much as I am his and together, we are our children’s, too.
Chapter Forty
ROSANA
Looking to the house that we’re parked in front of, I frown, then shift my attention back to Salvatore. He doesn’t say anything as he touches the button to turn the car off.
There is a moment of silence, and when I realize that not only is he not moving, he’s also not explaining anything about why we’re here. I finally ask him.
“What are we doing?”
The silence in the car is almost deafening. We’ve had an awesome few months together. We’ve found a house and have already decorated the nursery. A girl’s nursery. We haven’t chosen a name yet, but we’re having a girl.
One Saturday, just a few days after we moved into the new house, I’d slept in late. When I woke up, Salvatore was naturally not beside me, as he hardly ever is when I wake up. And when I found him, to my surprise, he was painting the baby’s room.
I didn’t even pick the color of the room, but I realized as he was sliding the paint roller onto the wall, that I didn’t need to pick it out myself because he’d chosen something so perfect that it was just meant for her.
The entire nursery was painted a soft robin’s egg blue and I’ve accented it with cream, pale pink, and mint green. It’s perfect for us, for her. Everything is soft, creamy, and subtle. Placing my hand on my belly, I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“Are you going to answer me?” I ask.
He chuckles, then he turns to me, a smile playing on his lips. “We’re going to enjoy a nice afternoon with our family, Rosana.”
Frowning, I look to the house again, then back to him. “We are?”
He nods his head once. “We are.”
Without another word, he slips out of the car and I watch as he jogs toward my door and opens it for me. It takes me a moment, but I stand from the car with a groan. I still have three months left. I don’t know how I’m going to even be able to walk by then. I can barely move around as it is now.
Salvatore slips his hand in mine and together we walk up the driveway and stop. He reaches out and knocks on the door twice before he just barges into the house. I open my mouth to tell him not to walk inside someone’s house when a round of cheers and surprises hits my ears.
Looking past him, I’m taken aback. There, in the middle of the living room, is everyone that I know. Every single person. There is just—everyone.
The room is decorated. It’s all pinks and golds, balloons and streamers, and there is a sign that says Ohh Baby hanging across the windows and a table pushes up underneath it with a huge four-tiered cake in the middle.
Tears fill my eyes, and it wouldn’t matter if I even tried. I can’t stop them from falling down my cheeks. They are like a river as they flow and I look around at all of the people in my life.
Pippa bursts through the crowd and runs toward me, practically tackling me to the ground as she wraps her arms around me.
“This has been the hardest secret to keep, happy baby shower, sweet sister,” she breathes against my ear.
When she takes a step back, she wipes the tears from my face and cups my cheeks with a smile. I can hear people talking all around us. Then there are the faint sounds of children and I realize that they’re all outside playing.
Salvatore places his hand at the small of my back and touches his lips to my temple. “I’m going outside with the men, unless you need me here with you,” he murmurs.
That is my husband.
Him.
He’s perfect in every way that I need him to be.
Looking up at him, I give him my brightest smile. “I’m okay here, go ahead with the guys.”
He gives me a wink, then touches his lips to mine before he takes a step back and walks out of the room. Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, the men had already slipped out. I didn’t even notice them leaving.
Luciana takes a step forward, standing next to Pippa. Her eyes are wide and she gives me a huge smile before she speaks.
“Now that they’re gone, we can relax and enjoy ourselves. I told Gavino that they were not allowed back inside, and neither were the children. This is mom’s day in and we’re going to enjoy ourselves.”
“Please tell me you’ll not be trying to make me play those ridiculous games,” one of the women groan. Shifting my gaze from Luciana, I look around the room and grin when I realize it was Mia who said that.
I don’t know Mia well, but she’s been to everything that Pippa has ever had. She’s the head of what used to be the D’Amore famiglia. She’s married but doesn’t have any children and I doubt she’ll ever have any. She’s busy being the first female boss.
Pippa guides me over to a chair and I sink down. The rest of the day is spent eating, drinking fabulous punch, and talking. Later there is cake and presents, and it’s just—nice.
I haven’t been isolated, at least not on purpose, but I think life has kind of made me that way, everything that happened, then moving, and I feel as if I haven’t had time to spend with other people, at least other than Salvatore.
Looking around the room, laughing and just enjoying these women, I realize that I need them. They’re important, not just important to me, but to this baby too. I realize now that they are essential. They are not just famiglia—they are family.
“Are you okay?” a voice asks from beside me.
Looking to the side, my eyes widen at the sight of Maci Bianchi sitting next to me. She has a small bundle curled up against her chest. I didn’t realize that she’d already had her baby. Reaching out, I let my finger skim the baby’s soft fuzzy hair.
“Salvatore didn’t tell me that you had him already,” I murmur.
She rolls her eyes, then her lips twitch into a small smile. “He is so preoccupied with your new bundle arriving he hasn’t been able to talk about anything else.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble. “Let me make you some dinner or something. I feel like I’ve done absolutely nothing.” I feel so guilty.
Maci works for Salvatore and I haven’t done anything other than buy her a baby gift a few months ago. She smiles, shaking her head a couple of times.
“Salvatore has sent over so much food, we can’t even eat it all. He’s taken care of us, don’t worry about that. I’m spending the time off studying so that I can finish my paralegal associate’s degree.”
“When do you graduate?” I ask.
She licks her lips. “Soon. The program doesn’t take too long, and I was able to do it all online.”
“Nice,” I say with a grin.
She looks at me, then shifts her gaze behind me and I know that she’s looking outside to the backyard where all the men are hanging out. She doesn’t say anything right away, but then she shifts her gaze to meet mine and her lips curve up into a big smile.
“He loves you so much,” she begins. “He loves this baby, too. I don’t know why, I just thought that you needed to know that.”
Everybody knows that this baby is not biologically Salvatore’s, so I know that she’s just trying to reassure me that Salvatore isn’t just going through the motions, that this is real, but she doesn’t need to reassure me, because he shows every minute of every day how he feels about me.
“Thank you, Maci,” I say. I don’t need to tell her that she doesn’t have to say any of this. She’s been nice and I’m going to be gracious as well. “I appreciate you saying that, and please, tell me if there is anything else that we can do for you.”
She smiles and nods her head slightly. Then someone calls out her name and she leaves my side. Though the seat next to me isn’t empty for long because Pippa replaces Ma
ci. She smiles and leans back, her gaze flicking down my body, then lifting to meet my eyes.
“What?” I ask as I shove my fork into my second piece of cake.
“My baby sister is about to become a mom,” she says and shrugs her shoulder. “I’m just so excited to become an aunt.”
There is a moment of silence where we ignore the elephant sitting between us, the fact that we’ve both technically been aunts for years with Bellarosa’s children.
The hurt will never fade when it comes to our once lost sister, but our love for her will always be bright and full. As is her love for us too, especially since she was willing to welcome me into her world happily, with open arms.
“Soon,” I say, shaking off the sadness.
She smiles, though it’s not as bright as it was a few moments ago. “Yes, soon.”
“Will you be in the room with Salvatore and me?” I ask.
Her eyes widen and the brightness returns. “Seriously?” she squeals.
We hug and a few moments later, the house is full of boys and kids. They consume the entire room and I sit back, enjoying the mass chaos that surrounds us. It’s amazing. It’s perfect, and it’s famiglia.
SALVATORE
We don’t walk into the door until well after midnight, but I don’t mind. Today was a good day, the best really. A surprise that Pippa has been putting together for weeks, a surprise that was pulled off flawlessly.
“Did you like your party, bambola?” I ask as we get ready for bed.
She is putting lotion on her belly and stops at my question. She turns to me slowly, her gaze flicking up to find mine, and she smiles.
“No,” she says, her expression completely serious, then she smiles widely. “I loved it. Every second of it. The entire day and night were amazing.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I open my arms and she walks into them. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her close to me. Tipping my head back, I look into her eyes. She tilts her chin, her lips curving up into a smile as she watches me.
“Salvi,” she breathes. “Thank you for tonight. I know that you had something to do with it.”
I chuckle, sliding my hands down to her ass and grab hold of her, squeezing. “I did, but only because Pippa gave me instructions,” I admit. “I knew if I didn’t follow them, I would have to deal with her wrath.”
Rosana makes a face, then laughs softly before she tips down and touches her mouth to mine. “Let’s go to bed, bambola,” I murmur.
She smiles against my lips, then takes a step backward. She starts to rub the lotion against her belly again and I can’t help but watch, mesmerized by how beautiful my wife is. She is going to have my baby in just a few months.
My daughter.
“Have you thought of any names?” I ask as she makes her way to the bed after slipping on a nightgown. It’s short and sexy, her body stretching it everywhere. She looks sexy as fuck.
Rosana tilts her head to the side, then her lips curve up into a grin. “I have no idea at all. I was thinking something different. Maybe something not Italian?”
I lift a brow, unsure of where she’s going with this. “So…”
She shrugs a shoulder as she climbs in next to me and sits cross-legged. She doesn’t say anything right away. Instead, she looks down at her lap, then she lifts her gaze to meet mine.
“I was thinking something like, Brynn, maybe?”
I’m quiet for a moment as I let the name roll around in my head. She is watching me. I can feel her gaze on me, and I turn to look at her. She is biting her bottom lip, chewing it nervously. Her eyes are bright, her nostrils slightly flare and I realize that this isn’t just some name she’s pulled out of a hat, she likes this name.
“Does it have significance?” I ask.
She doesn’t say anything right away. “It’s nothing super special. I read a book once and that was the heroine’s name. I loved it, still do.”
“What kind of book?” I ask.
She narrows her eyes on me, then rolls them to the ceiling before letting out a heavy sigh. “Romance,” she murmurs.
“I know there are different types. What kind?”
“Mafia romance,” she grumbles.
I can’t help it. I burst out laughing. “I thought you didn’t want a Made Man, yeah?”
I watch as she crosses her arms just beneath her chest, and I can’t help but look down at her tits and stare as I lick my lips. I want to taste those—now.
“I didn’t,” she grunts. “But the story was hot as hell.”
“Does it live up?” I ask.
She presses her lips together and looks at me with pure confusion. Smiling, I lean into her and touch my lips to hers.
“Does the life live up to the book?” I ask against her mouth.
She doesn’t say anything, but she uncrosses her hands, gripping my biceps gently, then I feel her tongue slide across my lips.
“It’s better.”
“Damn fucking straight, bambola.”
Epilogue
TEN YEARS LATER
SALVATORE
“Padre,” a voice calls out.
Pinching my eyes closed, I pretend to be asleep. The little human crawls on top of me, and I feel her breath against my face. I try not to laugh, but I fail. Lifting my arms, I roll over to the side of the bed, opening my eyes to look into hers.
Perhaps at nine, she should be more mature. Perhaps she shouldn’t be running in on Saturday morning to wake us up, but I will never wish for anything else. She smiles at me, her dark ringlets a mess all around her head.
“Where is your mom, huh?” I ask.
She shrugs a shoulder. “Feeding Benton,” she says.
“Should we make breakfast this morning?”
She presses her lips together as if she’s thinking about it. As if we don’t make breakfast every single Saturday morning. I chuckle as I wait for her answer and she nods her head, her decision made.
“Yes, we will,” she agrees.
“Okay, let’s go then, bella.”
Rolling out of bed, I stretch as I look back to her and watch her crawl until she stands beside me. Grabbing a pair of sweats off the floor, I slip them on, then look down to my daughter. Brynn slips her hand in mine and together we make our way toward Rosana and Benton.
It doesn’t take me long to find them. Walking past the nursery, I slip my head inside and see Rosana sitting in the rocking chair, Benton at her breast.
“Hungry?” I ask.
She lifts her head, her eyes finding mine, and her lips curve up into a small smile. “Starving,” she whispers.
Giving her a wink, I shift out of the room, and together Brynn and I continue our way downstairs. Once we’re in the kitchen, I release her hand and look down to her with a smile.
“What should we make them?” I ask, as if I don’t know what I’m going to make. I do, considering I make the same thing every week.
She thinks about my question, again, also acting as if she doesn’t know what I’m going to make. Then she flicks her eyes to me, a gleam of excitement crossing her features.
“Pancakes, fruit, bacon, and eggs,” she squeals.
Laughing, I nod my head a couple of times before I head toward the fridge. Together, Brynn and I make exactly what she suggested, the same thing we make every Saturday morning. Our family tradition, something that I never thought I would have myself.
I didn’t think that I would ever be married, happily at least. I always saw myself with someone purely to procreate and to own someone who could never leave me. My life isn’t that way anymore. My life is full of ups and downs, stressors, and blissful moments. I cherish every fucking second of it all, too.
Every fucking horrible thing that happened, it was worth it. Everything that I did, that made me sick to think about—worth it to get to this point.
Once breakfast is ready, Rosana joins us, Benton in her arms. Taking him from her, I hold my son as my wife and daughter eat breakfast. They’re focused on th
eir food and I just watch them, still completely mesmerized that this is real life.
That they are mine.
“Salvi?” Rosana asks. Turning my attention to her, I smile and wait for her to speak. “You’re okay?” she asks.
Humming, I nod my head. “I am. I’m just happy,” I say with a shrug.
Rosana smiles and reaches across the table, her hand wrapping around my forearm. “Happy Birthday,” she whispers.
“You remembered,” I murmur.
She laughs softly. “You know that I did, but you never told me what you wanted,” she says with a frown.
Shrugging a shoulder, I look down at my son, then across the table to my daughter before I flick my gaze back to her. “Nothing. There is nothing to want, bambola. Not when you have everything in the world right in front of you.”
ROSANA
Salvatore may have told me that he wanted nothing for his birthday, he may have insisted on it, but I did something for him, anyway. A party. Well, with the help of Maci, we threw him a party. It took some doing hiding it from him, but I feel as if fifty years on this earth should be celebrated.
Heavily and happily.
“We’re going to be late,” I call out as I stand at the front door, waiting for Salvatore to join me.
He grumbles as he walks down the stairs, and I sigh at the sight of him. He’s dressed in one of his suits, something he wears every day, but somehow, he looks even more handsome than usual.
I don’t know how it happens, how he does it, but the man looks better with each passing year. He has some graying at his temples, a few extra lines, but still, he’s gorgeous. He looks down at me, his eyes searching mine, then he grins.
“What?” he asks.
Shaking my head, I lick my lips. “Nothing,” I lie.
He chuckles. “I’m sure.”
“C’mon,” I grunt.
Together, we make our way to the car, load up the kids, then we’re on our way. “I don’t know why we’re going to Gavino’s tonight,” he mumbles.
Becoming her Salvation (Zanetti Famiglia Book 7) Page 27