Engaged to the EMT

by Piper Rayne

  The creak of the stairs alerts everyone that my dad is on his way up from the basement. He appears in the doorway and when he spots Luca it’s clear that my dad would love an hour in the basement alone with him so he could try out his new tools.

  Just as I’m expecting my dad to lay in on him, his eyes catch Luca’s parents and his scowl turns into a smile. “Tony. Maria.”

  They all shake hands and stare back at Luca.

  “Your boy did wrong,” my dad says.

  “He’s here to make it right,” Anthony says.

  “He better because my daughter deserves the best. A man who will protect her and take care of her.”

  A small smile creeps onto my face seeing my dad stick up for me.

  “I can take care of myself.” I desert the cookie dough and head to the kitchen. I don’t want any part of whatever Luca’s here for. It’s not my job to help him clear his conscience with his parents.

  “I know you can,” my dad says, making me pause for a second. He’s done a one-eighty and I wonder if it will last forever.

  “Lauren,” Luca says.

  My eyes close with the sound of my name coming from his lips.

  “Let me explain,” he continues.

  I turn, my eyes falling to my parents first. It wasn’t pleasant telling them when I woke on their couch this morning that I had agreed to be someone’s fiancée in exchange for some Blackhawks tickets and a date. I’m really hating Luca more for making me go through this again in front of everyone.

  “There’s nothing to explain. It was an act. From the fact your parents are here I’m guessing everyone knows our little secret now. Let’s just move on with our lives.” I turn around with the intent on hiding in the kitchen until he leaves.

  “That’s bullshit, and you know it. I was not the only one who felt something.”

  The front door opens and closes. Great, more witnesses here to enjoy my embarrassment.

  “Sorry,” Mauro mumbles.

  “Oh shit, thank God we didn’t miss it,” Cris says to Mauro, but we can all hear him.

  “This isn’t the fucking Maury Povich show,” Luca spits out. “Give us some privacy.”

  “No.” My dad’s deep voice is the only one who answers.

  Luca rolls his eyes. “Well?”

  I swallow down the lump in my throat and stomp over to him. “Well, what? What exactly do you want me to say?”

  Getting me face-to-face almost pulls a cocky smile out of him. Bastard.

  “I want you to say you love me because I sure as hell love you.”

  I suck in a startled gasp. At his words, yes, but also from the ferocity he delivered them with.

  “Luca!” his mom scolds him.

  Luca continues as though no one said anything. “Do you think if I had a choice, I’d pick you, Lauren? Newsflash, I wouldn’t. We’ll probably kill one another before we reach the ‘‘til death do us part’ promise in our vows. But the choice isn’t mine because my heart is yours. You’ve held it since I was fifteen and I never want it back.”

  All the women in the room simultaneously put their hands over their hearts and sigh. Traitors.

  My bottom lip quivers, betraying myself so I bite down on it with my teeth.

  “I love you,” Luca whispers, placing a hand on my cheek.

  My tears having nowhere to go, trickle down my face.

  “We went our separate ways after high school, but fate brought us back together because our story wasn’t finished. It hadn’t even begun.” He swipes away one of my tears with his thumb. “I know you love me, too. If you would’ve waited at the hospital a damn second, I was about to tell my brothers the truth.”

  Tears tumble out of my eyes like an overflowing sink now. I hate that he’s so easily able to convince me that I’m wrong. I hate being wrong. But the truth is, I’ve never been so happy to be wrong in my life.

  When I don’t speak, he continues, “The truth is that I fell so hard for you, I can’t find the ground under me. I know you didn’t mean those things you said last night. You just didn’t want me to be the one to hurt you. But we can’t be like that, Lauren. That might’ve been us at one time, but not anymore. Win or lose we do it together. No more competition. You and I are a team now.”

  I desperately want to trust his words. My gaze falls over him. His sunken eyes and grayish face. The way his hair sticks up in all directions. His mismatched outfit. Has he been hurting as much as me?

  “Having you be in a committed relationship would be like fencing in a wild horse. At some point, I won’t be enough for you. You’ll want to bust out to see what you’re missing in the world.”

  That right there is my biggest fear. That I won’t be enough for the free spirit that is Luca Bianco.

  He winces at my words as though I slapped him, but he keeps his eyes fixed on mine.

  “Don’t you see? You freed me. Wild horses don’t roam alone. There’s so much out there in the open fields for both of us to explore—together.”

  A small smile turns up the corners of my lips. Luca raises his index finger up and digs into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out his phone.

  “Maybe this will convince you that I never really forgot about you, even when I was out grazing with other mares.”

  Holding his phone up, he hands it over to me.

  There’s a picture of me asleep on his childhood bed. I don’t even remember when this would have been taken, but my chin length hair tells me it was high school at some point.

  “I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself,” he says, looking adorably sheepish.

  “What is it?” Van asks Cristian.

  “I don’t know,” she whispers back.

  “You took this?” I could see Cody doing it, but not Luca. Luca barely tolerated my existence in high school.

  He nods. “It was a party at my parents’ house and you weren’t feeling well. I argued with Cody about putting you in my bed, told him to take you home. That I didn’t want you puking in my bed. I only said that because I couldn’t handle the thought of you sleeping in my bed. Your scent all over where I slept would be the cruelest form of torture for me. Cody insisted though because he didn’t want to leave the party. I snuck up there to check up on you and…” He glances over his shoulder at all the bystanders. “I snapped the picture because well…I like to torment myself, I suppose. I was used to the two of us going at it all the time and you looked so sweet and innocent laying there.”

  I giggle because I’ll give it to him. That took guts to share that.

  I’ve been so stupid. Stupid for second-guessing him. I know him better than that. Luca shows he doesn’t tell, and I allowed words to put us where we are now.

  “Don’t you see, Lauren, I’m not too proud to admit, you’ve always been the one I really wanted.”

  “Luca.”

  His hands cup my cheeks. “What? I’ll do anything.” The desperation in his eyes almost undoes me.

  I take a step back and slide the ring off my finger. “Take your ring back.” I press it into the palm of his hand as a look of horror overtakes his features. “And ask me out on a proper date.”

  Luca’s arrogant smile appears, and he tucks the ring into his pocket for safe keeping. Then he falls down to bended knee, taking my now empty hand in his. “Lauren Hunt, will you go out with me tonight?”

  I pretend like I have to think really hard about it when all I really want to do is kiss him. “Sure. Knock on my bedroom door at seven?”

  “Knock on our headboard?” He stands up, winding his arm around my waist and pulling me into his body, where I fit perfectly.

  “That works, too.”

  He bends his head down and even though we’re in front of both our families, our lips crash together. Every deal should be sealed with a kiss.

  Epilogue

  Luca

  Four Months Later

  The lights in the arena and the red carpet is extended out to mid-ice. It’s been months since Lauren gave
me that ring back, but now I’ve got a shiny, bigger one in my pocket as the announcer comes over the speaker.

  Mauro and Cris bring a blindfolded Lauren out to the ice’s edge.

  “This is ridiculous and I want you both to know that payback is a bitch.”

  Mauro shoots me a look to say I owe him one, which I do.

  He and Cris convinced her that she needed to appease me because I was able to score tickets that let us meet the team, but I wanted to do a lame birthday surprise for her.

  I had no choice but to tell one little white lie because it’s Lauren and she’s not a girl who’s willing to be blindfolded unless we’re in the bedroom. In which case she quite enjoys herself.

  Wanting to make me happy she agreed to pretend to be blindfolded for the last stretch, but what she doesn’t know is that I’m in the middle of the United Center, on bended knee in front of thousands of people.

  The last four months have been amazing. I got to unwrap her at Christmas, kiss her at midnight on New Year’s, pretend to shoot her with cupid’s arrow on Valentine’s Day and watch them dye the river green with her on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s not just the holidays that Lauren has made sweeter. It’s every day that I get to come home to the woman who keeps life interesting and fills me with joy.

  Since my mom’s last ablation two weeks ago was successful, and they caught the arsonist—which by the way was the Osmond Brothers, who kept stealing properties from Mauro and Maddie—I count my blessings every day. Ma might not always remain A-fib free, but we’ll take what we can get while we have it.

  Maddie and Mauro are planning their wedding for this summer and Cris has yet to ask Vanessa, but I can’t wait any longer. Staring at Lauren’s empty left hand nauseates me every time.

  The Jumbotron lights up with a slideshow of the two of us with “Speechless” by Dan + Shay playing in the background. Lauren’s shoulders droop when the song starts, and she strips the blindfold off, which I kind of expected from her. Her eyes find me and her face scrunches into that expression right before she’s about to cry.

  The crowd roars to life and I hold my hand out for her to come to me.

  The closer she gets, the more I see the scowl through her tears and I can’t help but chuckle.

  I know what she wants, but I’m a ‘go big or go home’ guy. She said so herself. Since I can’t announce to every single person in this world that I love Lauren Hunt, this is the closest I’ll get.

  The song finishes, and I pick up the microphone. Jesus, I never thought I’d be this stressed about it when I was putting it all together. I’m pretty confident of her answer, but I’ve been wrong before.

  “Luca,” she says my name in a mock scolding way.

  I chuckle. “Sorry, babe, but you love me anyway, right?”

  Laughter rings throughout the arena.

  “What are you doing?” she asks.

  “I’m telling all these people how much I love you.”

  Again, the crowd laughs and I’m second guessing my decision to call in a favor after saving the general manager’s life a couple months ago.

  “Nice, babe.”

  She’s in her ratty Blackhawks jersey and jeans. Her hair is thrown up in a ponytail and her flawless face has little makeup on it. Exactly how I love her most.

  “Oh, but one more thing.” I pull the ring from my pocket and take her left hand in mine.

  “Luca.” She sighs.

  “Lauren Hunt, you make my life worth living. If I was a poet or a writer, I’d probably make all these people swoon with oohs and aahs. But I’m not. I’m just the man who can’t live without you. Who wouldn’t even want to try. Without you, my heart will be just as cold as my bed at night. What do you say? Torture yourself for the rest of your life and agree to be my wife?”

  Laughter falls down from the rows of seats.

  Lauren smiles and nods, tears in her eyes. “I do love to hate you.”

  I slip the ring on her finger and applause rings out.

  “I’m just thankful you love to love me more.”

  Her arms wrap around my neck. “You know it.”

  “Forgive me for all this?” I glance around at the thousands of spectators.

  “I have a feeling I’ll be doing that for the next fifty years or more.”

  I chuckle. “You know it.”

  Later that night we get home and though I know she’s excited that we’re really, truly engaged this time, I’ve sensed something else below the surface.

  Once we’re in our house, I’m ready to give her one more surprise, but I want to figure out what’s going on first. If she thinks it’s too soon to be engaged, I want to hear it. No more keeping our feelings bottled up inside.

  “Hey, babe, I have one more gift for your birthday, but are you okay?”

  She nods, sitting down on the couch. “I’m good.”

  “You’re not acting good.”

  Her fingers play with her new adornment on her left ring finger. She stares down at it. “It’s really pretty.”

  “It is.” I should know, I’ll be paying for it for a few years.

  “Is it returnable?” she asks.

  My heart stumbles over a beat. She’s kidding me, right?

  “I suppose I could be one of those schmucks who have to return a ring.” I put my palm out for it.

  “Luca, I…”

  “Spit it out, Lauren.”

  “Do you have the other ring still?” she asks like I’m about to go off and she’s worried about my reaction.

  “What ring? The first one?”

  She nods.

  My forehead wrinkles. “Why?”

  She stares down at the new and improved ring on her finger. “When I gave it back to you, it was so you could give it to me again.”

  “But that ring was when everything was a lie?”

  “It really wasn’t. It’s the first ring you gave me and you know how I am about firsts.” She smiles.

  With my heart lighter now, I run up the stairs, digging into my sock drawer and running back down.

  “You really want this one?”

  She holds out her left hand for me. “Yeah. It’s ours. That first engagement was just the beginning of us falling in love with each other. This one means so much more to me. Do you know how many times I stared down at this ring wishing it was real?”

  I sit down beside her pushing the small box aside.

  “No.”

  “I did, Luca. Not at first, but later on. It’s what first gave me the thought of what it would be like to be Mrs. Lauren Hunt-Bianco.”

  “Okay then. I’ll happily be one of those poor schmucks who returns an engagement ring then.” I slide off the big diamond and put on the smaller diamond and she’s right, that’s her ring. “We need to talk about the whole hyphenating your last name thing by the way.”

  She chuckles and lays her head on my chest, staring at her outstretched left hand. “I’ll go with you.”

  I reach around and pull out the box I’d stashed behind the couch cushion earlier. “One more thing.”

  “You’re really upping your game here. I don’t think I can top this for your birthday.”

  She rips off the paper and opens the box. “How sweet, papers.”

  “Read the papers, babe,” I say with a laugh.

  She looks them over, her jaw dropping the farther into them she gets. “You bought the house…from Maddie?”

  Pride fills my chest. “I did. She did give a pretty big brother-in-law discount, but it’s ours. Just like that ring, this place is ours. It’s where we’re meant to grow our love and build our family.”

  “I love you.” She leans in and wraps her arms around my neck.

  “I love you more,” I say and kiss the top of her head.

  She pulls back and stares at me with joy in her eyes. “I love you until infinity.”

  “I love you to infinity plus infinity.”

  “I love you…”

  “Babe, shut up and kiss me.”
r />   Our lips crash together, and I’m lost in her orbit. Screw that, this is our orbit now.

  We know what you’re all thinking… WHITE COLLAR COUSINS SERIES! And you’re right. The Bianco’s NYC cousins, The Mancinis, are getting their own 3 book series starting in June. CLICK HERE to preorder Sexy Filthy Boss for $2.99.

  Also, we want to introduce you to a new series in a BRAND NEW WORLD. Scroll forward for the FIRST CHAPTER!

  Nine siblings navigate through life in their Alaskan town, Lake Starlight. First up, Austin, the oldest Bailey!

  Lessons from a One-Night Stand

  releases February 7, 2019

  The gorgeous guy on stage with his jaw hanging wide open, shock and awe in his eyes?

  That’d be me. Austin Bailey. Eldest Brother of the Bailey clan, guardian to my younger siblings, history teacher extraordinaire, baseball coach, good neighbor, and all-round pretty great guy.

  Before we dive into the fact that karma just raised its middle finger at me, you have to know how my morning began.

  Today was like every other morning.

  I woke up, got ready, prepared breakfast for my ungrateful twin sisters, Phoenix and Sedona, and then we all hopped into my Jeep to head to school.

  Of course, Phoenix didn’t eat the pancakes.

  Her exact words, if I remember correctly were, “They taste like cardboard. Can’t you just follow the recipe?”

  Sedona ate the pancakes but as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of Lake Starlight High School, where they’re seniors, her appreciation for me ended. “Park in the back, I don’t want to be seen stepping out of this monstrosity.”

  I’ve learned that there’s no pleasing a teenager—especially a female one—no offence ladies, but her comment still irked me. How is my Jeep embarrassing? It has a snorkel so when I off-road, I don’t have to spend my money on a new engine and can instead afford to buy her whatever new outfit she wants. She should be grateful, thanking me. But she’s seventeen. Pleasing her is impossible.