by K. J. Dahlen
“Of course not,” Lina said. “She’s sexier.”
“She better fucking not be,” Franco growled.
“It’s impossible anyway. You’re so sexy Angel.” Marco grinned.
It was possible.
Not a moment later, everyone turned to watch Annalisa walk down the stairs. Her movements were slower and I wondered if she was in pain. She was dressed nothing like Lina, but she looked ten times sexier. She was wearing a simple sundress. It had a tight bodice that fit her perfectly, pushing her breast up and out. The dress only came to mid thigh, and I was pretty sure if she bent over, I’d be able to see her panties.
“God hates me,” I said making both men laugh.
Annalisa finished walking down the stairs and turned toward the living room. Her face lit up when she saw me. She was so beautiful, so perfect. I knew. My mom was right. I just knew she was the one for me. She walked over and threw her arms around my neck giving me a huge hug. I held her tightly to me. She let out a soft little sound of content, but it sounded a lot like the noises she made when I kissed her neck or inner thigh.
Apparently, my cock thought so too, because it was springing to life.
I was about to pull away before Annalisa noticed, but it was too late. “Oh!” she said, pulling away and staring down at my cock. Her face wore the look of surprise and her lips were frozen in a small O shape.
Lina giggled. “I told you he’d like it.”
I should have been embarrassed, but I wasn’t. It was my girl, and she turned me on, so what?
“Really?” I heard Franco say in disgust.
Well there was that, I thought to myself. Maybe I was a little embarrassed.
We walked the rest of the way into the living room, Annalisa sitting next to me and Lina sitting on Marco’s lap. Theresa joined us sitting next to Franco. We’d been talking about the election before the women had entered the room, but that conversation had stopped. It was different to me. In my house, my sister was very involved in the daily workings of the business. It appeared that the ladies here had been kept out of the loop. It explained why Annalisa hadn’t known who I was really, when we met.
We made small talk. I didn’t care what we were doing as long as I was spending time with Annalisa. She held my hand. I was worried her father would be upset, but when I glanced over at Marco and Lina, I worried a lot less. Lina had been sitting on Marco’s lap in the chair. She’d turned nearly all the way around and was making out with him.
“Shall I get the hose,” Franco teased, but the two of them got the hint.
We spoke for about an hour in their living room. Annalisa held my hand, but something was off. She would turn and smile at me, but I knew there was something bothering her. I hoped it hadn’t been my reaction to her outfit. Did she think that just because I’d gotten hard, I wanted to have sex with her? I mean, I did want to make love to her, but not until she was totally healed and it was safe for the baby.
I squeezed her hand tightly and whispered, “Is everything okay?”
She nodded her head without looking at me. Her eyes had become glassy and I thought she was about to cry. “Can we talk after dinner?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said, with a smile, though I felt much less confident on the inside. What did she want to talk about? Had something happened with the baby? The doctor said that she might bleed if she was losing it. Or maybe it was nothing to do with the baby. Maybe she wanted to end things with me. Were we on that different of pages? Here I was, hoping to get her alone to talk about the baby, marriage, and maybe she wasn’t so sure. The thought of losing her made me even surer I wanted her as my wife. Whatever it was, whatever was causing that look of pain on her face, I wanted to erase it.
I held her hand tightly until dinner was ready. We ate in the dining room. The meal was delicious. I complimented Theresa at least a half a dozen times.
During the meal, I put my hand on Annalisa’s knee. She put hers on top of mine and held on tightly.
“Are you ready for dessert?” Theresa asked everyone as we sat there, stomach’s stuffed, barely able to move.
“What’s dessert?” Franco asked.
“Dante brought cannolis. Where did you pick them up? Franco is picky about his cannolis,” Theresa laughed.
“I made them. Well, I made them with my mom.”
“Those are Camille’s cannolis?” Franco asked, eyeing them in a new way.
I nodded. “I made the filling.’
Franco picked one up and took a bite. He moaned. “They’re even better than I remembered.”
It wasn’t long before everyone was sitting around the table feeling stuffed.
The ladies went into the kitchen to do dishes as Marco, Franco and I went back into the living room. It hit me, like a ton of bricks. I knew what I needed to do and spoke before I even thought it through, “Franco, can I have a word with you in private?”
Marco’s brows raised.
I didn’t want to offend him or step on toes. “It’s about Annalisa,” I added.
Now it was Franco’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “Sure,” he said. “In my office.”
We walked into his office and he sat behind his desk. His leather chair was huge and intimidating. And as if matters couldn’t get worse, he reached into the top drawer and pulled out a gun. He began wiping it down with a white handkerchief. “You wanted to talk about my little girl?” he asked, not looking up.
I exhaled. Maybe he was trying to intimidate me. It was working, but I was far more scared of losing Annalisa than scared of him. “I’m in love with your daughter,” I said simply.
“So you say,” he responded.
“Franco...Mr. Morelli. I am deeply in love with your daughter. I can’t imagine spending an entire day without her. She is my sole reason for living. We’re having a child together, but that isn’t the whole reason I love her. I’d love her and want to be with her even if there was no baby. So I’ve come to ask you for your permission to ask Annalisa to marry me.”
He looked up from his gun at me. He didn’t seem surprised I’d asked, but he said nothing. He looked back down at his gun and continued polishing it.
I was about to repeat my question but he finally spoke.
“Is it true, what you said, about not having sex with anyone since Annalisa was shot?”
“Yes. She’s the only woman I’ve slept with since I’ve met her.”
“And you plan on being faithful to her? You’re willing to give up all other women?”
It seemed so final when he said it, but when I thought about Jessie and how eager she’d been, and how I hadn’t wanted her at all. Then I thought about Annalisa and how she’d looked all afternoon and how my cock had responded to her instantly. There was no other woman in the world who could do that to me anymore. Only her. And if that weren’t enough, I never wanted to see the look I saw in her eyes today, when something had upset her. I never wanted to be the cause of her pain. Her pain was my pain. That alone, would make me stay faithful. “I am willing to give up other women. She’s the only one for me. She’s the only one I want.”
Franco nodded. “You know, my daughter won’t ever be divorced, she’ll only be a widow. Do you understand?”
Clearly, he meant taking “Till death do us part,” seriously.
It was fine with me. I had no intention of ever being divorced either. “Yes, I understand. Besides, I have no idea if she’ll even say yes.”
“There’s always hope.” Franco laughed.
“Yes, Sir,” I said.
He’d set down the gun. “And when do you plan to ask her?”
“This afternoon,” I said, hoping he didn’t pick up the gun again. “I want to ask her before tomorrow.”
Franco’s face changed. At first, I thought he was angry about the baby, but when he spoke, I realized it was concern. “You’re going with her tomorrow, right?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Good. You’ve been really supportive of her. I’m con
cerned about how she will feel if she’s lost...if there’s no… if things don’t go as she wants.”
“I’ll be there for her tomorrow and the next day. And if something has happened to our child, then we will deal with it together. It won’t be just her loss. It’s our loss. I want this baby as much as she does.”
Franco put the gun back in the drawer, stood and walked around his desk. He held out his hand. “You’re a good man. You have my blessing.”
I took his hand in mine and shook it. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
“I won’t hesitate to kill you if you hurt her,” he said, holding onto my hand, squeezing it a bit tighter.
“I know.”
He let go and put his hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the family.”
I walked out of his office smiling.
Annalisa was standing in the middle of the living room, biting her lip, both hands clasped in front of her. She looked nervous, which made me nervous.
My smile faltered. Getting Franco’s permission was only half of it. She had to say yes. “Maybe we can go for a walk outside?” I suggested. “Not far, just to the little grove of trees.” It was where we’d had most of our picnics. There was a small bench there I knew we could sit on.
I held her hand as we walked toward the trees. I had to wonder if this is what a man felt like walking to his hanging. I knew she had bad news, I just didn’t know what it was. Thoughts spiraled through my head making me nervous.
Annalisa looked even more nervous the closer we got. She hadn’t said anything on the short walk, which wasn’t like her.
We sat down and I kept her hand in mine. “I’m glad we’re alone. There is something I wanted to talk to you about, too.” I said running the pad of my thumb over the back of her hand. “Do you want to go first?” I really wanted to know what was on her mind.
“I’m...I’m composing my thoughts still. Maybe you can go first?”
Part of me was relieved. I wanted to say what I was going to before she gave me the news about the baby. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that’s what it had to be. I needed her to hear my proposal before she told me anything. I wanted her to know, if it was the baby that it didn’t matter. “I want you to know that I’ve had an amazing time the past few weeks since you’ve gotten out of the hospital. I’ve loved going on dates with you and spending time hanging out here.”
“But…” Annalisa asked.
She was right, there was a but…a little one. “But, I feel like we used to talk about everything, and since you were shot, I’ve been keeping things from you.” The look on her face crushed me. I couldn’t stop though. I had to keep going. “I’ve been worried about your health, but I always pretend like I’m not. And I’ve been worried about the baby. I’m so worried I can’t even sleep. I start to bring it up with you a dozen times a day, but I never want to because I don’t want to see you sad. I feel like it’s all my fault you’re pregnant in the first place. Then I feel bad that I’m not sorry at all that you’re pregnant. I want this baby. But I do feel like it’s my fault that you were shot, and that our baby is in danger.”
I took both of her hands in mine.
She looked at me, eyes wide.
“So I’m sorry for all of it, well except for getting you pregnant. I’m mostly sorry I didn’t share what I was thinking and feeling with you. I want to. You’re the only woman I want to share those things with. You’re the only woman I want to be with. I don’t want to spend a day without you. I can’t imagine being with any woman other than you. You’re my world. I love you more than life itself.” I slid off the bench and dropped to one knee in front of her. I put my hand on her stomach. “I love you baby or no baby. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you. Annalisa Morelli, will you marry me?”
First came the tears then the soft reply. “Yes… Yes Dante, I’ll marry you.”
I’d forgotten the ring. It was still in my pocket. I’d actually had it since the night she’d been shot. I fumbled for it then took it out. Sliding it on her finger seemed to make it official.
We were engaged. We were engaged!
I stood and pulled her up into my arms. My lips crushed hers. My tongue pushed into her mouth. She was mine, my fiancé. The mother of my child. My hands were all over her. If she were able to make love, I think I’d have done it right there. The only thing that stopped me was concern for the baby.
Finally, after becoming light headed, I pulled back and sat down, pulling her gently onto my lap. “We can get married right away if you want, or we can wait and you can plan a huge wedding. Whatever you want.”
She nodded, smiling. All of the concern I’d seen before was gone. It made me happy, but I still wanted to know what it was that had been bothering her. If it was important to her, it was to me as well.
Again, I took both of her hands in mine. “Annalisa, you’d said there was something you wanted to talk to me about. What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said quickly.
“Babygirl. We can’t do that. We can’t keep things that are bothering us from each other. There was something. What was it?”
She looked down, her cheeks pink. “Well I feel a bit stupid now, but I um, I was going to ask you if you were, uh, sleeping with girls at the club.”
“That’s what had you upset all day?”
She nodded.
“Babygirl. You’re the only girl. You’re my only girl. I haven’t been with anyone else since I met you, and I never will be with anyone else again.”
She pulled me in for a hug. I held her tightly for a long time before she finally let me go. I held her hand once again, feeling finally at peace.
She looked down at our hands and surprised me by squealing, “I’m engaged!”
I had to laugh. “Yes...yes we are.”
“Oh, my God. My dad...he’s going to kill you.”
“Only if I break your heart. At least that’s what he told me.”
“Wait, you told him you loved me?”
I nodded. “More than once, but just a bit ago, I told him again and asked for his blessing.”
“Oh, that had to be good. What did he tell you? Over his dead body?”
I shook my head. “No, he gave us his blessing.”
Annalisa gasped. “He did?”
“Yes he did, though I think he hoped that you’d say no.”
“Why would I say no?” She laughed.
It was so wonderful to see her happy again. I wanted to be the source of all of her happiness.
She was staring at her ring again. It was a single diamond on a white gold band.
“I hope you like it,” I said. “It belonged to my father’s mother. We will have to get a wedding band though.”
“I do love it,” she said. “Why do you have it though, why not your sister?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. My grandmother gave it to me. Maybe she wanted me to use it when I proposed and figured my sister would get a ring from her husband.”
“Well, I’m glad you got it. It’s perfect.” She leaned back resting herself on me.
We both looked at her ring and watched the sun dip behind the trees. With the sun gone, the temperature dipped quickly.
“Hey, let’s get inside,” I said, standing up with her.
We walked hand in hand. On the way to the house, I realized there was one thing we hadn’t talked about. “You know, earlier, when you said you wanted to talk to me, I thought it was going to be about the baby. I thought maybe you had bad news. I wanted you to know that if you want to talk about it, we can. I’ll be there tomorrow, and no matter what, we’re going to be together.”
We’d been holding hands and she swung them a bit, her happiness still radiating from her. “Ok, and I will. I’m glad that you’re going to be there.”
“Of course, I’m going to be there. I want to support you. I want to be there for our baby, and besides, I gotta ask that doctor how much longer until you can have sex. My ar
m’s getting tired.”
“What do you mean, until I can have sex? I can have sex. You just never wanted to.”
I stopped walking. Was she fucking serious? She’d taken a few more steps, our connected hands, pulling her to a stop.
“Wait. Are you telling me that we could have made love last night and the night before?”
She bit her lower lip making her look even sexier. “Well, yeah.”
“Then why didn’t we?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Every time I tried, we’d kiss and then you’d stop. I thought maybe, I don’t know.”
I slapped myself in the forehead. “And you thought I was fucking other women instead of making love to you?”
She nodded.
I pulled her into my arms. “Jesus Christ. I’m an idiot. Baby, I’ve wanted you so much. It was just you had been shot, and the baby.... Never doubt that I want you. I could be six feet under and I’d still want to sleep with you.”
She giggled at that. “Well, I suppose the first day or two I couldn’t. I’d asked the doctor before we left the hospital if having sex would hurt the baby or maybe make me lose it. He said that normal sex wouldn’t hurt the baby and that I could have it when I felt good.”
“And do you feel good?” I asked her with a smile.
She giggled. “Yes, I feel very good.” She pulled my hand and we started walking toward the house. “Wanna see my room?”
“God damn, I think you’re gonna kill me,” I said, my smile way too big for my face.
We walked into the house, my arm around her.
Her parents were in the living room.
“Guess what!?!” she said, holding out her hand.
Lina screamed, ran over and grabbed her hand. “Oh, my God! It’s beautiful!”
Her mother hugged her, admiring her ring as well.
Marco came and congratulated me. “I’m sure you heard it from Franco, but if you hurt her, I’ll cut your nuts off. She’s like a sister to me.”
I smiled and shook his hand. “I’ll never hurt her.”
“Bullshit.” He laughed. “Just don’t do it on purpose.”
We both laughed.