Page 69 of Rescued By the Mafia

The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Iris couldn’t believe how much lighter she felt knowing the source of her pain was gone forever. She couldn’t believe how well she slept knowing the man who’d saved her was the one whose arms held her tight. She finally got to work on the rest of her wardrobe shopping, saw Dante’s place of work and met the sweet but ignorant woman who helped run his day-to-day, and together she and Dante ironed out most of their wedding plans. She even had her first appointment with Eleonora’s tailor and, on Dante’s second lunch break, they found a jeweler who let her custom order the ring she’d dreamed up for him. Of course, by then she’d had to agree to let him do the same for her.

They had a venue, they had a date, they had key pieces in production, and they were scheduled for cake sampling the following week. It was almost surreal, but it was also extremely exciting.

Ernesto was back to work, Carlo was optimistic for a full recovery, and Megan had finally emailed back. Iris actually felt like things were looking up, in a way she hadn’t experienced in so long it was entirely foreign. If only she could figure out what to do about the one lingering question in her mind.

Arms curled around her and Iris smiled at the familiar warmth and strength of the embrace. “You’re home early.”

Dante leaned in and pressed his lips to her temple, rumbling, “I have something I want to show you while the sun’s up.”

Iris turned in his arms and reached up to curl hers around his neck. “Oh?” That was new.

“Trust me,” he said. “You’re going to like this.” He stole a kiss, pulling her tight against him for a lingering second, then stepped back and took her hand. “Enzo should have the car running out front.”

She laughed even as her curiosity spiked and let him guide her through the house again, to the car that had been pulled up. Ernesto opened the door for them before sliding into the passenger seat, and then they were off to their mystery destination. Iris looked over at Dante. “I can’t remember the last time I was this curious. I didn’t even know you were working on something.” And she couldn’t imagine what kind of surprise it could be, considering everything they talked about and everything he’d already done for her.

Dante grinned briefly. “That’ll make it all the sweeter.”

She narrowed her eyes at him in a dramatically suspicious way, but was unable to hide her smile. She shook her head and said, “Well, then maybe you can help me work out a different dilemma.”

“I’m listening.”

Iris paused, just for a moment, before allowing herself to verbalize the thought that had first popped into her head while she’d been out with Eleonora days earlier. “I’m torn on if I should reach out to my mom and invite her to the wedding…” It seemed ridiculous to feel that way, considering she didn’t even know exactly when she’d last spoken to her mother. But there it was. Some strange, instinctive guilt.

Dante’s expression softened and he reached out again, scooping her nearest hand into his. “Snapdragon, if you want your mother at our wedding, then invite her. Anyone you want is welcome.” He only paused for a moment, his thumb rubbing across her knuckles. “If you don’t think inviting your mother is good for you, there’s no rule that says you have to. I won’t think less of you, and neither will the family.”

The family. The words just rolled off his tongue so smoothly. They were his family, they were her family, and she knew in his mind it was absolute fact. That guilt thing lodged in her chest loosened a little and Iris smiled. “I know. I do. It’s just that I can’t figure out if I want to or if I only want to want to, you know?”

He gave her hand a squeeze. “If you’re not sure, then send her an invitation with a specific message. Make it clear she’s welcome to come, to celebrate the occasion and renew your relationship in a respectful manner, or she can choose not to come. In which case she will never hear from you again. Leave the decision as to whether or not your relationship is worth fighting for in her corner and let her response guide your own.”

Iris sighed and nodded. “It sounds so easy when you say it.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

The SUV eased to a stop. “We’re here, Boss,” Enzo said as Ernesto stepped from the vehicle.

Fresh excitement ignited inside her and Iris eagerly unclipped her seatbelt as she waited impatiently for her door to open. She couldn’t see much through the glimpses of window around them, just some cityscape on one side and horizon on the other.

Dante’s door opened and he climbed out before extending his hand to her again. “This way, honey.”

She slid obligingly toward him, let him take her hand, and practically hopped to her feet. She was horrendously curious about whatever he’d taken her to see. Then she stepped away from the SUV, Dante at her side, and her mouth fell open. Confusion and an undeniable, unexpected spark of hope flared inside her. She knew where she was now, and it was perhaps the last place she would have thought he’d taken her.

They stood in the gravel drive in front of what had previously been the old, abandoned house where Megan had been held captive. The house itself was gone, entirely torn down, revealing the expanse of riverside cliff and sporadic natural wildflowers that had surrounded it. And there was something … something special about that spot. Something she couldn’t put a finger on.

Dante rested his hand at the small of her back. “I know you said you felt bad for the house, but it turned out there was a lot of rot and termite damage. It wasn’t worth the labor cost to repair the structure that was here before.”

Iris finally tore her gaze away from the open space and looked up at him. “You … bought it?”

His lips twitched. “The land belongs to you. Or it will, as soon as you sign the papers.”

He had bought it, and was gifting it to her, all because she’d made an off-hand comment in an emotional moment. Tears rushed her eyes and Iris struggled to swallow them back. “I love you,” she blurted.

His expression warmed. “Iris.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, his ever-intense blue eyes piercing straight into her soul. “I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I have fallen in love with you every day since. And if you’re going to cry every time I give you something, I’m going to develop anxiety.”

She burst into giggles and stepped into him, tucking herself beneath his chin as he straightened. With her head turned, her gaze landed again on the open space across from them. “You bought me the land … are you telling me to move out?”

His arms tightened around her. “Never.”

She smiled. “So I can do what I want with it?”

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