Page 26 of His Mafia Captor

Luca looks up, catching my eye across the crowded bakery. His smile is brighter than the sun, his love a palpable force that steals the breath from my lungs.

He mouths 'I love you', and my heart swells in my chest, full to bursting with gratitude and awe.

I love you too, I mouth back. Always. Forever.

He winks, blows me a kiss...and then he's back to his baking, his laughter rising above the chatter and clatter of the shop.

And I know, with a certainty that settles deep in my bones, that this is just the beginning. That we have a lifetime of moments like this ahead of us, a lifetime of love and laughter and impossible, hard-won joy.

There will be challenges, I know. Moments when the ghosts of our pasts come knocking, when the scars on our hearts ache with remembered pain.

But we'll face it all, together. With the strength of our love, the power of our bond...there's nothing we can't overcome, no storm we can't weather.

And through it all, in the quiet moments stolen between the chaos and the clamor...we'll reaffirm our devotion, our unshakable faith in this love that's saved us both.

With sweet kisses and passionate embraces, with whispered words of adoration in the dark...we'll remind each other of the miracle we've found, the future we've fought for.

And we'll look forward, always. To a life spent in each other's arms, in the warmth and safety of our love.

To a forever that's only just begun.

LUCA

The day is winding down, the last customer gone in a jingle of bells over the door. I wipe down the counters, humming softly to myself, my heart full to bursting with contentment.

I feel Enzo come up behind me, his arms sliding around my waist, his chest warm and solid against my back. I lean into him, savoring his strength, his steadiness.

"I love you," he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear. "I love you so goddamn much, Luca. Sometimes I still can't believe it, can't believe that this is real. That you're mine, and I'm yours."

I turn in his arms, looping my own around his neck. "Believe it," I whisper, my lips a breath from his. "This is real, Enzo. We're real. And nothing...not the past, not the future...can change that."

He kisses me then, slow and deep and achingly tender. I melt into him, into the heat and hardness of his body, the taste of him on my tongue.

It's a promise, that kiss. A vow, unspoken but no less binding. That we'll always have this, always fight for this.

No matter what.

We break apart, breathless and flushed, our hearts pounding in perfect sync. Enzo rests his forehead against mine, his eyes soft and warm and brimming with love.

"Take me to bed," he breathes, his fingers toying with the hem of my shirt. "I need you, Luca. Need to feel you, all of you."

I grin, nipping playfully at his lower lip. "Thought you'd never ask."

I take his hand, twining our fingers together. And then I'm leading him upstairs, to the little apartment we've made our own.

To our future, our forever. To the love that's saved us both, and will keep saving us...for all the days of our lives.

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