Page 95 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

The tension in the room evaporated in an instant, replaced by a collective sense of awe. Angelo, still holding her shoulder, felt his heart swell with emotion. “Are you serious?” he asked softly, his voice full of wonder. “Where? Can I feel it?”

Allison nodded, guiding his hand to the spot where she had felt the movement. “Right here,” she said, her voice trembling with excitement. “It was like a little flutter, just like they say, but… real.”

Leopold and Frederick exchanged a glance, their earlier tension forgotten as they moved closer, curiosity and a bit of apprehension on their faces. “Can we… can we feel it too?” Frederick asked, his usual bravado replaced by a rare vulnerability.

Allison smiled warmly, nodding. “Of course. She’s your niece, after all.”

As they all gathered around, the room fell silent, Angelo holding his breath in anticipation. And then, there it was—a faint, but unmistakable movement beneath his hands, a tiny nudge as if his little angel was saying hello.

Angelo’s eyes widened with amazement as he looked up at Allison. “I felt it,” he breathed, his grin spreading from ear to ear. “She’s really in there.”

Leopold’s cold face softened, his hand still resting gently on Allison’s belly. “She’s strong,” he murmured, his voice filled with a mix of pride and emotion. “Just like her mother.”

Frederick, still staring at his hand as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just felt, finally let out a breathless chuckle. “And probably just as stubborn,” he added, glancing at Angelo with a smirk.

Angelo chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, we’re in for it with this one,” he said, his voice full of warmth as he looked back at Allison. “But we’re going to be okay. All of us.”

Allison, her eyes still shining with happy tears, nodded in agreement. “We really are,” she whispered, squeezing Angelo’s hand and smiling at her brothers’ presence beside her.

Allison’s brothers lingered for another hour after the miracle of Angelo’s little angel moving for the first time.

It was safe to say Angelo was less than thrilled.

But, ever the gentleman, he bit his tongue every time Frederick decided to “tease” him—if being called a douchebag could be considered teasing amongst grown men—or whenever Leopold joked that Angelo’s daughter might “regrettably take after him.”

How awesome am I?He thought wryly.

When they were finally gone, and Angelo was sure Allison was in a good mood, he decided it was time to put his plan into action.

Phase 1: Approach non-aggressively.

“Allison, I need to talk to you,” he said as soon as the door shut behind her brothers. His voice came out firmer than he intended, and he mentally smacked himself in the head.

Phase 1: Not so well executed, but check.

“Is something wrong?” Allison asked, her brows knitting together, worry pulling at her pouty lips.Lips I’ll hopefully be tasting soon, he thought.

Phase 2: Ask directly.

“Nothing’s wrong, per se,” he began, trying to soften his tone. “But I do have something important I want to discuss with you.”

The worry in her expression eased, though she still looked slightly puzzled, likely thrown off by his suddenly serious demeanor.

He watched her facial expressions carefully as she slowly nodded. “Okay. I guess.”

Needing a moment to collect himself, Angelo led her back to the couch where they had been sitting earlier. This time, he made sure the space between them was nearly nonexistent. He couldn’t stand another second of not touching her.

“I have a proposition for you,” he said, hesitating as he felt his throat dry up like a prune. He mentally cursed his nerves thatweren’tmade of steel when it mattered most.“And I need you to hear me out before you decide you don’t like it.”

He watched as her eyes narrowed slightly, her mind working to decode the meaning behind his words. He loved when she did that—when she was so deep in thought that he could practically see the gears turning in that beautiful mind of hers.

Her tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth as she focused, her nose scrunching up in the most adorable way. Her eyes drifted off, lost somewhere in her thoughts. He was pretty sure that if he ever watched her try to solve a puzzle, he’d come in his pants.

Fucking snap out of it.

“Explain,” she said, sitting up straighter, bracing herself as if she was preparing for bad news.

“I want you to come live with me.”

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