Page 69 of Vow to Me

“Because I want to do it right, I want to have a real marriage, not one of obligation. I want a wedding where I’ll walk myself down the aisle and give myself to you in front of our family and friends. I want to stand on the beach at your family’s island—where we can be closer to your mother—and vow to spend the rest of my life loving you, and in return I want you to vow to me that you’ll never let anything get in the way ofusagain. Vow to love me for the rest of our lives, vow to grow old with me Luca,” I plead, and a tear rolls down his cheek. I lean over and kiss it away as he whispers against my ear, “I haven’t lost you?”

“Never.” I bring my lips back to his and this time he doesn’t hesitate; he pours two weeks of tension and heartbreak into me, and I pour all my love into him in return.

“I love you so fucking much,” he murmurs against my lips, and I pull back and smile at him.

“I love you too.”

“Get the fuck in here,” he says while he pulls back the covers and I shake my head, but he just glares at me.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“The only thing hurting right now is me not holding you. Please just get on the damn bed and fucking cuddle with me woman.”

I roll my eyes before carefully climbing into the bed next to him, taking extra care not to jostle him or touch his wound. I place my head on his chest—thankful to hear his heart beating—as he places a kiss on my head and brings his hand up to play with my hair.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Iz. For everything.”

“I know, just don’t fucking do it again,” I mumble as I fight to stay awake.

“Never baby. And I’ll never let you go. I missed you so fucking much.”

“I missed you too, Enzo is fucking annoying when your around him all the time.” His chest vibrates as he chuckles beneath me.

“Come home with me, I need you back home with me.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He presses a kiss into my hair, and I hear his breathing change as he falls asleep. For the first time in what feels like forever, I fall asleep peacefully, with him wrapped around me.

Chapter Fifty

Luca

I’ve been in this goddamn hospital for three fucking weeks. Three weeks that could have been better spent at home with my girl, but instead I’ve been fucking stuck in this shithole room, staring at the same four walls until my physical therapist collects me to get me up on my feet.

It’s fucking hard—alotharder than I expected—to get back up on my feet. Even though the bullet missed any major organs, it still fucked my body up and I’ve spent the last three weeks killing myself every day to be able to do things for myself.

The first few days were the worst, I was fully unable to get out of bed, they even had me using a fucking catheter because I couldn’t get up to take a piss. Ridiculous, and utterly fuckinghumiliating.I’m the underboss of the New York Mafia—goddamn heir to the throne—I should be able to take a damn leak without a tube’s assistance.

The best part was when on the day I woke up, a nurse attempted to give me a bed bath, the nurse in question hadn’t been one of my regular nurses, because Izzy lost her fucking shit. Apparently—while I was still unconscious—she had refused to let another woman touch me and opted to do it herself. So, when the sweet,sixty-year-old nurse came and offered her assistance, she flew off the fucking handle and started threatening the poor old lady.

The woman is fuckinginsane.

But she’s mine, she agreed to stay, so she can act like a fucking lunatic all she likes as long as she does it with me by her side. I fucking love her special brand of crazy, sometimes I forget how utterly unhinged she is until she goes ahead and threatens to slit the neck of a woman twice my age.

Fuck, I love her.

Since that day, Izzy has been my full-time nurse, and I’ve fucking loved it. Not just her taking care of me, but just being around her. I honestly thought I was losing her, but then of course she goes and does what’s least expected of her and asks for a divorce so that she can be with me forme.

I thought it was ridiculous at first, but after I thought it over, I realized that she’s fucking brilliant. I don’t want us to ever have to think back on us being in an arranged marriage or a business deal. I want to make her my wife because I love the shit out of her, not out of family obligation.

I’m sat watching her now as she gathers everything in the hospital room, I’m finally getting the fuck out of here and she’s been flustered all morning. I didn’t think it was possible for Izzy to be flustered, but she’s been flapping around all morning, trying to make sure everything is perfect and “just right for you to come home to” she said.

I don’t know what the hell she’s worrying about, I don’t give a fuck what happens as long as we’re together.

I watch as the woman I’m obsessed with crouches down to look under the bed. “Baby, what in the ever-lovingfuckare you doing?” I ask and it falls on death’s ears as she continues rummaging around.

“Izzy?” I bark and her head finally snaps up.

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