Page 88 of Stolen Queen

Ava reaches up, cupping my face in her hands. "You're exactly what this baby needs. What we both need."

Her words build me up. I feel like a fucking superhero. I lean in, pressing my forehead against hers. "I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to keep you both safe and happy."

"Well, well, well. Look at the lovebirds.” Lazaro’s voice breaks through my moment with Ava.

“Never thought I'd see the day Matteo Moretti turned into a sap,” Elio chimes in.

My cheeks heat as I turn to see them in the doorway. As I look at their grinning, mocking faces, I feel a surge of affection for these idiots… my brothers.

"Alright, alright. Show's over.” I wrap an arm around Ava. “Is everything all taken care of?” I ask, referring to Rinella.

Elio nods. “Ava’s with us. You might have to grovel a bit for him, but?—”

“Whatever it takes. Thank you, Elio.” My voice is thick with emotion as I realize that this life with Ava could be coming true after all. "I don't know how to repay you for this."

"You're family, Matteo. Both of you. We protect our own." Elio gives a sharp nod. “Let’s get back to the house, shall we?”

I help Ava pack up her clothes, and we head down to the car. Our men are everywhere, which tells me Elio doesn’t trust Rinella not to try to pull a fast one. Good, because I don’t trust him at all.

When we arrive at the house, Piper, Diana, and Lana are there to greet Ava. They take her in like a sister, and it makes me feel like an ass that I didn’t come to Elio sooner about Ava and bringing her into the family.

I take Ava upstairs to the room that had once been mine when I resided in the house. It occurs to me that if Ava is here, I should be here too. I should have packed a bag for myself.

“This is nice,” she says, looking around the room.

“It used to be mine. Well… I guess it’s mine again. Ours,” I correct.

She turns to me. “You’ll be here too?”

I set her bag down and go to her, taking her in my arms. I can’t seem to stop needing to touch her. “I’m wherever you are. Remember? You’re stuck with me.” I feel like I owe her more words. "You've changed everything for me. Before you, I never thought I'd want a family. But now… now I can't imagine my world without you in it."

Her smile is like a gift. She leans in, resting her head against my chest. “I feel like a princess in a fairy tale.”

“I wish I could say I’m a Prince Charming, but unfortunately, I’m not. But you make me want to be better, to do better. For you, for our baby, for us."

She looks up at me. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Which time?” I joke with a raised brow.

“Every time.” She cocks her head to the side. “Did you really mean it when you said you loved me from the first time we met?”

“Love for a woman is new to me. What I know is that there was something about you that drew me to you from the start. I hated the idea of Elio having you for his wife, even as I was glad you’d be away from that fuckhead father of yours.” It’s my turn to tilt my head in question. “You’re not just settling for me, are you?”

“What?”

“I’m not the head of the family like Elio. I’m not Lazaro?—”

She presses her hand over my mouth. “You’ve always been my favorite.”

My brows rise in surprise. “Favorite?”

She nods. “You were always so nice to me. You saw me when no one else did.”

I did that?As I look into her eyes, I realize that I still need to give her more. She deserves romance, a real commitment, a proper proposal.

“Ava, my princess, you’re all I see. Then, now, and forever. I want to give you a ring and a real proposal, not just some deal between families.”

Her breath hitches, and I hope it’s a good surprise.

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