Page 74 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

“Simp,” Joshua coughs into his fist.

I subtly flip him off as I lead Madelyn to the dance floor. The moment I pull her into my arms, the rest of the room fades. She fits against me perfectly, one hand resting lightly on my shoulder, the other hand on mine. And then we start to dance to the band’s rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It’s actually nice, comforting.

“You’re a pretty good dancer,” she murmurs.

“I’m full of surprises, remember?”

She laughs, her eyes lifting to meet mine. “Well, I can’t wait until nothing you do or say surprises me anymore.”

The words are simple, but the way she says them makes something in my chest tighten. I know what she means, but I really don’t want to get into that. Not right now. Her eyes search mine and I can see the questions there, the unspoken words hovering between us.

“You on the other hand, will probably never cease to surprise me,” I say teasingly.

“Of course not. I like being spontaneous.”

We move together in slow, measured steps, the music wrapping around us like a cocoon. I’m aware of every point ofcontact—her fingers brushing against my shoulder, the warmth of her hand in mine, the soft fabric of her dress under my palm.

“You know, it’s crazy, but I just realized we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks,” she says with a fond smile.

“You only just realized that?” I ask dryly.

“Shut up. I just mean that it feels crazy how far we’ve come in a month. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

I know what she means and I definitely share the sentiment. Also, if you really think about it, we’ve known each other for a long time in some way. We shared the same trauma long before we met. And she was on my mind for a long time before I found her. The threads that connect us date back decades.

It hits me that somehow we would have still ended up right by each other one way or the other. And that’s comforting, in a sense. It makes me not so afraid of what I know is coming.

“I would have always found you, Madelyn. Nothing would have been able to stop me from reaching you eventually. You’re mine and you always will be.”

Her eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that makes it hard to breathe.

“So, you’re a bit of a romantic, huh? Who would have guessed?” she whispers before leaning upward.

Our lips meet, soft and tentative at first, then deepening into something more. Madelyn melts against me completely, her mouth opening and welcoming me home. She means everything to me. She’s my home, my heart. The woman I love. The woman I’ll love until my last breath.

We kiss for what feels like hours. When we finally pull back, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes bright.

“Who needs mistletoe, right?” she asks, grinning.

“Exactly,” I murmur.

I pull her closer, resting my forehead against hers as the music swells around us. Eventually, we make our way off thedance floor. I notice Joshua’s on his probably fifth can of beer so I grab it from him.

“If you’re going to get drunk, at least do it with something sophisticated,” I say. “Or don’t get drunk at all.”

“Like what? Wine?” he asks, rolling his eyes. “You’re such a snob.”

“I know, right,” Madelyn jumps in. “He has such weird taste.”

I simply sigh, ignoring them both. Until Madelyn leans in to whisper in my ear.

“Hey, I need to use the bathroom.”

“Alright, let’s go,” I say easily.

She wrinkles her nose. “You’re not following me to the bathroom, Dominic.”

“I’ll wait outside.”

---