Page 127 of Filthy Little Games

“So? What do you think?” Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulls out my wedding band, giant diamond ring, and a new,slightly smaller diamond. I thought I had lost my rings to Emilio. I should’ve known Creed would search his pockets when cleaning up the scene. “Am I worth the risk for you? For Oriana? I’ll understand if I’m not. I can visit you both here...”

I don’t let him say another word.

Throwing my arms around his neck, I slam my lips against his and kiss him the way I’ve wanted to since the night he kicked me out of his bed.

“Is that a yes?” he asks when his lips eventually move down to kiss my neck. His fist presses against my back with the rings inside.

“Yes.”

“I have another question for you? Have you signed the divorce papers?”

“No.” I silence any more questions by covering his mouth with mine again because I haven’t had enough of his kisses yet.

I still find it hard to believe that Creed Ferraro wants to be with me.

In some ways, it feels like a gift for all the shit I had to endure over the past seven years, being practically sold to a mobster by my parents, being used, abused, and manipulated by two awful men. Having a child with a man I hated, then having her taken away from me so cruelly.

Spending my life with both my daughter and my ruthless husband seems too good to be true.

“I’m not him.” Creed pulls away and gently brushes one of my loose curls behind my ears. “If you decide to come back and be with me, I won’t ever force you to stay. Times will be hard. I’ll be going away for more than three years, and I know it’s asking a lot for you to stay with me through all that. I don’t want you to be with me because you have to, though. If I’m who you want, then you get to make the choice to be with me every single day, without any coercion or manipulation.”

“If you mean that, then I’ll need my independence — a job to earn my own money.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I want you to be free to do what you want, what you love. And I hope you and Oriana will live with me. I want to be a father to her if you’ll let me. Maybe even give her a brother or sister…”

“Whoa. Let’s just take it one day at a time,” I warn him with a smile I can’t hide. I like the idea of him being a father and having his children way too much.

“One day at a time,” Creed agrees with a devious grin I know means he won’t make it easy to refuse him anything.

EPILOGUE

Zara

Two months later…

Ifought falling even more in love with Creed, but it was impossible. And the more I fell in love with him, the more I wanted our little family to grow.

In fact, that’s why I went to the doctor this morning before I enrolled in a photography class. I wasn’t sure about leaving Oriana for a few hours in the afternoon, but Creed encouraged me to take a little time out of the day to do something for myself. Since he hired both Paige and Bethany to help, even going so far as to pay for them to live in the building, I decided to do it.

The class is three days a week from one to three, which is when Oriana is usually having a playdate and a nap.

I haven’t found a job, but someday I’m hoping to earn a little money from freelance work.

And I’d be jealous Oriana insisted Creed tell her the last storyof the night if I hadn’t already tucked her in and read her four of them while she fought to stay awake.

Before Creed finishes reading to Oriana and comes to bed for the night, I search through our shared closet for one of his suit jackets to put on as a surprise. I haven’t worn one since we got back from Italy two months ago.

As I shove hanging suits aside to find the perfect one, I discover two hidden boxes on a shelf underneath. One is long and white, and the other is a banker’s box. Curious, I remove the longer one first and peer through the box’s front window, finding a wedding dress.

My wedding dress.

Creed must have had it cleaned and boxed for preservation after we got back from the Hamptons. I didn’t even know he brought it back with us, but I’m so glad he did. Oriana may not want to wear it, but it’s still nice to have. The dress I married Creed in that smelled like garbage thanks to a long ride to the beach with a disgusting corpse.

Our life is definitely one of a kind, that’s for sure.

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