Page 109 of Little Dove

“You mean like how you’re going to be a jealous ass about my business and who sits in my chair?” I ask him with a teasing smile.

“Especially that,” he grunts.

I smile. “As long as you don’t chase off all my clients, I’m sure we can figure something out.” Then I give him a serious look. “I’m terrified that you’re going to think I’m too much, or that the baggage I have is too much for you to deal with. I don’t know if I would survive it.”

He lifts me up to face him, my legs wrapping around his waist and my arms around his neck. “There is nothing about you that is too much, Amara. I want to be the one you reach for when you’re having a hard time, just like you did the other night. I want to be the one you go to when you’re having a rough day, or when you just need someone in your corner. I meant it when I said it before, and I mean it now. I love you, Amara, and that isn’t going to change. That means every part of you. Every memory, every flaw, every perfection, every emotion you have. There is nothing about you that will ever change my mind.”

“You love me?” I ask him, shocked.

I’m sure that he’s going to look away, or deny it, but instead, he replies, “Yes, Amara, I love you. How could I not? I fell inlove with you in that bunker, and it’s only grown since. I love your sharp wit, your sassy mouth, your stubbornness, and your strength.”

“It’s barely been a week,” I whisper.

He gives me a warm smile. “Amara, in my life, a man knows. My father knew the minute he saw my mother. Pietro knew with his wife. It happens all the time, and you and I are no exception. I will tell you every day for the rest of our lives, and you will believe me.”

“What if?—”

“I will love you no matter what,” he interrupts gently. “You will see, Amara. I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you. I swear it.”

I can’t hold back the tears anymore. “No one has ever said that to me before,” I sob, clinging to him.

“Then I will be the first,colombina,” he murmurs, rocking me. “And they will be the last words I say before I die. You will hear it from me so often that you’ll never for a second doubt it. I love you,colombina.”

I continue to cry, holding him tight. I don’t even know where the tears are coming from. Why should I care about three words? They’re words. Actions will always speak louder. Except, with Lazaro, I want both. I want to hear him say them over and over again, and show me every day like he’s promising. I want it all.

I finally pull back and manage to choke out, “I love you too, Lazaro. I was terrified to lose you today. I was with your father when I heard a doctor was needed, and I thought I had lost you.”

“I’m sorry if I frightened you,” he murmurs. “I’ll try not to do that again, but I can’t promise. I’m right here, and you have nothing to fear.”

I don’t know how long we stand there, but finally my sobs subside and I lift my face into the spray to let them wash away. Then I kiss Lazaro as deeply as I can, wanting him to feel andtaste every emotion I can’t put into words. He kisses me back, holding me tight. “I love you,” I whisper when I finally pull away.

“I love you too,colombina,” he whispers back. “We’re in this together, yes?”

“Yes. Together.” Then, because I can’t resist, “But if you think you’re going to put me in air jail all the time when I make you mad, you’re going to have some very sore balls.”

He laughs heartily, and then grins at me. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he promises before kissing me one more time and setting me on my feet. “Just remember that every time you do that, you’re kissing it better,” he adds wickedly.

I grin, unable to help myself. That doesn’t sound too bad. Then I ask him, “Do you want me to go back to Sicily with you?”

He doesn’t even hesitate. “Of course. I don’t want to be away from you, Amara.”

“But, how is that going to work? I’m an American. I can’t just live there.”

“Leave that with me,” he says simply. “I want you with me, Amara. I want you in my bed, and I want to build a shop for you just like you’ve always dreamed. I want to teach you Italian, and I want to watch you flourish in a place where you will be accepted for who you are. There will be no bad memories there like here. Sienna will be returning with us, so you won’t be alone. And if Rori and Alonzo figure themselves out, she may just be there too.”

Surprisingly, that doesn’t scare me as much as it probably should. “Okay,” I accept. Then I grin. “When you start teaching me, can you start with the good curse words so I can call you those when I get really pissed at you?” I joke.

He laughs. “Absolutely not.” Then he winks. “But I can teach you ones that you can call my brothers or the Carusos when they piss you off.”

I laugh. “Deal.”

He pulls me into him again. “I love you, my little dove,” he says. “I can’t wait to show you my home.”

“I hope you have a big tub. I’m getting spoiled with all of this,” I tease.

He grins. “Done.” Then he presses his lips to mine, and everything inside me settles. This. This is what I’ve been missing. Not just a family, but love. Love, acceptance, and a man that stands with me.

There is nothing else I need. This. Just this.

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