Page 131 of Married with Mayhem

“Monte?” I reach for his hand.

He swallows his food and gives me his full attention. “Something wrong, cupcake?”

I lace my fingers through his. I’m holding his left hand, the same hand I placed a wedding ring on not so long ago. The hand that’s now empty.

What are we, Monte? Do you know that I would marry you for real if you asked me?

Nope, I chicken out for now.

Instead, I lift his hand to my lips and playfully kiss his rough knuckles. “The faster you eat, the sooner we can go upstairs.”

30

MONTE

I’ve made up my mind.

Tonight, after the carnival, I’m going to ask her.

The only reason why I hesitated at all is because I wanted to give her time.

For my part, I’m completely sure about Sabrina. I intend to spend my life with her and we can have a long engagement if that’s what she wants. I love that she has her own goals and her own dreams and I know she can do anything she sets her mind to.

This girl is my everything. And tonight I’m going to ask her to marry me.

Yes, we are technically still married. Doesn’t matter. I need to speak those vows again and truly mean them this time.

I can’t fucking wait.

The sky has been light for hours but she still sleeps soundly in the bed beside me. We drove up here last night in my dad’s car since Cass Tempesta now owns my car and I’m still deciding what I want to get to replace it. Sabrina’s been curious about the cabin in the Catskills ever since she saw my childhood photo album.

The cabin belonged to my Uncle Vinny. When he died, it became Aunt Kiki’s sole property. Though she lives in Seattle now, she couldn’t bear to part with a place that held so many memories. Family and friends are free to use it and we’re lucky that it was empty this weekend. The last guests were some of Vinny’s cousins but they did a decent job cleaning up. All we needed to do after driving in was dust off the countertops and put fresh sheets on the bed. The nearest town isn’t exactly around the corner so I brought plenty of groceries. Honestly, I enjoy showing off my cooking skills for Sabrina. And I’d crawl over glass to earn that look of delight on her face whenever I set of plate of homecooked food on the table.

Last night a late summer meteor shower fired up the sky. We turned off all the lights and dragged a cushioned patio chair out to the front yard. The night air is chillier here than it is in the city and I wrapped her in a blanket as she straddled me. We made love slowly beneath that canopy of shooting stars and it was fucking magic.

I wanted to ask her then. But passion got the better of us both and soon I was carrying her into the house in order to worship her more thoroughly on the bed.

No wonder she’s still sleeping. I wore her out and I’m damn proud of it.

Sabrina’s hair spills all over the pillow and she rolls to her back with a soft moan. I know what that sound means and I’m not surprised when her breathing quickens and her hips move as she dreams.

Instead of waking her up, I decide to give her the relief her body wants. My hand slides between her legs and my fingers nudge aside the elastic of her panties.

“You win, baby,” I whisper in her ear and her moans grow louder, which means the words have penetrated her dream. But she doesn’t wake up, not really. Not even when I tease her andstroke her to the verge of an orgasm and then slide two fingers deep to finish her.

There’s now an angelic smile on her sleeping face and I tuck the blankets around her before heading to the shower.

As I brush my teeth while standing under the harsh cascade from the showerhead, I keep thinking about what I want to say to her when I propose. The only reason why I didn’t buy a ring is because she should have the chance to pick out her own ring. She didn’t get to choose her last one. It was chosen for her. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t wear it anymore.

As for my ring, that’s a more unsettling matter. After I left it in Wyoming, I assumed I’d never see it again. But last week a small box was delivered via Fed Ex to Gino’s. Inside the box, wrapped within wads of newspaper, was my gold wedding ring. There was also a note in the box, words scrawled in black marker on a carefully folded sheet of white paper.

FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.

The gesture wasn’t supposed to be sweet or sentimental. It’s both a mean joke and a reminder of blood bonds that can’t be erased. The Tempestas want me to know that they’re watching.

This isn’t news to me. I’ve known they were watching since someone tipped them off about my marriage to Sabrina. I’m still bothered by the fact that they found out I was in Colorado.

Ever since then, I can’t shake the feeling that they’re still watching. I wonder about the faces I see on the street. Even more, I wonder about the eyes I can’t see, staring at the back of my head.

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