Page 99 of Teasing

“Per sempre,” I echo back. “Ti amo per sempre.”

“Is it this hot when I talk to you in Italian, baby? Because that was hot.”

“Hotter,” I laugh and seal my lips to his, so unbelievably grateful for this man.

For this life.

EPILOGUE

MAVERICK

They asked me how’s life. I looked at you and answered, she’s fine.

—Maverick’s Secret Thoughts

“But Daddy,” Rosie pouts. “Emmie would love a sister for Sparkles.”

“Emmie doesn’t want a horse for her birthday, baby girl.” I pick Rosie up so she can see inside the jewelry case, and her eyes take in every sparkling piece she can see.

“Did you pick one out already?” she asks with an adorable awe in her voice, just as the clerk comes out of the back room with a small box in his hand.

I did pick one out, because there was no way I was going to try to focus with a five-year-old at my side. I knew I’d include her in this in a very different way.

The clerk rests the box on the velvet tray in front of us and cracks it open. “A perfect three-carat, pink diamond, flanked by smaller white-diamonds on either side, just as you asked, Mr. Beneventi.”

“Daddy...” Rosie gasps and I smile. “It’s so pretty.”

“Pretty enough for Emmie?” I ask her and watch her face scrunch up while she thinks about it. She scoots up to her knees and plants both hands on the glass case, not worried about leaving sticky handprints. That’s okay. For what I paid for that ring, this kid can leave handprints everywhere. “And she’ll be married to us once we give her that?”

“Not exactly.” I hold the ring up in the light and hope like hell Emmie loves it. “We’ve got to ask her to marry us first,la mia piccola rosa.Then if she says yes, we’ll plan a wedding.”

“Do we have to ask? Can’t we just tell her she’s gotta marry us? What if she says no?” My sweet girl worries, but luckily, I don’t.

Some things are just meant to be, and that woman is meant to be my wife.

“Once you’re married, can I have a sister?”

Shit.

“One thing at a time, sweets,” I tell her over a laugh, and she smiles.

“That’s not a no.”

What the fuck? “It’s not a yes either, kid.”

I shoot off a text to Camden.

Maverick

Are we still good to go?

Camden

Still good. He’s having a good day, and she’s still here. But you need to hurry the fuck up. She’s getting ready to leave.

Maverick

We’ll be there in twenty minutes. Keep her there.

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