Page 106 of All Her Broken Pieces

“You don’t know how much I appreciate you sharing that with me, for letting me in and trusting me with your heart. I promise I’ll take care of it because I choose you. Not the life you think I want. That’s not what I want. I want you. All of you. All your broken pieces that you’ve hidden from the world. The parts of you that only I get to see. I’m more than happy with the life I’ve chosen. The life you’ve chosen. It’s ours. I helped raise five sisters, and I’m sure my siblings will have more kids than that between them. I’m content only being an uncle. What I’m not okay with is not being your partner. You’re my home, and I’m more than content with you as my family. You’re everything I need. Just you. Your happiness is my happiness.”

“I love you so fucking much, and I’m sorry it took me this long to let you in. Now shut the fuck up and kiss me. I’m done talking.”

He pulls me in for a bruising kiss. It’s passionate and desperate, both of us clawing at each other like we can’t get close enough to each other as he pulls me to straddle his lap.

I don’t know how we’ll navigate everything, but I know we’re better together.

Epilogue

One Month Later

Bridget

“Areyou ever going to fuck me in the kitchen?”

“I know you want me to say yes, but that’s a hard pass for me, sweetheart.”

“Why not?” I pout, sticking my lower lip out, knowing he can’t resist it.

His eyes lock on my mouth as he slowly stalks over to where I’m leaning on the counter. Bracing an arm on either side of me, he licks at the seam of my mouth before sucking on my lower lip, and my panties instantly flood. This man has total control of my body.

“You know why. But I’ll gladly fuck you on any other surface of this apartment.”

“I thought dating a chef would mean endless banging on kitchen counters.”

“Dating a chef isn’t like what you read in romance books. I’m not going to risk you getting salmonella because I can’t walk ten steps to the couch to fuck you. Plus, the cleanup required to make the surface fuckable is kind of a boner killer.”

“Yes, chef,” I say with a dejected sigh.

“Nowthat. That makes me fucking feral for you,” he groans, licking a trail up my neck.

“Not feral enough to fuck me on the granite island,” I pout as I playfully push him away and walk to the pantry to grab something.

“Sounds like someone needs to be tied down and spanked tonight.”

“That can be arranged,” I say as I return with his Nonna’s recipe box. “But first, I have a surprise.” I set the box on the counter.

Ethan hugs me from behind, his thick forearms encompassing my waist as he squeezes me, pressing soft kisses to my neck. “What’s this?”

I turn in his embrace and look directly into his deep green eyes. “I want to cook the rest of your Nonna’s recipes. With you. I figured we could do one a week?”

“Sweetheart, I would love that.” He grabs my face in his hands and kisses me fiercely. When he pulls back, there’s a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Let’s do one a month. You know, really draw it out.”

Prior to last month, the thought of that kind of commitment would’ve sent me running faster than a cheetah at top speed. But now? Now I feel at home for the first time in my life.

“Deal,” I agree as he slants his lips over mine. The kiss is deep and passionate, filled with the promise of so much more.

“First we cook,” he starts.

“Then we fuck,” I finish as he kisses my forehead.

“I’m going to warn you, there’s a reason why teenage Ethan skipped some of these, though my palate has changed so this might not be so bad. Which one should we start with?” he asks with an eagerness I haven’t seen in months.

“Do we have ingredients for any of them? I’m not keen on trudging through the frozen tundra at the moment.”

He opens the box, flipping through the cards quickly. “This zuppa toscana could work. We have everything for this one.”

After our reunion, we spent most of the holiday season at my apartment. There was no way either of us were ready to be around his dad. Ethan still found ways to spend time with his sisters when his dad was working and was able to trade shifts at the restaurant so he could work lunch shifts and have his evenings off with me.

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