Page 79 of Omega's Vengeance

I hesitate. “I’m sorry we didn’t get a honeymoon. Valentino wasn’t thrilled about the idea of me taking off with the merger happening.”

“It’s fine.” He turns his back on me. “I understand why he’d need you here.”

He’s saying all the right things, but I sense some underlying disappointment. I move to him and turn him around to look at me. “Are you upset we didn’t go away just the two of us?”

He lifts one shoulder. “I mean, it would have been nice, but it’s not like this is a real marriage.”

I frown. “It is real. To me, it’s very real.”

He grimaces. “Even though you were forced into it?”

I touch his cheek. “It might have started out like that, Alessio, but I’m happy to be your husband.”

His cheeks are pink as he says, “I’m happy too.”

I study him. “You know what, I’m going to tell Valentino we’re taking two days for ourselves. We deserve that, right?”

He perks up. “We do. I mean, if you want that.”

I nod. “It would be good for us. The only time we’ve really spent alone was running for our lives. It might be nice to relax together without the fear of Carlo coming to murder us.”

He laughs, looking much happier. “You really want that with me?”

“I do.” I hesitate. “I’ll talk to Valentino today.”

“Okay.” He stands on his toes and he kisses me. It’s a warm, happy little kiss that curls my toes.

Once the kiss ends, I move toward the door. “See you later tonight.”

“Okay.” He adds, “Oh, and whatever you do, please don’t book us a cabin in the mountains. I don’t care if I never see another pine tree in my lifetime.”

“Tropical paradise it is.” I chuckle and leave the room.

Chapter Eighteen

Alessio

Valentino isn’t happy about it, but Dario sticks to his guns and takes me away for two days. I thought he might buckle because he usually does whatever Valentino tells him to do. But he doesn’t. He insists on taking two days where he and I can just be together with no other distractions.

Now we’re lying on a white beach with the sun warming our skin. The scent of suntan oil and the salty ocean makes me happy. Of course, mostly I’m happy because Dario is beside me. He looks sexy in a pair of blue and white swim trunks. I had the pleasure of smearing sunscreen on that beautiful, muscular body. We almost didn’t make it down to the beach because we both got turned on.

Dario is sipping a beer and I’m having a virgin pina colada. I haven’t been to the beach in years and I’ve never been to Hawaii before. It’s off season, so the resort isn’t too crowded. I like that. I’m not a fan of crowds. There is one family on the beach with us. They’re a ways down though. They have two little boys that look like twins, about five years old. The children are adorable. Blond and chubby with delightful giggles. I find myself watching them a lot.

I still haven’t decided if I’ll keep the baby I’m carrying. I’m leaning toward keeping it. Mostly because it’s a part of Dario and the idea of getting rid of it unsettles me. But the idea of being a dad before I’m ready is equally unsettling. “What was your mother like?” I ask suddenly.

Dario frowns. “She died giving birth to me.”

“Oh, that’s right.” I grimace. “I’m sorry. I forgot for a moment. I was watching that family down the beach and I suddenly got curious about your mom.”

He’s quiet for a bit, then he says, “I actually saw a video of her when she was pregnant with me.”

“Did you?” I study him. He looks a little melancholy as he stares out at the ocean.

“Yeah. My father used to watch it late at night. He’d get drunk and watch that video over and over.” He scowls. “Then he’d come upstairs and take out his frustrations on me.”

“Jerk.”

Dario sighs. “I get why he was upset, but it’s not like I asked to be born.”

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