Page 11 of Resolution
Enzo completely catches me off guard when he nonchalantly says, “I’ve already told Declan and Maddie my intentions to ask you to marry me.”
What?!?!?
“You have?” I ask, my words almost coming out as a shriek. Enzo gives me a dubious grin while that fucking dimple pops out, making me weak in the knees.
“Um, Sam.” He suddenly looks sheepishly at me. “I spoke to each of them separately before I left for Germany.”
“You did?”When could he have done that?!?! How could they have kept it a secret for so long??? God, I wonder what their reaction was? Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
The laugh that escapes Enzo lets me know my filter has gone amuck again.Great.“Samantha, I wouldn’t have asked you if they weren’t on board with it. They kept the secret because they wanted this to be a surprise for you. We all agreed that Frankie wouldn’t keep it, though, so she, unfortunately, isn’t in the know.”
“Are they really okay with this? With you and me getting married? Us living together?”I’m on sensory overload. There’s no way this could go so easily.I’ve been fretting about how to tell them, but I wanted to stay in this blissful bubble for as long as I could.
Enzo goes into specific details about each of his conversations with Maddie and Declan. I can tell he doesn’t leave anything out because he cringes, as well as laughs, throughout his explanation. He admits they were both hesitant and maybe even shocked by their conversations. But once he had explained that he’d never felt this way about anyone before, they seemed to be more open to the idea.
I think the clincher for both Declan and Maddie was the fact Enzo readily admitted his ultimate goal is to make me happy and be a part of our lives. He wants to spend as much time with us as possible when he returns to the States, and for the first time in his life, he wants a family of his own.
Having the twins will likely cause shock to my entire family, but I can’t worry about that now. It’s a bridge we’ll have to cross later.
Enzo has me in stitches when he explains how serious Declan was in their conversation. Apparently, Dec alluded to the possibility of injuring Enzo, if he ever hurts me. I absolutely love that Enzo’s response to Declan’s attempt at a threat was, “I’ll happily help you, should that ever happen. I never want to see your mom hurt.” This, evidently, defused Declan’s worries.
After I settle down from envisioning my ten-year-old puffing out his chest, posing a serious threat to the glorious man before me, Enzo continues to tell me how he promised them he wasn’t trying to replace their father. He assures me that he let both Maddie and Dec know that he thinks Devin has always been a great dad to them, but he wants to find his place in their lives as well. This got both kids on board, which is a huge relief. I can’t imagine telling our news to them without any forewarning. I guess I’ve been so wrapped up in our blissful bubble, I hadn’t thought about the aftereffects.
Maddie was more resistant to the idea of us getting married at first, bringing up the fact it was too soon. In typical teenage fashion, she seemed standoffish and told him she didn’t need another dad. Enzo further explains how he wore her down by telling her all the things he loves about me. This part makes me swoon, if I’m being honest. His charms seemed to work on her as well. Eventually, she told him she noticed how happy I’d been since he came into our lives, and she hoped he would keep the smile on my face.
When he’s done with his explanation, Enzo lets out a huge breath. “So, what do you think about calling them later this evening? I know Maddie’s dying to hear your response.” He waggles his eyebrows and makes me fall in love with him even more.
“That sounds like a plan,” I say as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. With Enzo being the sexy man that he is, it doesn’t take long before I’m desperately wanting more.
6
Enzo
The minute Samantha says,“Guess what, kids?” to all three faces on the screen of our video chat, Maddie immediately screams with excitement.
“You said YES!” Maddie enthusiastically concludes.
“Yep,” I say before Samantha can respond. I couldn’t be happier to share this news. I glance at Samantha and the excitement’s evident on her face as well.
“I knew it.” Maddie’s smile is wider than I could have imagined. “When will it happen?”
“What happen?” Frankie asks everyone on her end of the screen.
“Congrats,” quietly comes from Declan, ignoring Frankie’s question. His arms are crossed against his chest and his face looks as if he’s bored with this conversation. Not exactly how I pictured this moment, but he’s not looking upset, so I’ll take it.
“Thanks, Dec. Well, Frankie.” Samantha takes a deep breath and squeezes my hand out of sight of the camera for support. “Enzo asked me to marry him.”
The look of pure astonishment has me wondering if I should have included her in my conversation with Maddie and Declan. I know she’s only eight, but she seems a little put out by the fact her brother and sister were‘in the know’and she was not.Fuck. Did I mess up here?
“Really?!?!” Frankie still seems dumbfounded. Her eyes are wide and her mouth hangs open until she asks, “You’re getting married?”
I look to Samantha to see how we should proceed, but she just gives me a slight shrug and lifts her eyebrows.Why couldn’t her filter be broken at this moment?I’m dying here. Fuck, I have no clue if Frankie’s excited or pissed! Jesus. What should I do? How can I fix this?
I glance over at Samantha once again and she’s scrutinizing the screen to gauge Frankie’s reaction as well. I can’t take the silence any longer, so I break in by saying, “Yeah, sweetheart, we are.”
Frankie looks far too serious for an eight-year-old. Damn, she could put my CO to shame for her pensiveness. The mask she wears on her unresponsive face has my stomach dropping to my feet.Shit. Damn. Fuck. I screwed up.I love Samantha more than anything, but not knowing if her kids will accept me is worse than the thought of being captured by insurgents. There’s no way I want to live without any of them in my life. But I can’t marry her if her family isn’t on board.
“Frankie?” Samantha quietly says as she reaches for the screen. Her desire to comfort her child is evident.
