Page 82 of Blood & Loyalties
“Same unless you prove otherwise,” Sal stated matter-of-factly.
“I won’t.”
“I have faith you won’t. Now go. I have shit to do.”
I snickered, getting up from my chair. Finally, shit was going right in my life.
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS LATER
I PLACEDTHE phone receiver down on the cradle, taking a calming breath. These past three months had been a bit of a whirlwind. Jag had now fully moved in with me and had these grand ideas of marriage. Not that he had asked, but if he did, I wouldn’t say no. I loved him, even if he was a demanding, annoying jerk sometimes. I loved those parts, too.
Jag had flown his mother here to meet me about a month before. We had been going to take a trip there, but I just couldn’t do it. Just the thought of the confines of the plane and not being able to escape made me a basket case. Being chained to a bed and not allowed to move for days could do that to a person, but the good thing was that my nightmares had calmed down significantly. Now I wasn’t so terrified to go to sleep. There were nights when I didn’t even think about it, and those were the best.
Jag’s mom was a very lovely woman, but her eyes showed quite a bit of heartache. Every time she looked at her son, though, she lit up. I liked seeing that part. She stayed for a week then went back to Cali. I could tell from Jag’s moodiness a few days later that he was having a hard time with her leaving. It always made me wonder if he would leave and go back across the country, so I asked him. He told me that he would never leave me again, that the only way he would go was if I wanted to, and I believed him.
A knock on my office door drew my attention.
“Come in.”
In steppedmyhandsome man. His denim eyes and shaggy hair mixed with his tight as sin muscles still had my insides quivering.
“Hey,dolcezza. You ready?”
I smiled, gathering up the last of my things quickly. We were due for dinner that night at my father’s house.
“Absolutely.” I walked around the desk after picking up my bag.
Jag grabbed my waist, pulling me to his body before crashing his lips to mine. I would never get tired of his taste on my lips.
“I love you,” I whispered when he pulled away.
“I love you, too,dolcezza, and tonight, I’ll show you how much.”
“Rina,you do not need to help me!” my mom exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen. “I will get all of those.”
The sudsy water sloshed over the sink as I wiped each plate and cup from dinner. Mom had outdone herself once again, making homemade tortellini and sauce, lasagna, and fettuccine alfredo. I knew there were a lot of mouths to feed, but she had really gone overboard judging by the amount of leftovers I had just packed up and put in the fridge. I had snuck some to take home, too. There were reasons to help with dishes.
“Oh, Mom, just let me help. It’ll go a lot faster if we do it together.”
Mom sidled up to me, her forehead crinkled like she wanted to disagree. Mom always had a certain way of doing things—her way. Sometimes, we kids would do it right, but most of the time not.
She let out a deep breath. “Fine.”
We fell into a comfortable silence and worked together quickly.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into hard, muscled flesh. “Hey,dolcezza, come in the living room with me?”
I nodded, closing my eyes and enjoying his warmth. He let go, stepping back, and I was instantly sad, missing his touch.
I finished washing the sink out hastily then grabbed a towel to wipe my hands.
“Okay.” I smiled up at him, seeing his face with the same smile I had fallen in love with over a year ago.
“You, too, Mrs. Lambardoni.” He nodded to Mom who followed behind.
Making our way to the living room, I noticed my brothers were giving each other shit for God knew what. Dad was sitting back, watching the show, just waiting for when he had to voice his disapproval.
