Page 63 of Soulmate of the Mafia King
CHAPTER 47
KILLIAN
Iheld Sera close and danced through the garden of the house I’d grown up in, tracing steps I’d learned ages ago watching my mother and father. The strains of the last song colored the night air, something bittersweet I’d picked out. Just one more chorus, and I’d whisk her away. Just like that first night, except she was just as desperate to leave with me. I memorized every element of her face. The soft pink lipstick she’d picked because it promised to be kiss-proof, dulled in the middle and smeared outside her lips. The locks of soft brown hair tumbling out of her updo. The tantalizingly short hem of her reception dress that she kept smacking my hands away from, reminding me I’d promised to wait until the wedding ended.
“I love you,” I said.
She laughed. “I love you, too.”
Our friends swirled around us, planets in orbit telling the story of our time together. Patrick, red-faced, held a grinning Olivia. As much as he struggled, I didn’t doubt he’d find the courage in him to marry that woman soon. After the fights we’d been in, even Olivia couldn’t scare him. Tommaso and Paige laughed loudly as they stumbled through the dance. I didn’t recognize the woman in that Polaroid e’d carried around for solong anymore. I barely recognized my old friend. He’d always had an easier time smiling than me, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him without one anymore. Off on the edge of the festivities, Adrian and Penny swayed tentatively, a few inches of space between their bodies that disappeared a little more each time I saw them.
Our old life spread out before us, down to the towering house in the background. I’d loved our old life. But I was ready to start our new one.
The song drew to a close, and I kissed Sera.
“Well, Mrs. Ricci?” I asked. “Ready to say our goodbyes?”
Sera smiled. “Ready.”
We made the rounds slowly through a torrent of congratulations, of teary eyes, of hugs for Sera and handshakes for me. Finally, we made it to the limo that would take us to the airport. I held Sera’s hand and leaned my head back against the seat. “Was it everything you dreamed?” I asked.
“And more.” I could hear the tired pleasure in her voice. “But I think I’m gonna need about twenty-four straight hours of sleep.”
“I believe we had a deal.” I released her hand to skim my palm up her knee.
“We have months before we’re even coming back to check in.” She caught my hand. “I think we’ll have enough time.”
I grumbled, but I couldn’t deny the soporific slowness of my own muscles.
“Are you going to miss it?” Sera asked quietly as we pulled away from the house.
I exhaled slowly. I’d been the mafia king of Philadelphia for so long. The name people feared to whisper, the boogeyman to keep kids in beds at night. I was the house I’d grown up in. Towering, ominous, dark. And then I’d met Sera. She’d thrownopen the curtains, redecorated, changed things. Brought light into the darkness.
“Yes and no,” I said. “I’ll miss the people.”
She nodded and ran her thumb over my knuckles. “But we’ll call. And we’ll visit.”
“And none of them will rely on me for their lives anymore.” I smiled ruefully.
“Is that really what you’ll miss?” She looked up at me. “The responsibility?”
“Taking care of my people, I think,” I said.
She cupped her flat stomach. “That might not be a problem for too long.”
I grinned at her. “So why do you keep delaying me?”
She chuckled. “Tradition.”
Tradition dictated I raised my kids in the life. Turn them into exactly the sort of people Sera and me and Tommaso and Paige had all become. And if there was one thing I knew, as my house disappeared over the horizon, it was that I wanted better for them. I didn’t want my family to be scared.
Our conversation drifted to the villa on the island, the last few changes we had to make, little logistics. Shit that bored me out of my mind most of the time. But when I watched Sera’s eyes light, describing how she was going to set up our guestrooms so everyone had their own dedicated space, how Penny’s would have a bed for Michael and her mom would have enough space to stretch out but not enough to get lonely or overstay her welcome, I just fell more and more in love with her. A life spent on the little things didn’t sound so bad when I got to spend it with Sera.
The limo pulled up to the airport, and we climbed out. My—our—private plane waited, ready to take off as soon as we sat down. I unloaded the suitcases from the back myself. Most of our things had been shipped ahead, but we’d packed overnightbags so we could change on the plane. The flight wasn’t short. When I had them both balanced, I looked up to see Sera standing at the top of the stairs, her hair blowing in the wind, the plunging neckline of her dress highlighting the tempting swell of her breasts. I could picture her on the island, hair blowing, belly swollen with new life.
I hurried to join her. We changed into comfortable clothes, a loose sundress for her and, at her insistence, loose shorts and a T-shirt for me. I kept reaching for my tie, but I could breathe easier. I hadn’t even realized I’d grown used to the strain.
Sera took my hand as we sat. “Is something wrong?”
