Page 29 of Mine to Love
25
Morning sun forcesmy eyes open as it fills my bedroom. Normally, I would loathe the light after getting so few hours of sleep. But, as I wake with Darcy in my arms—her head on my chest, and her arm and leg draped across me—I’ve never been more thankful for an early rise. It gives me a chance to extend our glorious night together before she wakes. Thankfully, her head is facing toward my closet rather than the wall of windows overlooking the terrace. In this position, she may sleep for another hour.God, I hope so.I’d happily ruin every routine for herandmiss Damon and Ana’s wedding to boot.
Thinking about my closet, I take a close look at her finger, which is now bandage free. Thankfully, it healed perfectly. There’s barely even a scar. Good. She doesn’t need any more of those. If I weren’t so concerned with waking her, I’d adjust myself to get a better look at the one on her upper back. But, alas, I don’t want to ruin the moment by waking herorbringing up her past. Instead, I focus on observing her beauty, which is even more ethereal in the glow of the morning sunrise.
Her blonde waves are illuminated by the light, as is her pale skin. Last night I thought seeing her near my bed was a view Icouldn’t pass up. But this…this view is what dreams are made of. Except, for once, it isn’t a dream. Darcy is here, in my bed, in my arms, completely relaxed. In fact, she’s so still and quiet as she sleeps, I check to see if she’s still breathing.
As I focus my attention on the center of my chest, her breath tickles my skin. Relaxing, I tilt my chin and plant a soft kiss on top of her head. “Good morning, angel,” I whisper. Although, I have no plans to wake her. I want to live in this moment with her forever, savoring the feel of her body on mine and the way her heartbeat thuds against my ribs. This is perfect, just like our night together, though it took less than an hour of my reading before she fell asleep. I’m not complaining though.
I smile, thinking how ironic is it the book we chose was a mafia romance? But Darcy thought it the perfect option for us, since it had the romance for her and action and suspense for me. I couldn’t deny her. And the book isn’t half bad. But it wouldn’t matter if it was the most atrocious thing ever written. I would still happily read to her. I wonder if she’ll let me read to her again? I wonder if she’ll be angry that we slept together?No, stop.I do my best to shove all thoughts from my mind and just breathe. If I never get another moment like this with her, I want to enjoy the one I’ve been blessed with. And I do, for about thirty more minutes before the door across the hall creaks open.
Delilah’s little voice calls out, “Mommy?”Oh shit!I give Darcy one last glanceandone last kiss and then stealthily slip out of bed without waking her. She groans a little. And, without my body holding her up, she’s forced to reposition herself, though her eyes don’t open. Good. She needs her rest.
Quickly, I grab a t-shirt from my closet and ease out of the room, finding Delilah with bewildered eyes and messy curls standing across the hall. She’s dressed in a light pink nightgown which is almost too long for her. She’s a bit on the small side, even for a five-year-old.
“Gio? Where’s my mom?” I glance at the now closed bedroom door behind me.
“She’s asleep, sweetie.”
“In your room?” Confusion washes over her, and I wonder if I spot a bit of concern in her eyes. I know she’s aware of the abuse her mother used to endure, at least some of it. Maybe she’s worried I’ve hurt her mom.
“Yes. Would you like to see her?” I ask. “Let’s just not wake her, okay? Your mom needs her rest.” Delilah nods and walks toward me, rubbing the lingering sleep from her eyes. I quietly open the door to my bedroom and Delilah peeks inside, seeing her mom perfectly safe and resting well. She looks at me and smiles. I can only imagine the thoughts running through her little mind. What does she think happened between us? Rather than engage in that topic of conversation with a five-year-old, I return her smile, and we ease out of the bedroom.
“Alright, what do you say I make us some breakfast? I bet by the time it’s finished your mom will be up.”
“Okay.” Delilah reaches for my hand and curls her tiny fingers around one of mine. My heart squeezes in my chest, letting me know I have not one, but two weak spots. Darcy and Delilah hold the strings to my puppet, and they don’t even realize it. I’d do anything for them, sacrifice anyone and anything, burn any bridge, destroy any threat. They both make me feel alive in a way I’ve never felt before. And, for either of them, I would surely die.
Delilah leads me towards the stairs, and I follow her, hunched over so she doesn’t have to let go of my finger. Her lack of awareness is the cutest thing in the world, almost as cute as the way she and Ru greet each other at the foot of the staircase. Delilah throws her arms around Ru’s neck and Ru licks her from top to bottom, wagging her tail excessively. I used to keep Ru in the bedroom with me at night. But, with my frequent wet-dreams, I decided it best she stay downstairs. Not to mention, Delilah enjoys her company so much. I didn’t want to put a barrier between them.
As Delilah and Ru chase each other around the living room, I laugh and continue to the kitchen without a clue of what to make. There’s a reason I hired Darcy aside from my attraction to and interest in her. Though, as the thought crosses my mind, those words feel like such a limited description for my limitless feelings—love—for her, for her and Delilah. The realization has me pausing as I stare blankly into the fridge.
It’s not the first time I’ve felt it in my heart, but it is the first time I’ve truly admitted it to myself.I love Darcy.I love her body, her mind, her character. I love how good of a mom she is. I love how strong she is. I love her laugh. I love her cooking. I love sitting in silence with her, talking with her, touching her in the most innocent of ways. I love doing mundane activities with her and reading to her and sharing a cup of tea with her.
Even though it’s only been one week, I love everythingwithDarcy and everythingaboutDarcy. Even her past makes her more loveable, because she understands pain, loss, trauma. And, while I never would’ve wished those experiences and that understanding on her, somewhere deep inside, I know her past makes her more capable of understanding me,loving me, should the day ever come that I truly let her see all of me.
As the contents of the fridge come back into view, I suddenly know exactly what to make. It’s the one thing the first and only woman I’ve ever loved—until now—taught me how to cook. I grab the ingredients for Lemon Blueberry muffins and get to work. Growing up in a Mexican-Italian household, lemons were used frequently for both cuisines. So frequently, my mom even had a lemon tree planted in our herb garden. These muffins were my favorite little treat. It’s only fitting I make them for my newloves, my new family. Besides, they’ll both need full tummies for the day ahead.
I haven’t told Darcy yet, but Ana has extended a wedding invitation to her and Delilah. And while I was nervous, at first, to bring them due to the wedding taking place at Aidan’s—which, will be full of gun-wielding security and attendees with Mafia and mob ties—after last night with Darcy, I want them to come. They are my family now and just as we eat as a family, we will attend events as a family. And anyone who makes them uncomfortable—should anyone be stupid enough to try—will be dealt with swiftly and without remorse.
It takes aboutfifteen minutes to mix up the muffin batter and thirty for them to bake. During that time, Delilah, with my help, sits on her favorite stool at the kitchen island and begins drawing. She draws a picture of Ru first and then pulls out a fresh sheet of paper and starts asking me questions. I entertain her as the muffins bake. By the time they’re finished, so is Delilah’s second drawing—a lemon tree.
My lips spread into a warm smile as she hops down from the stool and runs to show me. “It’s beautiful,” I tell her, just as Darcy enters the kitchen, still wearing her utterly ravishing outfit from the night before.Perfect timing, my love.
“Mommy, look what I drew for Gio!” Delilah exclaims, running to show her. As she does, I pull the muffins from the oven, place the pan on the stovetop, and head to the coffee pot to pour Darcy a cup.
“Wow! It is beautiful. But why a lemon tree?” Darcy asks.
“Because Gio’s mom had one when he was little. Now, he can have one again.” As I turn around with Darcy’s coffee cupin hand, including the splash of cinnamon creamer I know she likes, Darcy places a proud hand on Delilah’s back. The smile on her face says it all. She’s happy Delilah is happy and proud of the little girl she’s raised so far, as she should be.
“For you,” I say, handing her the hot cup of coffee.
“For you,” Delilah says, handing me the drawing.
“Why thank you!” I take it and Delilah runs off to play with Ru again. Redirecting my attention to Darcy, I ask, “How did you sleep?”
Darcy blushes, hiding her face behind her coffee cup. “Well. But I am sorry. I didn’t intend to fall asleep, I just…”
“Don’t apologize. I slept well too.” She nods and looks at me with eyes I haven’t seen before. There’s something about her this morning that’s different, different in a good way. It seems some of the comfort she found asleep in my arms is lingering. Perhaps there will be more moments like last night. Perhaps there will be even more than that. “Now, may I interest you in a muffin? They are about the only thing I know how to make without burning it.”
