"Yeah, dolce."
She clears her throat. "Are you sure your family will learn to accept me?"
I refrain from sighing and muster all the conviction I have. "Yes. Once they know you're not a threat and get to know you, they'll shower you with affection. You'll see."
She takes a shaky breath then curls into me further. She yawns again.
I kiss her head, ordering, "Go to sleep. When you wake up, we'll be in the Maldives."
"I don't even know where that's located. See how naive your future wife is," she admits, but there's also excitement in her voice, which only makes me happier.
"It's an island country in the Indian Ocean. It's part of South Asia," I inform.
"Wow!" she sleepily exclaims.
I chuckle. "What's wow about it?"
She pins her tired gaze on mine. "I never thought I'd go to Asia."
I smile and press my lips to hers, murmuring, "I plan on taking you all over the world. Create a list when we get home. I'll make sure we go anywhere you want."
Her eyes widen. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, dolce. Now, go to sleep," I repeat.
It doesn't take long before she's asleep. The sound of her breathing pattern relaxes me, and I fall asleep until the loudspeaker dings several times. I barely hear the pilot announce, "Please put on your belts to prepare for landing. We'll be on the ground in the next twenty minutes."
I blink a few times, taking in the small space and realizing I'm on the plane. The events of the day spin in my head.
She was going to betray me.
She agreed to marry me.
I'm going to kill Leo.
"Mm," Katiya whimpers, curling into me further.
I glance down. She looks peaceful, still sleeping, with her long blonde locks slightly tousled.
I lean into her ear. "Dolce, wake up."
"Mm," she replies again, but a smile forms on her lips.
Unable to resist, I press mine to hers. She kisses me back yet doesn't open her eyes.
I chuckle, stroking her hair, stating, "We're going to land soon. Time to open those pretty eyes."
She blinks a few times until her vision focuses on me. Her smile grows. She whispers, "Hey."
More happiness fills me. If I get to wake up next to her every day until my last breath, I'll die a lucky man. Everything about her makes her my dream girl.
She was going to betray me.
It's Leo's fault.
I need to kill him. The sooner, the better.
I push the thoughts out of my head. While the threats loom in New York, they aren't in the Maldives. No one knows we're here, nor will they find us. For the next week, I'm doing nothing but appreciate the view of my dolce in a string bikini with the water glistening around her. I'll rub suntan lotion on every inch of her body and make her beg me every day for hours.