Page 99 of Irreplaceable

His eyes were soulful and loving, and then he kissed me. It was passionate and tender. It was everything I needed and then some.

Was this amazing life actually mine?

* * *

“Who’s the beefcake?”Lauren hooked her thumb over her shoulder. It had been a few days since the gender reveal, and we were meeting to go furniture shopping for the new house.

I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore my bodyguard and all the attention we had garnered. I was still getting used to the idea of dating a celebrity, and sometimes I wondered if I’d be less conspicuous if I didn’t have a hulking mountain of muscle following me everywhere.

“He’s part of our security team.”

And lately, I was grateful to have him around, even if I was annoyed by the fact that I needed a security team in the first place. After the news about our pregnancy came out, Enzo’s and my social media accounts were flooded with comments. Nico had been helping me navigate being in the public eye, but it wasn’t easy.

“Have you seen Lady Gaga’s bodyguard?” Lauren asked. “He’s a hottie.”

“The one who looks like he could be from the movie The Transporter?”

She laughed, and we continued down the line of couches. “Yeah. I guess he kind of does, now that you mention it.”

“So, where should we start?” I asked, wanting to get this over with. Enzo had told me to buy whatever I wanted, but the idea of spending his money made my skin feel tight.

“I think I have a good feel for your style, but I know nothing about Enzo’s. I mean, apart from what I’ve seen in some Italian design magazines.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure I do either. I’ve never seen his home—in person or a magazine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I met him at Mizuki House, which was a rental. And then he’s been staying at the hotel since he came to LA. So, I have no idea what his style is.” I frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel like that’s something I should know. I mean, we’re moving in together. Having a baby together.”

“Not necessarily,” she said. “And people’s tastes evolve over time.”

“True, but…”

The door opened, and Alexis breezed into the shop, removing her sunglasses and resting them on her head. “Hey.” She smiled, approaching us. “Sorry I’m late.” Alexis had offered to join us since she had all the blueprints and dimensions from the house.

Enzo had taken me to the house before he’d left for another away game. It was beautiful, if a bit big. After we’d christened the kitchen counter, Enzo had told me to ask Nico for whatever I needed and then suggested hiring Lauren to help with the design. We were on a tight deadline, and despite that, Lauren had been nice enough to squeeze us in between several other projects.

I kept trying to imagine myself living there. Tried to imagine giving up the apartment I’d lived in for the past ten years and the independence and sense of pride that had come along with taking care of myself. Everyone acted like this wasn’t a big deal, but it was a huge deal to me.

But what else was I going to do? The apartment was too small—and not secure enough—for our growing family. The hotel was too impersonal. Enzo had bought us a house, and I knew he was excited. So I was trying to be excited too.

“So, I take it the house was a surprise?” Lauren asked.

“What gave it away?” I joked.

“The deer-in-the-headlights look, for one,” Lauren said.

“Yeah.” I cringed, fingering the tassels on a throw pillow. “I wish I could’ve hidden my shock better.”

“Are you happy about it?”

“I’m not unhappy about it,” I said. I mean, the house was gorgeous. And Enzo was so proud. “But I wish he’d consulted me about such a big decision first.”

We hadn’t talked about what we’d do once the baby was born, but moving home to the Alondra Valley was looking less and less likely.

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