Page 128 of Beautiful Desire

“Calm down, dolcezza. I’m fine. If anything, it was thisstronzowho almost killed me,” he replies with a nod in Dom’s direction.

Rolling his eyes and huffing out an anxious breath, Dom explains. “The plan was to make Nero think I had killed Fabi. As soon as my stronzo cugino texted me the time and location, I forwarded it to him so he could be prepared. Fabi made sure he was wearing a bulletproof vest filled with fake blood packages. We needed this to look real and like I’d turned on him. I couldn’t risk anything happening to Lily. When I shot him, everything went according to plan, even if Iwasclose to missing. Until Nero decided to check for himself and put two more bullets into his chest. But it worked in our favor.”

Holy shit. He really did shoot Fabi. He didn’t kill him, obviously, but he still aimed fire at his best friend for our daughter. And I’m not exactly sure how I feel about that.

Pulling me from my thoughts, Dom squeezes my hand. “He’s gone, Elle. He’snevercoming back. I won’t ever let anything happen to you and Lilyever again. I promise.”

He moves forward off the coffee table and kneels down on the floor in front of me. His free hand moves to the back of my neck, pulling me down until our foreheads rest against one another.

“I’m so sorry, Elle.”

My head is spinning after everything that has happened today and right now, I just want to get into bed and cuddle with Lily until we fall asleep. The thought of going back to my apartment, though, makes me sick. I can’t go back there, ever. Gia said I could stay here, and for tonight at least, I’m going to take her up on that offer.

Pushing away from Dom, I look him in the eyes. “I’m tired. G said Lily and I can stay here for a couple of days, so I’m going to take her up to bed.”

A look of panic crosses his face.

“I’ll do anything you want, but please let me take care of you both. I can’t let another man take care of what’s mine. And after everything that just happened, I need to see with my own eyes that you both are safe.” Dom pleads with me with his eyes.

My heart skips a beat at his words. There was a time when I would have dreamed about the three of us together as a family, but after everything he dumped on me tonight and the trauma of Lily being taken from me, I just need time to process.

“Wherever you want to go, we’ll go. I’ll make sure there’s 24/7 security and that we have the top-of-the-line surveillance system. I’ll sleep on the floor if I have to and can be gone before you wake in the morning. I just want to be there for my daughter, to protect her and see her grow. And I want to be there for you, too. I know you can’t deny our chemistry and the way we feel about one another. That has been evident from the start. But even if you decide you can’t be with me in that way anymore, please at least let me be a part of your and Lily’s lives. Let me prove to you that I’m still the same man you always knew me to be.”

CHAPTER39

ELLE

One Month Later

It’s beenone month since Lily was kidnapped and we moved into Dom’s penthouse. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, but I knew I couldn’t go back to my old apartment. Dom offered us the choice of staying here at his penthouse in the city or at the country house that he took me to for our date. In all honesty, as beautiful as the country house is, it just felt like too much. It’s more a family home, and at that time, I wasn’t sure what we were.

He’s slipped so easily into his role of being a dad. He helps with everything from changing her diaper to getting up in the night. And when he’s not here, he’s always checking in on us.

I’ve just hit send on a work email when I hear the elevator ping. Checking the time on my phone, I know it’s too early for Dom to be home. I hear loud footsteps against the hardwood floor and know instantly who it is. Carrying a large package, Curtis, my permanent guard, comes into view.

Dom wasn’t happy with the building security, so he hired his own security team to ensure no one could get in, as well as installing a top-of-the-line surveillance system. I would say he went a little overboard since we’re in a penthouse and the only way someone can get up here is with a key. But after Lily’s kidnapping, you can never be too careful, and I’d rather have too much than not enough.

“Where would you like this, ma’am?” Curtis asks me.

“Right here is fine,” I say as I motion to the spot on the kitchen island next to my makeshift desk.

Placing it next to me, he spins on his heel and heads back in the direction he just came. Grabbing a pair of scissors, I break the seal on the box and lift the lid. Inside are the files I needed from the office for the Sanderson project.

After everything that happened, I understandably wasn’t comfortable even having Lily in another room from me initially, let alone leaving her for eight hours every day to go to work. I still work for LM Investments as Dom’s PA, but instead of working from the office, I now work from home.

Just as I’m about to get back to work, my phone rings. When I check the name, a smile instantly breaks out across my face as I see who it is.

“Hi, Bianca,” I say into the phone.

“Hi,cara. I’m just checking in. Are you okay? Do you want me to come back home now?” she asks, sounding a little winded from her walk.

In the short time that I’ve known Bianca, we’ve become close, and I can see why Dom views her as his second mom. Neither of us were comfortable with her being on her own after the incident, so after we spoke with her, she agreed to move in with us. Although we told her it wasn’t so she could take care of Lily, she insisted that she still be her nanny. Which I’m extremely grateful for because I’m not sure how I would cope being here alone and working while taking care of Lily.

“I’m fine, Bianca. Enjoy your walk. Dom should be home soon anyway.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, and I can hear the hesitancy in her voice.

Initially, I couldn’t bear to be alone and not have Lily beside me constantly. However, as time has gone on, I’m getting better at both. And I’m not technically alone. Not with all the guards in this place.

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