Page 63 of DeLucas After Dark

“Not soon enough. Someone else needs to get pregnant so Mamma can get off me about more grandkids,” Mila says, laughing.

Piper’s face turns red, and then she shakes her head. “I want at least two years with this man to just love everything about him before that world is interrupted.”

“You deserve that time,” Ales sniffs.

Everyone silently nods, and I rest my chin on my fiancée’s head. Her fingers are warm and soothing against my beard when she lifts her hand to scratch it and then pulls her fingers through it.

“Once kids arrive, it’s all about them, and they’ll be here forever.”

“Don’t I know it,” Ales grumbles.

“Boy, shut up! You’re right with your mom in trying to get me pregnant again,” Mila says, laughing as Ales pulls her into his arms and nuzzles the side of her neck.

“I’m just in it for the fun of getting there.”

Giggling, Mila says, “No, you’re trying to bring more babies into this world. You love those two crumb-snatchers in there.”

“Speaking of…where are they?” I ask, scowling.

“Not ruining your house, that’s for sure,” Piper says.

I frown at that. I don’t know when she’ll stop looking at everything as mine instead of ours. That was the purpose of buying this house and putting her name on it. Maybe after I show her the paperwork, she’ll believe it.

“Bianca is taking out the ingredients for the cookies we’ve been ordered to bake.”

“And Aris?” Ales asks.

“Sitting at the island with his sippy cup and some apple slices,” Mila replies.

“That’s only going to last for so long. It’s time for us to get back inside,” Ales says with a resigned sigh.

“You’re right,” Mila agrees, leading the pack back into the house.

When Piper turns to follow behind Nico, I grab her hand and pull her back against me. I remain silent until the patio door closes.

“Everything okay?” she asks, turning in my arms and staring up at me.

“Are you happy?”

“Of course I am.”

“If you could marry me today, would you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Without your parents?” I ask.

“Hey,” she says, resting her palms on the sides of my face. “Don’t do this. My parents have issues, and it may hurt me that they don’t accept this.” She gestures between us with one finger and then places her hand back on my face. “But that’s their issue, not ours. I love you, Marco DeLuca and everything that you represent, even the big, bad, scary, and corrupt parts of you. When I accepted that ring on my hand, it wasn’t for show. It wasn’t about all the people gathered there that night or about you buying me another salon. It was because my heart said yes, and my soul was glad it found its way home. Yes, I would marry you right now barefoot in the damn snow in this backyard if we had everything set up for it.”

I kiss her lips slowly, gripping her hips tightly in my hands as I pull her against me so she can feel my erection.

“I love you, PJ,” I say against her lips, calling her by my nickname for her.

Laughing, she says, “I know you do.”

We kiss again before she pulls back and stares into my eyes.

“You having second thoughts about marrying me, Marco?”

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