Page 53 of The Mobster's Nanny

“Destiny has brought us together and helped us find love where neither of us expected to find it. Before I met Liss, I couldn’t imagine falling in love again—especially not with Romeo’s nanny, or someone so much younger than me.”

I chuckle as my heart starts to beat faster, echoing at the base of my throat. My palms feel sweaty and my fingers feel restless, impatient to get into my pocket and reach the end of my speech.

“I couldn’t imagine feeling so alive and happy again—but with you, Liss, every day is brighter than the last. You brought light into our life, you brought happiness, and I don’t want to ever let you go.”

I glance at Romeo who is leaning closer to Liss with a look of awe in his eyes, his gaze fixed on me, and it makes me smile despite myself. The sight of them together always makes my heart warm, and now I feel it so much clearer. God, they are everything to me.

“With you, we are a family again.” I look at Liss, taking in her wide eyes and parted lips, feeling my heart stutter in eagerness and excitement, and finally slide my fingers into my pocket. “And if you feel the same, if you trust me to take care of you and your happiness, if you want to stay with us forever…Liss, will you marry me?”

At the back of my mind, I hear someone gasp and I see Romeo bouncing in his seat from excitement—but my gaze remains fixed on Liss as I lower myself onto my knee and open the ring box for her. Her eyebrows rise, her lips part even more, and she remains frozen for a few seconds that turn my insides into a string of knots. Is she unsure? Doesn’t she want it? Fuck, what if she doesn’t want it? Well, it’s still a response, but—

“Yes,” Liss breathes out so quietly I’m probably the only one who hears it. Perhaps she realizes that as well—or maybe she just gains confidence when she repeats with a smile on her lips, “Yes, I will.”

The next moment, Liss lunges forward to wrap her arms around my neck, and I have only less than a second to catch her and realize what just happened.She said yes!I can’t stop the laughter spilling out of my mouth as I pick her up and carry her away from the table, pulling her body flush against me. God, what a wonderful feeling.

Absentmindedly, I hear everyone else cheering, whistling, and demanding a new toast—but right now, none of it matters. Nothing else exists except for the woman in my arms with the kindest heart and the most beautiful smile in the world.

As soon as she pulls back from the hug, I catch her lips in a kiss, and even though it’s short and awkward with our smiles too wide to give us a moment, I don’t care. It’s still the best kiss of my life, healing my heart from within.

“God, I can’t believe I got engaged wearing sweatpants,” Liss huffs a few seconds later, her arms still entangled behind my head, her smile hidden in the crook of my neck, and I laugh, tightening my grip on her.

“You look perfect, Signora Messina. You always are.”

Ah, the euphoria won’t come down anytime soon. In fact, I feel like it’s gonna follow me for the rest of my life.

*****

THE END

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