by Laura Sutton
Sam let go of his hand and kneeled down, placing the tulips neatly in the flower holder on the grave, and Eli kneeled with her.
“Hi, Mama,” he croaked, trying to hold back his tears. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Sam wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him.
“I wanted to come today and introduce Samantha to you.” Tears ran down his cheeks. He swiped them away, unashamed. “I love her. I think you would’ve, too.” Sam kissed the side of his head. “I miss you so much.”
Sam held him as he bowed his head, finally letting himself release the grief he’d been holding in for so long. Finally, he took a deep breath and leaned forward to trace his mother’s name in the marble.
“I will miss you every day until I see you again. I promise to live my best life, like you always wanted me to,” he whispered.
They stayed there, kneeling, a few moments longer, until Eli stood and helped Sam to her feet.
It was over. Everyone was at peace, at long last.
It was time to go home.
Epilogue
Seven months later.
Eli
The last time Eli had landed in Dallas, he’d been a nervous wreck, frantic to get to Samantha. This time, though, she was sitting right beside him. They hadn’t let Dante send the plane for them, wanting to stay far away from the darkness permeating his family, but that morning his father had been released on appeal, pending a new trial.
The fall-out from what they had found all those months ago had been huge. It had been national news: a cop and a defense attorney taking money from a rival cartel to start an international crime war. In the end, though, they had gotten the appeal hearing and his father had been set free. Oh, the Dallas County district attorney had sworn they would retry the case, but with no witness, no weapon, and the cloud of a dirty cop tainting the investigation from the beginning, it was unlikely to be successful.
Tonight, Sam would meet his father. They had invited Uncle Nico, but he had declined. The restaurant needed him, he’d said, but Eli knew better. Nico had sent a giant box of cannoli, Papa’s favorite. It would have to do, as a surrogate for Nico, but Eli wanted to see his father. Wanted him to understand why he couldn’t be a true di Ruggiero.
Eli grabbed the carryon that held the very important pastries, and they exited the plane. They would stay in Dallas for a few days, have a little vacation. They had been working very hard the last few months, and at some point this weekend, Eli was going to propose. He wasn’t sure when, though definitely not that night. That night was for his father, a big celebratory dinner at Angelo’s, another restaurant owned by a family member.
They waited for their luggage and were headed for the car rental counter when Eli heard his name. “Elias!”
Eli turned, and Matteo was there again. “Matt!” Eli called, grinning, happy to see his brother.
“You didn’t have to come pick us up. We need a car for the weekend, anyway,” Eli said, pulling his little brother in for a hug.
“No, you don’t, use one of mine. I just got a new Maserati. Use it and take your girl around in style.”
Eli chuckled, but nodded as Sam and Matt hugged hello. They followed Matt out to a black SUV. It was raining again, a spring storm that promised something new.
“Just how many vehicles do you own?” Sam asked, laughing as Matt held open the passenger door for her. He just shrugged, grinning. Eli didn’t think Sam truly understood the wealth of the di Ruggieros and that was okay. It wasn’t his world anymore, and he didn’t need that sort of lavish lifestyle, anyway. Anything they wanted, they would work for– the two of them.
Matt dropped them off at their hotel, one of the nicest hotels in Dallas, and told them a car would pick them up at eight. Sam was instantly taken in by their room’s view, and pushed open the sliding glass door to walk out onto the patio. Eli tipped the bellhop and joined her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back into his chest as she gazed out over downtown Dallas.
“It really is a beautiful city,” she said as they gazed upon the rain-slicked streets. The rain was ending, but the sky was still gray, the air damp.
“It is, but it pales in comparison to your beauty,” he murmured.
She gave his hand a playful little smack. “Liar.”
“I will never, ever lie to you,” he said. The clarity of the storm-damp air, the view… hell, just being with Sam, knowing she would be at his side forever, had him reevaluating his decision to put off his question until another day. It felt like the right moment, in their urban aerie, happy and safe.
Eli turned her around and got down on one knee, groping for the ring box that had been secreted in his pocket for days by that point.
“I wasn’t going to do this right today, but before we face the sharks that are my family, I need you to know. I need you to know that you’re it for me, you’re my one, my only. The person I would sacrifice everything for,” he said in a rush, gazing up at her. She stared back, lips parted in shock, gray eyes wide. “I love you, Sam, so very much. Will you be my wife?”
She swallowed, and for a beat, he actually worried she would say no. But then she smiled, eyes shining. “Of course, I will,” she said in a shaky voice. “You know I will.”
He stood and slipped the diamond ring on her finger, kissing her as relief and joy crashed through him. She was his. She was all he needed, and he knew they could face anything the world or his family threw at them… together. The clouds parted, and the sunlight streamed through, and Eli’s life with Sam began anew.
The End
About the Author
While Laura Sutton may be new to writing romance she is not new to the romance world. She has been reading romances since her pre-teen years when her mother would leave her to her own devices at their local used bookstores.
Today you will find her in her home state of Texas living by the beach with her dogs and a book still in her hand. Though now her days are also full of putting the stories that once only existed in her head down on the page.
If you would like to keep up with Laura Sutton and the books she is publishing please visit her website, sign up for her E-newsletter or follow her on social media.
Website: https://laurasuttonauthor.com/
E-newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gG6nRD
Also By
Texas Three-Step Series
To Love her Cowboys
The Power of Love
Love on the Coast
The diRuggiero Mafia Family Saga
La Famiglia: Elias
La Famiglia: Dante
