by A J Wolf
I place a kiss to the top of her head. It’s still surreal having her here with me. Every morning I’m scared to open my eyes, scared to find out she’s just a dream my damaged mind made up to heal a fractured heart. “This could have been your funeral Cuore Mio.”
She tilts her face up to look at me, hazel eyes taking a blue hue from the reflection of the sky. “But we’re not…I’m here Remy. Because of you.” Lifting up onto her toes she pulls me down for a soft, brief kiss and I palm her cheeks to keep her lips to mine when she tries to pull back. Smiling against my mouth she grabs my forearms to try and pull away but all she accomplishes is looking like a cute fish, squished between my hands. “Remy…” it sounds funny with her cheeks all puffed up and I smile down at her, kissing her nose before letting her go.
“We should go take our seats; I’ve been avoiding it long enough.” She links our fingers as we walk towards the crowd and I raise our hands to kiss the back of hers.
She gives me a beaming smile, that twists up my gut. “I love you Remy.”
I squeeze her hand softly before releasing it, wrapping my arm over her shoulder, “Ti amo di più, cuore mio.” Pressing a kiss to the shell of her ear, “I love you most, my heart.”
Epilogue
“If this is a joke Beverly Marie, I will kill you.” Delaney yells from across the room and I roll my eyes, pulling on a plain white sundress.
“My middle name is Hunter, not Marie.” Grabbing a scrunchie off my shelf I throw my hair up into a messy bun before coming out of the closet. “And I’m not joking. That’s real and it’s mine.”
Squealing she launches towards me to squeeze me in an obnoxious hug. “I can’t believe it! I literally cannot wait…I’ve been waiting for a nipote forever!” Pulling back, she has a huge smile, “And I know what your middle name is. Hunter is an awful name, so I changed it to Marie.”
“You can’t just change my middle name. I like my middle name.” I notice my pregnancy test gripped in her fist and grimace a little, “I peed on that Laney, why are you carrying it around?”
Giving me a look, she sets it on the bed before bouncing towards the door, “Have you told Remy yet?”
I shake my head, nervously pinching my skirt between my fingers as we walk down the hall, “Not yet. I wasn’t even going to tell you but you’re nosey and found it.” This makes her cackle and I side eye her, apparently my news has turned her into a crazy person.
Seeing the expression on my face she smiles, whispering very loudly, “I’m just so freaking excited… you have to tell Remy because I can’t keep it a secret from him.”
I’m not sure why she’s whispering but it compels me to whisper also, “I was planning on telling him tonight, after the barbeque.”
“Oh..” She claps excitedly, still whispering. “What do you think he’ll say?” She’s leaning towards me, our faces huddled together as we stand in front of the sliding doors.
“I’m not sure bu...”
“What are you guys whispering about?” I scream, jumping in place as Donatello comes to stand beside me. Why the fuck is he always doing that?
“Donatello what have I told you about sneaking around? You scared the hell out of me.” I frown over at him then look back at Laney. She’s scowling over at Donatello who I now notice is avoiding looking at her. Awkward. “Laney you want to go outside? Gretchen already brought out a bunch of snacks.”
Bringing her attention back to me she smiles and pushes the door open, “Yes…I’m sure you’re starving now that you’re eating for..”
“Laney!” I interrupt her, giving her my best ‘shut the fuck up’ face and grab her arm to yank her into the yard.
She slaps the door shut in Donatello’s confused face as I’m tugging her away. “Sorry, might be harder than I expected to stay quiet.”
“Well try harder…and why are you mad at Donatello? You practically skinned his nose with the door.” I pull a lawn chair farther into the grass and sit down. People should be coming over soon and I want to make sure I get a seat.
She rolls her eyes like I’m being dramatic and plops into the chair next to me. “Because he’s an ass.”
I lean my face back into the sun, basking in the warmth. It’s the first warm sunny day we’ve had all spring and I plan on taking full advantage of it; hence the sundress. I feel Dylan as he squishes his big body under my chair and smile when large palms run over my shoulders to wrap me in a hug from behind.
I open my eyes as Remy presses a kiss to my neck, crouched behind my chair to hug me. “Dylan stole a package of hotdogs from Gretchen and now he’s hiding from her wrath.”
I laugh and lean over to see a very guilty looking pup avoiding my eye contact under the chair. Remy comes in front of me and pulls me up for a proper hug, murmuring against my skin. “Is there something you want to tell me Cuore Mio?”
I spear a frown at Delaney, who shakes her head with a shrug. She couldn’t have said anything though; she’s been with me. “Why?” He doesn’t answer but bends to pick me up, carrying me bridal style towards the side of the house.
“Where are you going? People are going to show up soon.” Laney yells at his back but he ignores her, bypassing the sliding doors to walk down the path that circles the property.
He doesn’t stop until I can barely hear the sounds of the house, setting me on a big rock just off the trail. Settling between my legs he takes my face in his hands, brushing his thumbs along my cheeks. “Now that we’re somewhere more private…is there something you want to tell me Cuore Mio?”
My heart is pitter pattering in my chest as he looks down at me, a dimple winking at me as he holds back a smile. “I’m pregnant.” I blurt it out in a very unattractive way, nervous and excited. The smile he gives me melts my insides and I smile back up at him, bringing my hands up to grip his shirt over his chest. “But you knew that didn’t you? That’s why you asked.”
He pulls my face to his for a sweet kiss, moving his hands to my waist. “I saw the test on the bed.”
I huff and roll my eyes, fucking Delaney. “Well I was planning on telling you tonight anyway…What do you think?”
His honey eyes sweep my face, leaning to rest his forehead on mine. “Penso di essere l’uomo più fortunato della terra.” He kisses my nose then drops between my legs to kiss my flat belly through the fabric. Looking up at me with a dimpled smile, “I think I’m the luckiest man on Earth.”
Smiling down at him, I run my fingers through his hair. “I’m only ten weeks, my first appointment is on Thursday.”
He kisses my exposed thigh on each leg before standing to lift me off the rock. “I’ll go with you.” He links our fingers as we start to walk back towards the house. “Did you tell Delaney?”
“She was snooping and found the test. She’s also who left it on the bed.” He laughs and brings our hands up to kiss the back of mine. “She’s barely known an hour and she was already close to spilling the secret.”
He stops us in the path suddenly, tugging me close for an unexpected, lingering kiss. “I fucking love you Cuore Mio.” It’s whispered against my lips and I smile against them, heart thrumming happily in my chest. Although it’s riddled with stitches and scars that’ll never fully seal, it’s slowly healing. I’m slowly healing. Remy is my artist; piece by torn piece gluing me back together and creating a mosaic that is even more beautiful than before, like a watercolor’s blended seams.
“I love you too daddy…” We both stare at each other a moment, me cringing internally. “…That didn’t come out how I was thinking it would.”
Laughing loudly, he scoops me up and starts walking again with me in his arms. “Cuore mio, tu sei il mio tutto. Mi hai fatto il dono più prezioso. Ti amerò sempre.”
My heart, you are my everything. You have given me the most precious of gifts. I will always love you.
My Heart Playlist
when the party’s over – Billie Eilish
Take What You Want (ft Ozzy & Travis Scott) – Po
st Malone
One Thing Right – Marshmello
You Don’t Own Me (ft G-Eazy) – Grace
Numb Without You – The Maine
Lost on You – LP
Drunk Last Night – Eli Young Band
Terrible Thing – AG
You’re the One That I Want – Lo-Fang
You should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish
The Heart Wants What It Wants – Our Last Night
Earth Angel – The Penguins
Drugs – Eden
Happier – Ed Sheeran
Amnesia – 5 Seconds of Summer
Be Alright – Dean Lewis
Talk (ft Disclosure) – Khalid
You’re Still The One – The Maine
Last Kiss – Pearl Jam
I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick
Sneak Peek
They say forbidden love is the sweetest secret you can keep. The thrill of being in the shadows, the rush that comes with stolen kisses and whispered confessions. But what they don’t talk about are the doubts and deceptions. When you’re constantly lurking in the dark it gets hard to decipher the truths, muddies up a perfect love story and twists it into something vile. Donatello should have been my forever but he let his doubts sully what we had, let them cast me to the same shadows we used to find euphoria in. He didn’t want me, so I left; went to college and attempted to forget the taste of his lips with someone new.
Now I’m home for summer break and he wants to rekindle what we had, pretend like he didn’t leave our love to burn out like a forgotten candle. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to taste his forbidden fruit; to let him pull me back into the murky waters of deceit. If he’s expecting me to fall right into his charm though, he has another thing coming; This time around I refuse to be his dirty secret. He will either choose to love me without the shadows or leave me the hell alone.
About the Author
AJ Wolf is a self-proclaimed coffee and wine enthusiast, secretly (well not so secret now) loves reverse harem books and is addicted to adopting animals. She lives on a small farm with her husband, three children, four dogs, and numerous other critters and livestock.
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