by DC Renee
“What’s wrong? Is the baby okay? Do I need to carry you?” The panic on his face was almost endearing.
“Enzo, you know I’m used to women gawking at you, but I think I might have an issue with them staring at you with no pants on.”
“What?” Enzo asked as he looked down, realizing he was only in boxers. He blushed a million shades of red, and that was only the second time I’d ever seen that happen. I’d captured that memory and held it close for all my life. He scrambled to put on pants and we headed to the hospital. Enzo called the family and friends and they all came and waited until EJ was ready to make his presence. I was in labor for five hours before the little guy finally arrived. When I saw Enzo hold him for the first time with his salty tears falling down his face, his smile from ear to ear, I knew life couldn’t get any better. And then I got to hold my son, feel his beating heart mixing with mine, my husband staring down at us whispering words of love to the two people who mattered most, and suddenly, life got even better.
“I thought you’d want to see him before the ceremony started,” my mom told me as my thoughts drifted back the present.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“But now, it’s time to go back to Grandpa Gerry and Grandma Connie.” She took him from my arms and left shortly before coming back to walk me down the aisle with my dad.
*****
“I’m so happy for you,” Chandra told me before she walked down the aisle. “And this is good practice for me,” she teased. Her wedding was two months later.
“You’re perfect, P,” Nora said and laid a light kiss on my cheek before taking her turn down the aisle as well.
“You ready?” my dad asked.
“Been ready,” I told him, and I was serious.
My dad looped his arm around my left, and my mom looped hers around my right. Then I walked through the door to a collective gasp followed by clapping. I smiled through my tears, and then my heart literally skipped a beat when my eyes found Enzo. The pure joy, awe, pride, and even a hint of lust I saw there was enough to stop my heart, but I guess it knew it should keep beating until I reached him. I had seen him look at me like that a million times, but this time, it was more intense, somehow enhanced.
When I finally reached him and he kissed and hugged my parents before leading me to the gazebo, he whispered, “Breathtaking,” so low only I could hear.
“You like the dress?” I asked quickly. “It’s white this time.” As if he couldn’t tell.
“Much better than the black.” He smiled. “In fact, I love you in white. It’s perfect. No more black ever.”
I laughed and then the ceremony began.
It went by in a flash, and I barely remember any of it. I was too focused on my husband to think of the outside world. What I did remember was our vows.
“Five years ago, I thought my life had ended,” I started with my hands in Enzo’s. “I didn’t realize it had only just begun because I got you. And now, I get to marry someone who not only filled the emptiness in my soul I didn’t know was there, but also became a phenomenal partner, an even better father, and the second half of my heart. You are supportive, protective, caring, and loving. You are everything I dreamed of in a life partner and more. Every day, I thank my lucky stars to have you in my life and I love you more with each one.” Enzo pulled me to him and planted a kiss on my lips before the officiant declared it was time to kiss me.
“When I was growing up, it’s not that I didn’t believe in love, I just didn’t believe it was something I was capable of finding. You changed all that. You came into my life, a firecracker with a heart more pure than heaven, and showed me what it’s like to open up and let someone in. When I pushed, you shoved right back. You didn’t let me become the man I could have been but instead helped me become the man who has the honor of your love. That is the greatest gift you have given me – your love. I will spend every day for eternity trying to be worthy of it, trying to be worthy of our son and any future kids we will have, trying to be worthy of you. I love you so much that sometimes it hurts to breathe because of how much it consumes my body is consumed, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you for solidifying our vows with me in front of the people we care about the most. Thank you simply for you.” This time, I reached in for a kiss.
“We’ll never get to the part where you truly get to kiss each other if you keep this up,” the officiant joked, and everyone laughed. The only ones not laughing were Enzo and me, the significance of this moment dawning upon us. We were exactly where we were five years prior, yet we were miles apart from those two people who’d said, “I do,” before. Enzo nodded as if he realized what I was thinking. I wouldn’t change a thing. If it got me to this point in my life, I wouldn’t change anything. And neither would he.
Epilogue
Paige
Ten years later…
I watched EJ jumping in the pool at Chandra and Luke’s place while Enzo sat down beside me, a content smile on his face. Time had flown by so quickly … too quickly, but I was enjoying every second of it. One minute, EJ was a small little baby, switching off every day between looking like Enzo and me, but then he turned four and was a spitting image of Enzo, and he looked more and more like him every day. The only thing he got from me were my blue eyes, piercing blue eyes as Enzo called them. He had admitted to me once that he was pretty sure he was enchanted with them before he even saw the rest of me. He was a charmer all right, but he was my charmer and every day with him was more and more magical. I looked back at EJ and my heart was already hurting thinking of all the broken ones he’d leave in his wake.
“Watch out, Jackie,” he called over to our beautiful six-year-old spitfire. Enzo claimed she was all me, right down to her snark, and boy, did she have an attitude. “Geez, Mommy,” she had told me the other day with an exaggerated eye roll when I asked her some question I couldn’t remember now. It was super cute now, but I’d hate for that to translate into her double-digit years. I blamed Enzo. He spoiled her rotten. Jackie had him wrapped around her finger, and the poor guy didn’t even realize it.
“When she gets into trouble in her teens like dear old dad, it will be because you let her get away with everything,” I’d teased him on numerous occasions.
“She’s going to be an angel just like her mother,” he’d respond every time.
After EJ was born, I took some time off work and school, but with help from our parents and a nanny, and with Enzo’s support, I went back and got my Master’s. Enzo convinced me to come work with him now that he was all but running his family’s company, although I told him anything I said in the bedroom didn’t count. “Oh God, yes, Enzo,” wasn’t exactly my idea of agreeing, but he was pretty persuasive. It also helped that I was part of running the show, which meant I had flexible hours to spend with my family. That was what really solidified my consent. The perks of the job.
Once that was all settled, Enzo announced he wanted another blue-eyed child, to which I responded he’d have one in eight months. I guess my body knew when it was time before my mind did. I was lucky I had yet another smooth pregnancy with Jackie and a speedy delivery. When we found out it was a girl, Enzo choked up and made me promise I wouldn’t let her be with a guy like him. I promised the opposite. And when Enzo held her in his arms, eyes glassy, smile so bright he could have lit up the room, I knew she would be Daddy’s princess, and my suspicions were right.
“Daddy, watch,” she yelled, and Enzo clapped after she jumped into the pool right after her brother.
“Good job, princess,” he called out, and I looked over at Nora and smiled. She liked to tease Enzo that he was letting Jackie walk all over him as well.
“Sarah has Damien eating out of the palm of her hand,” he’d retort, referring to Nora’s youngest daughter.
Nora had three kids. She was pretty sure she got pregnant with baby number one at my vow renewal, and the other two followed one right after another after that. Mom convinced her to move closer to us so that she could see all he
r grandkids whenever she wanted. I was all for that.
My parents and Enzo’s parents were the most involved grandparents I’d ever seen. They came to every event, from school to sports, to even EJ losing his first tooth. Where they lacked as parents toward Enzo and me, they made up in spades with our kids, and naturally, our relationships with them improved as well.
“Sami!” I heard Chandra yell and looked up to see Sami floundering in the pool. Sami was Chandra and Luke’s daughter, and although she was seven, she was only about half a year older than Jackie was. Chandra and Luke had waited a few years to have kids. They wanted to settle in, buy a house, and prepare for kids. They had a hard time conceiving a second time, but they finally had Leo two years ago, and he was currently clinging to Luke’s back in the pool as he struggled to figure out a way to reach Sami while still taking care of Leo.
All the adults had stood up as if part of a collective and ran toward the pool with no thoughts or cares for anything other than getting to Sami. But before any of us could make it there, EJ had jumped in and grabbed her around the waist, dragging her to the edge so they could both hold on until one of us could pull them out.
“What happened?” Chandra asked.
“She slipped while trying to jump in. I think she hit her arm,” EJ told us, still clinging to Sami while we pulled them both out.
Chandra immediately went to inspect her daughter while EJ patted her arm. “It’s okay, Sami. Don’t be scared. You’re okay now.”
She looked at him as if he was her savior, and I was so proud of my boy.
“Thanks, EJ,” she told him as Chandra helped her up and started leading her toward the house so she could get a better look.
Enzo and I followed behind to make sure she was truly all right. It was when we had just made it to the door that Sami turned. “Uncle Enzo,” she started.
“Yeah, sweet girl?” he asked.
“I’m going to marry EJ one day!” she announced a little louder than she probably wanted to.
“We can make it happen,” he said with a small smile. We heard a chorus of “No” right as he chuckled.
“Leave it to fate,” I whispered.
“I will, but sometimes fate needs a little push,” he responded.
“Don’t you dare, Enzo Faust.” I tried to sound stern, but the playfulness in my voice was hard to mask.
“I love you, Paige,” he told me as he leaned in for a kiss.
“I love you always,” I whispered against his lips. We had come full circle. And to think… it had all started with three loving words.
~The End~
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Read on for more works by DC Renee
LET ME GO (LET GO, #1)
Rape. One word changed his life. Mason Tredwell had it all. He was a good looking, well-respected doctor. He had money, power, and friends. He never worried about finding a woman to warm his bed. But that all changed when he was wrongfully accused of rape. And now, after five years in prison and the loss of everything he cared about, he wanted revenge.
Abandoned as a baby and bounced around different foster homes, Kat Gingham never really had a charmed life. But now, things were really falling apart. She had no money, no job, and even her lying, cheating boyfriend was gone too. She allowed herself one night to cry about her situation before she picked herself back up. But when she woke up, she was no longer at home, and she was no longer alone. She was facing Mason, a guy who claimed she ruined his life. And he’s hell-bent on breaking her down, humiliating her, making her feel like he has all these years.
With tension flaring, questions arising on both sides, and answers truly vague, one question remains: Will Mason let Kat go or are they both in too deep?
LET IT GO (LET GO, #1.5)
Stand Alone & Sequel to Let Me Go
A street thug with a heart. That was Benny Negrete. To the outside world, he looked like bad news, but anyone who knew him knew he was intelligent, honest, and most importantly, caring. He looked out for the people he loved. But it hasn’t always been that way.
Sophie Basi, a successful doctor with a promising career, has tried hard to put the past behind her. It even worked for a while, but she never expected to run into Benny again. He’s the one person who can summon the past and unravel her perfectly crafted life.
When avoidance doesn’t work, the two are forced to relive their recollections of a past they are both desperate to forget. Can they let it go? Or are they forever going to live in their memories, with the future just out of reach?
A BRUTAL BETRAYAL
Past. Everyone has one. It shapes the person they become. It determines the present. It even contributes to the future. And sometimes, people are thrown together in spite of it.
It was no secret that Megan Verona was raped. It crippled her being, turning her from a vibrant young woman to someone who feared intimacy. After years of struggling, she decided to seek help with a therapist, Declan Connors, in hopes of being able to finally have a relationship. Declan wanted to help Megan; he wanted to help everyone who sought his aid, but she was different. She consumed his thoughts until he could no longer deny his feelings. He hadn’t expected to fall for her and fall hard, but he did. It was a wonder when she returned some of his sentiment. But, like everyone, Declan also has a past, one riddled with pain and anguish, one he hadn’t fully dealt with.
If helping Megan brought out his own shadows, what did loving her do? How do both their pasts play a role in their future? Most importantly, can they conquer the past that threw them together?
BOOK BOYFRIEND
What would you do if you ran into a real life book boyfriend?
You might scream or maybe giggle.
You might play coy or maybe stare.
You might ask for a picture or maybe an autograph.
You might call your girlfriends or maybe post about it.
What did I do? I ran. Literally.
Kim was a typical college student with a splash of dorky, a dash of funny, and a pinch of clumsy…well, maybe more than a pinch. After making a fool of herself in front of her classmate Brent, and his friend, Travis, a dead-ringer for one her book boyfriends, she tried to stay away. But after a few hilarious chance encounters, they became fast friends.
And then came the bet. It was Travis versus Brent, but somehow Kim got roped in to help team Travis. He was supposed to find and woo his real life book girlfriend. What could go wrong with a couple of college kids and an innocent bet? Let the shenanigans and laughter ensue! And maybe add in a bit of friendship, fun and most definitely, love.
Table of Contents
One Paige
Two Enzo
Three Paige
Four Enzo
Five Paige
Six Enzo
Seven Paige
Eight Enzo
Nine Paige
Ten Enzo
Eleven Paige
Twelve Enzo
Thirteen Paige
Fourteen Enzo
Fifteen Paige
Sixteen Enzo
Seventeen Paige
Eighteen Enzo
Nineteen Paige
Twenty Enzo
Twenty One Paige
Twenty Two Enzo
Twenty Three Paige
Twenty Four Enzo
Twenty Five Paige
Twenty Six Enzo
Twenty Seven Paige
Twenty Eight Enzo
Twenty Nine Paige
Thirty Enzo
Thirty One Paige
