“It’s New Year’s Eve and people are still calling to set up reservations?”
“Yes, and we are not going to complain about it, either.”
“Hector and I both got Christmas bonuses. If it sounded like I was complaining, you misheard me,” she says. I grin at her. “Anyway, I’ll let everyone know that you’ll be out soon.” She smiles before she shuts the door behind herself.
I quickly add the booking for a birthday into the computer, then lean back in my chair and stretch my arms over my head.
It’s been almost one year since Princess Pizza opened, and in that time, the shop has paid for itself. It’s been so busy that I had to hire three more employees to help out between Friday and Sunday nights. It hasn’t hurt that we’ve even been featured in the Times, the New Yorker, and a couple of other smaller papers around the city. People from all over the five boroughs come here to celebrate their kids’ birthdays and are constantly giving recommendations to their friends and families. The make-your-own-pizza parties have become a hit, and we’ve been booked almost every weekend since opening.
Antonio and I are also doing amazing—so amazing that just a week ago we decided it was time to stop traveling between his place and mine and move in together. Right now we’re looking at condos in his neighborhood, but honestly I don’t care where we live as long as I get to go to sleep with him at night and wake up with him in the morning.
Hearing the sound of music start up, I clear my head and smile as I head for the door. Tonight we’re closing the shop early to celebrate the New Year. Unfortunately, Antonio has to work, so I won’t get to ring it in with him, but my friends are here—along with my parents, my sisters, their husbands, and my nephew. It will still be a night to remember.
When I make it to the front of the shop and see everyone standing around wearing funny hats and silly glasses, I smile.
“You need a hat, too,” Fawn says, coming up to me and handing me a top hat with the words NEW YEAR’S written all over it in gold writing.
I take it from her, then reach out to rub my hand against her round stomach. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yep.” She pulls in a deep breath. “I can’t wait until she gets here.”
“I can’t wait, either,” I agree, and she rolls her eyes.
“You just want to be able to shop for her.”
“True.” I don’t deny it. I have loved shopping for my nephew, but girls’ clothes are so much cuter than boys’.
“When are you and Antonio going to start?” she asks, studying me.
I shift on my heels. “I don’t know.” Antonio and I have talked about kids. We know we want them and know that we want at least two, but right now we are just enjoying our time together. And I don’t want to have any babies until I have a ring on my finger. Call me old-fashioned.
“You guys will make beautiful babies,” she says after a moment, when I don’t say more.
“You sound like Mom.”
“Oh god.” Her nose scrunches up in horror. “I do sound like Mom.”
Laughing, I shake my head at her, then feel my lips soften into a smile when Mac comes over with my adorable nephew, Dustin. Taking him from her, I cuddle him to my chest and kiss the top of his tiny head, which is covered in a thin cap.
“Baby looks good on you.” Mac grins.
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes, then kiss the top of Dustin’s head again. I can’t stop myself. “I should probably give him back to you before Mom or Martina sees me,” I say. Both Fawn and Mac laugh. “It would be funny, but I’m not joking.”
Both Martina and my mother have gone from gently questioning Antonio and me about our plans to straight-up harassing us about getting married and starting a family of our own.
“Two minutes until midnight!” I hear Hector shout.
I look over to see Peggy start to fill glasses with champagne.
“Here. I’m going to get a drink.” I hand Dustin back to Mac after kissing his head once more, then I hug both of my sisters. “I love you guys.”
“Love you, too,” they say in unison.
I smile as I let them go. I watch Fawn go to Levi, who tucks her under his arm as soon as she’s close. Then I watch Mac curl herself against Wesley, who says something to make her smile before kissing the top of her head. Seeing both my sisters with their guys, my heart fills with happiness for them. Still, I wish Antonio were here.
“One minute!” Hector yells as I grab a glass of champagne and take a sip.
A cool breeze fills the room, meaning someone opened the front door. I turn to see who’s coming in. My body freezes when I see Antonio walk in and start toward me, his uniform on and his radio on his collar. I look past him and see that his whole squad is with him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
He smiles, wrapping one hand around my back while the other cups the back of my head.
“I couldn’t let you ring in the New Year without me. So I traded favors with the guys, and we all came.”
He drops his mouth to mine and kisses me deep and wet. People start to count down from ten around us. When he pulls his mouth away and everyone yells, “Happy New Year,” my eyes flutter open to meet his. I look around to see everyone hugging and kissing. I take in the moment for just a second.
I did this.
I look back at Antonio, and whether he wants to admit it or not, he helped me more than he knows.
“Happy New Year.” I lean up on the tips of my toes and try to kiss him again, but he pulls back before I can, making me frown.
“Princess . . .” He lifts my left hand in his and slowly slides a beautiful solitaire diamond ring onto my finger. “Will you spend this year—and the rest of your life—with me?”
“What?” I breathe, not believing that I heard him correctly even though I know I did. Even though I can feel the weight of the ring he just slid onto my finger. Moving my eyes from his to the ring, I blink in shock. “What?”
I listen to him laugh.
“Put the guy out of his misery,” I hear one of the firefighters say.
I look at his squad. They’re all watching.
My family and my sisters are smiling while they wipe tears from the corners of their eyes. Their husbands hug them from behind while they kiss their necks.
“What do you say, Princess? Feel like adding a few more chapters to our story?” he asks.
I toss myself against him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
This time, with my own tears falling, I answer, “Yes.”
I laugh when I hear a loud cheer go up around us. His squad members high-five one another, and my sisters throw their hands up in celebration.
“Yes,” I repeat against his lips, smiling. “Maybe romance movies aren’t so stupid after all,” I say.
He tips his head to the side, and his laughing mouth covers mine and then kisses me again—this time deeper than before.
Holding my hand out in front of me, I watch how the early-morning light coming through the open blinds bounces off my engagement ring.
I’m engaged.
I still can’t believe that I’m marrying the guy whom I secretly crushed on for ages. Not only that . . . he loves me.
“Morning, Princess.” Antonio’s rough voice greets me in my ear.
I smile, pressing my back into him as his hand slides up my thigh and over my bare hip.
“Morning.” I turn to look at him over my shoulder. I study his mussed hair, his eyes still soft from sleep, and his jaw covered in a thick layer of stubble.
God, I love him so much. More than I ever thought possible.
“You okay?” He kisses my bare shoulder, and I smile.
“More than okay,” I answer as his warm hand covers my breast.
He smiles right before he tugs my nipple hard enough to send a jolt of pleasure straight through me.
“How okay?” he asks.
I turn in his arms and slide my hands up his chest, then push him to his back. Climbing o
n top of him, I look at his handsome face.
“Better than okay,” I breathe.
He wraps one hand around his cock and the other around my hip. Feeling the head of him at my entrance, I brace myself with my hands against his chest. My head falls back as I start to slowly sink down onto his length.
“Way better than okay.”
I go still with him deep inside me for a moment, to soak in the feeling of our connection. He chuckles, and my eyes open to meet his. He groans.
“So fucking beautiful.”
The tone of his voice fills me with a sense of power, and I lift up and then drop, slow and steady, before speeding up and riding him hard and fast, slamming myself down onto him.
Sliding his hands up my stomach, he cups my breasts. He leans up to take one of my breasts into his mouth while toying with the nipple on the other. My eyes close, and a quiet yes leaves my mouth as I slide closer to the edge.
“Christ,” he grunts, thrusting his hips up into mine every time I fall down along his length. “So wet . . . so pretty taking my cock.”
“Oh god,” I whimper when his hand at my breast slides down over my stomach and his thumb starts to roll over my clit.
“Kiss me, Princess,” he orders.
My head falls forward, and our eyes lock. I lean closer to him, and my hair cascades down around us. I place my mouth against his and kiss him, coming hard. Before I’m down from the high of my orgasm—or even close to recovering—he flips me to my back, never leaving me. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I hold on to his shoulders as he slams into me over and over, so hard that my breath hitches. Feeling my stomach start to get tight and my muscles start to spasm once more, I cry out.
“Touch yourself,” he orders.
Without having the capacity to think about what he’s telling me to do, I slide my hand between us and feel our connection as my fingers skim over my clit. My pussy tightens around his length, and my back arches off the bed.
“Antonio!” I cry out as I come again.
I listen to him groan as he falls over the edge with me. His head drops to my shoulder, and I feel his lips when he turns his head to kiss my neck.
Breathing heavy, I soak in the feeling of his weight on top of me and our hearts pounding in unison. I hold him even tighter.
“I love my fiancée’s pussy.”
My eyes fall closed once more, and my legs and arms spasm as I laugh. “She loves your cock.”
“I think I figured that out when she tried to break it off.”
“I did not try to break it off,” I say through my laugher as he leans back to look at me smiling.
“Felt like you were trying to break it off.”
“Are you complaining?” I narrow my eyes, and his smile softens. He rolls us over again so I’m on top, then he runs his fingers through my hair.
“I’d never complain about the way you fuck me. I think I saw stars that time.”
“Whatever,” I grumble.
His body shakes as he starts to laugh.
I can’t hold back my smile.
“You’re marrying me,” he says suddenly, the humor leaving his voice. My throat starts to get tight. “Libby Moretti. I really fucking like the sound of that.”
“Me, too,” I whisper, leaning up and touching my mouth to his. “We’re getting married,” I say when I pull my mouth from his and his expression softens.
“We are.”
“How long do you think we have before our moms start pounding on the door, demanding to know when and where?” I ask, resting my head against his chest.
“Since my mom texted this morning before the sun was even up, I’d say not long.”
“Didn’t think so.”
I smile as I feel his fingers trail lightly down my spine.
“We can elope,” he suggests.
I pull away to look down at him and frown. “No way.”
“So Vegas is out of the question?”
“Vegas isn’t even an option. I want a dress—a big, puffy dress. And a church. I want my dad to walk me down the aisle, and I want to see you waiting for me at the end of that aisle. Where you tell me I’m the most beautiful person you have ever seen. Where we promise to love each other in front of our families.”
“Whatever you want, Princess.” He grins, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and pulling me forward for another kiss.
When I lean back and look into his eyes, I can tell that he will always do whatever he can to make me happy. We both might have been tossed around a few times, but in the end, we caught each other. That’s all that matters.
Epilogue
ANTONIO
One year later
Watching my wife from across the room, smiling at something Palo is saying to her, my chest fills with pride, love, and possessiveness. Six months after I asked her to marry me, we had a small ceremony at a church in the city. The event was elegant and classy, and I surprised Libby that day with a horse-and-carriage ride to the church to give her a little more of her fairy tale. I’ve learned over the last year and a half that my wife might like nice things, but she doesn’t do over the top unless over the top can be done on a budget. She’s perfect for me in every way. I couldn’t be luckier.
“Two minutes till midnight!” someone yells.
Libby’s eyes find mine across the space.
I close the distance between us while grabbing a beer for myself and picking up a glass of champagne for her off the table.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” I ask when her front is tucked against mine and she smiles up at me.
“You might have mentioned it a time or two.” She takes the glass of champagne I hand her and holds it down at her side.
“I really love this dress.” My eyes roam over the tight red dress that hugs every beautiful inch of her frame while my hand slides around her hip to her back, pulling her closer to me.
“You mentioned that as well.” Her fingers dig into my sides as she grabs hold of my shirt.
“One minute!” Hector calls out into the roomful of people.
It’s our friends and family—a group of people that has seemed to grow over the last year.
“As much as I love it, I really can’t wait to take you home and get you out of it,” I whisper against her ear, feeling her shiver.
“Ten!” people start to count around us.
“Five . . . ,” I say as I lower my mouth to hers.
“One . . . Happy New Year!” everyone shouts while I kiss my wife.
She pulls her mouth from mine, and I watch her eyes as they open.
“Happy New Year, Daddy.”
Those four words spoken against my lips cause my lungs to tighten—along with my grasp on her.
“You’re pregnant?” I search her gaze as I stare down at her in disbelief.
“Yes.” She smiles as she nods.
Picking her up off the ground, I spin her around in a circle and listen to her laugh. “We’re pregnant?”
“Yes.” I watch her nod again as tears fill her beautiful eyes. “Are you happy?”
“God, yes.” I gather her against me and feel my throat close. I never would have guessed that the woman in my arms would give me everything I ever needed and then some. That she would show me what love is, show me that it’s okay to trust another person, show me that it’s okay to go after my own dreams.
“Love you, baby,” I whisper.
“I love you, too,” she whispers back, looking into my eyes.
She does love me. How or why, I don’t know. But I’m one lucky guy.
Seven years later
ANTONIO
“Like this, Daddy?”
I look down at my beautiful daughter, Esmeralda, and smile.
“Yeah, baby. Just like that,” I encourage as she presses out a ball of dough onto the flat metal surface. Her hair—the same color as her mom’s—is tied back in a ponytail. Her tongue is sticking out of her mouth.
“Are you going to teach
me how to toss it in the air?” she asks hopefully.
I laugh.
“Do you want me to teach you how to toss it in the air?”
“Yeah! That’s the funniest part.”
“All right.” I pick up a pizza dough that I have already pressed out and toss it into the air, showing her how to do it. Then I watch her try with an amused smile on my face.
“Mommy, look,” Esmeralda says. I turn my eyes to my wife and watch her walk toward us. Seeing the look in her eyes, I find it almost hard to breathe. Dropping my eyes to our daughter, I watch her toss the ball of dough into the air and twirl it around.
“If you get any better at that, honey, I’m going to put you to work.” Libby smiles at our girl before resting her hand against my arm. Looking down into her eyes, I smile. Then I drop my mouth to hers for a quick kiss.
“I thought you were supposed to be taking the day off . . . ,” I say.
She rolls her eyes.
“I slept in. I’m okay now,” she says.
I move my eyes to her stomach. She’s nine months pregnant, and this pregnancy has been harder on her than the last.
“You need to be home, Princess. You need to rest.”
“I want to be here, spending time with my family,” she counters.
I sigh, knowing I’m fighting a losing battle. She loves the pizzeria. It’s her baby, too, and dragging her away from it is like pulling teeth.
“We will all go home together as soon as our pizzas are done.”
“I have some stuff to take care of in the office.”
“Don’t make me talk to Hector,” I whisper.
She narrows her eyes. The week after she found out she was pregnant with Esmeralda, she offered Hector and Marco part of Princess Pizza. Even though it was her baby, she knew they would love and care for it just as much as she did. So they worked it out where the three of them would each work a couple of days a week and hire extra people to help take over. Now my wife only works two days a week and does most of the paperwork.
“Fine. We’ll all go home when the pizzas are done,” she gives in.
I fight back a smile, knowing she won’t like that much.
Tossed Into Love (Fluke My Life Book 3) Page 18
