by Lake, Thalia
Looking at me she said, “We have to toast it up, Sloane. This is huge, and I couldn’t be happier for you. Look at you, so happy and content like the weight of the world is finally off of your shoulders. Look at that ring! DAMN, he did good! How thoughtful and sweet of Luca to include the stone of the month that you two met in the ring. Not many men are sentimental like that.” Angie said as she held my hand and looked admiringly at my ring again.
“I know, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of it yet,” I said smiling. Just then our martini’s came, and we held up our glasses. “To you and Luca: May you have a lifetime of happiness and more together,” Angie said, and we clinked glasses. She was about to drink when I said, “Wait, we’re not done. To us and the pain we lived and the love we found.”
“I like that. That should be on a card or something,” Angie said smiling. We clinked our glasses again and took big sips of our drinks and continued to talk and laugh through our extra-long lunch together. We talked wedding planning, and I asked Angie to be my matron of honor. She gave me a look that said, “As if you had to ask,” and I laughed. I shared with Angie how we wanted a small, intimate wedding. She completely agreed and was very supportive. “Whatever you need me to do I’m there. I want this to be as stress-free as possible for you Sloane, the same way you had my back when you were my maid of honor,” Angie said in a serious tone.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m going to need your help because we only have four months to pull this together. I want this to be simple yet elegant from my dress to the smallest details.”
“Have you thought about hiring a wedding planner?” Angie asked.
“Luca suggested it to me, and I think I’m going to take his advice.” Looking at my watch it was well past time for me to get back to the office. I took my ring off and put it carefully back into its box and tucked it safely in my purse.
“I take it no one at work knows yet?” Angie asked.
“No. Not until I decide what I want to do career-wise. I was career driven for so long, and then within a blink of an eye I’m thinking about starting a family of my own with Luca. He wants lots of kids by the way.”
“Isn’t it crazy how love can change everything? How do you feel about having kids?” Angie asked.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom. I just didn’t think it would happen. I love kids, and Luca is the perfect man to have them with because he loves kids too. I can’t wait to start our family, to be honest,” I said smiling.
“Making them is always the best part,” Angie said, as she winked at me.
“I wish we had the whole day to just hang out, but I have to get back to work hun,” I called for the waiter to pay for our bill.
“We have dresses to pick out. I can’t wait!” Angie squealed.
“I’ll be calling you soon about that,” I told her as I hugged her outside of the restaurant. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
The next person I told was Michael. I called him after work and asked if I could stop by his place. Of course, he said yes, so I headed straight there. He offered me a glass of wine because he knew I didn’t like beer. We sat on his black leather sofa and talked about work before he finally noticed the ring on my finger.
“What the hell Sloane? You engaged? I haven’t even met the dude yet!” Michael yelled as he snatched my hand to get a closer inspection of the flawless diamond. I couldn’t stop the big cheesy smile that spread across my entire face.
“Yup, Luca and I are engaged,” I said smiling.
“Damn. I’m happy for you baby girl. Very happy for you. Come here,” Michael said as he scooted closer to me and hugged me tightly.
“All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and if old boy makes you happy then I’m over the moon happy for you,” Michael said in my ear. His warm, heartfelt words brought on the waterworks for the second time that day.
“Why you have to make me cry, man?” I said as I tried to laugh through my tears.
“Because it’s a long time coming, Sloane. I worried about you for a long time because you never let anyone in, and you became content with being alone. That’s not good baby girl. No matter what we’ve been through we all deserve to be happy. It took me years in jail to realize that, but now I know. What we’ve been through, what we endured wasn’t our fault, and we can’t keep giving it power over our lives even if that sick muthafucker won’t admit to his wrongs. Excuse my language.”
I nodded my head in agreement. Michael and I talked this way often, but this was the first time he’s told me that he was worried about me being alone.
“Why didn’t you say this to me before Mikey?” I asked.
“You were so focused on school and then your career. I figured you didn’t have time to date. Then you got settled with your career, and you still weren’t seeing anyone seriously and that’s when I started to really worry. Before this Luca dude came on the scene, I was gonna talk to you about it. I was just trying to wait for the right time.”
“You know you can talk to me about anything at any time Mikey. And you know I would never snap on you for telling me the truth. You’re the one person I can count on to always tell me the truth.”
Smiling Michael hit my leg. “So when are you going to bring him by to meet him?” he asked.
“How about tomorrow night? I thought I’d have you and Junior over at my place for dinner. And speaking of Junior, DO NOT tell him or anyone else in our family, Michael - do you understand me?” I said as I pointed in his chest.
“I’m not saying a word,” he said with this hands up in the air.
“I’m telling the people I want to know and that’s it. I don’t want any drama, and I don’t want Lucifer anywhere near my wedding,” Michael laughed and said “Understood. Do what you gotta do baby girl. It’s your life and your day.”
Michael and I talked for a few more minutes before I headed to Junior’s house. I called before I drove over, and he told me it was okay to come by. Most of my family didn’t care about popovers, but I still felt it was more respectful to call than to just show up, especially for those with spouses. Junior’s wife Jessica was at her Zumba class, so we had the house to ourselves to talk freely.
He noticed my ring much sooner than Michael did.
“Whoa, baby girl! When did this happen?” he asked with his eyes big and confused.
I gave Junior the run down on Luca from how we met and how we ended up engaged.
“Wow, that happened fast, but I’m not saying it’s a bad thing either. As long as it feels right to you, and you love him and he loves you, that’s all that matters. I’m happy for you Sloane.” I leaned over and gave my big brother a big hug and kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, Junior, I appreciate that. I also need two huge favors from you,” I said as my demeanor turned serious.
“Anything. You name it baby girl, and it’s done,” Junior said.
“I need you to keep this between me, you, and Michael. You are the only two family members that know about my engagement, and I want to keep it that way until I tell everyone that I want to know. So this means no telling the parents, especially your father, Junior”
Junior rolled his eyes at me and said, “Sloane, I know you think I talk to them or him all the time but I don’t. I don’t tell that man everything.”
I gave Junior a long questioning look. “And yet he found out about Luca and had mama call me so he could question me about it. Only two other people knew about Luca besides me, and I know for a fact Michael didn’t tell him.”
“Okay, okay, that was totally my fault. I got loose at the lips by accident. I promise it won’t happen again. You’ve got my word on it.”
“Good. Second, I want you to walk me down the aisle for my wedding.”
“You’ve got it. It’s done. Was that it?” he asked smiling.
“Yeah, pretty much,” I said smiling back.
“Aw girl that was nothing then!” he said laughing. “You know I’d do anything for
you baby sis?” He continued.
“Yeah, I know and I love you for it. Thank you Junior,” I said as I held his hand.
“Oh, one more thing. Can you come by my place tomorrow night for dinner to meet him? Michael will be there too.”
“I’m there. Just tell me what time.”
“Seven o’clock,” I said.
“Done.”
“Thank you Junior!” I said as I hugged him again. I stood up and grabbed my purse.
“I better get going. I need to get to the grocery store before I head home. Thanks for everything Junior I love you.”
“I love you too Sloane,” he said as he gave me one last hug. He walked me to my car and watched me pull off before he went back inside of his home.
The last people I needed to talk to were my mother and Carly. I just couldn’t decide when to talk to them. Carly has a big mouth, and I know she’ll tell Sarah my news the first chance she got, and I didn’t trust Sarah to stay away. She’d try to crash the wedding just so all eyes could be on her, that’s the kind of person she is. I also wasn’t sure of when to tell my mother because naturally she’d tell her husband and he too would try to crash the wedding. I made a mental note to talk to Luca about my concerns and the need for tight security at our wedding.
Once I was home, I called Luca to tell him about dinner with my two big brothers tomorrow night.
“I can’t wait to meet them, baby,” he said happily into the phone.
“I can’t wait for you to meet them too. Be prepared to be interrogated and tested on your knowledge of sports, music, movies and whatever else those two knuckleheads can think of.”
Luca laughed heartily. “I expect nothing less. It’s what me and my brothers did to our sister’s boyfriends and fiancés too.”
“I think it’s mean,” I said.
“No, it’s necessary. We need to know what kind of man our sister is marrying. Is he a punk, is he cool, can we trust him, is he athletic, is he a nerd or an asshole….all of those things are important to us. That helps us to determine if we will ever accept him into the family or ignore him.”
“Luca!” I said in surprise.
“What? It’s true. That’s how it goes sweetheart, so don’t feel bad for me for what your brothers may put me through tomorrow night. You’re their baby sister, and they love you and want the best for you. If they didn’t test me, then I’d be wondering what’s wrong with them!”
“I got it, and now I’m going to drop it because this is clearly a guy and brother thing. In the meantime, I miss you,” I said in a sad voice.
We had been so busy these past few days that we haven’t had the chance to see each other, but we’ve talked on the phone several times during the day. It’s not the same as being in Luca’s arms, which I missed the most...among other things.
“Trust me, I miss you more mia bella.” (My lovely) “I miss your face, your touch, having you in my arms late at night, your skin, your taste...God I miss your taste on my tongue. I miss being inside of you, I miss hearing your moans and screams, I miss you riding me, telling me how much you love me….”
“Luca stop….” I sighed. My panties were ruined. Instantly.
“I’m just being honest, baby. I miss all of you, but I miss seeing that beautiful face and having you in my arms the most. We don’t have to make love every time we see each other…..unless you want to…..but I do miss holding you and kissing those big soft lips of yours.”
“I miss all of that too, and more. If we can hold out until the wedding, or at least try. I know it’ll be hard, but it’ll make our wedding night so special...and explosive,” I said sexily.
“I’ll try for you, but I’m not making any promises either Sloane. Four months is a long time,” he said in a serious tone.
“We’ve waited this long, and I know I initiated making love, but we did wait.”
“And now that I’ve had a taste of you – I want more. It’s all I think about morning noon and night, and I know you do too.”
“Yes I do Luca, but I’d like to think we have self-control too. Can we at least try?” I pleaded.
“Yes, I already said I’d try Sloane,” Luca said in an irritated voice.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“I’ll come early to help you set up,” Luca offered.
“That’ll be great. Just come on by,” I said smiling.
We said our goodbyes and I began cutting onions, bell pepper, and lots of mushrooms for dinner. I put them to the side as I began to cut up several boneless skinless chicken breasts and seasoned them and browned them in some olive oil in a pan. I decided to make chicken cacciatore in my slow cooker, that way tomorrow when I got home from work all I had to do was make the pasta, salad and warm up the Italian bread with the special garlic dipping sauce. Once everything was in the crockpot, and I had cleaned the kitchen, I hopped in the shower and went to bed.
Chapter Twenty-Three - Interrogated By the Paris Brothers
I was very excited to meet Sloane’s brothers. She spoke so highly of them and was so proud of what they accomplished despite the terrible things they endured throughout their life at the hands of their parents. I say parents because I feel their mother is as much to blame as their father. She had the power to protect them, and she didn’t. I looked forward to meeting at least two people in Sloane’s family that she loved and cared deeply about.
As promised, I arrived at Sloane’s loft early to help her with whatever she needed help with. When I stood at her door, I smelled the wonderful aroma of Italian food and couldn’t wait to see what she cooked. When she answered the door, my heart jumped into my throat, and I couldn’t stop smiling like a giddy high school boy. I missed this woman so much it scared me. Seeing her beautiful face was like a breath of fresh air, and seeing her beaming smile was like seeing a million stars shining in a beautiful country night sky. All was well with the world in my book when I laid eyes upon my Sloane.
She had on a pair of skinny blue jeans and a black oversized light sweater with no shoes or socks on her feet. She looked relaxed and just as happy to see me as I was to see her. She ran into my arms and gave me a big hug and kiss.
“Hey you,” she said, against my lips.
“Hey you.”
She pulled back to look me in the eyes. “It feels so good being in your arms again, Luca.”
“It feels right,” I said in return as I rubbed her plump ass with my hands. I felt my desire rising, and I knew I had to stop. We moved further into her home as I closed and locked her door with one hand, never letting her go. I cupped her face and gave her a kiss like no other. It was hungry, needy, and very loving. I had to show her exactly how much I missed her and loved her.
Sloane moaned and clung to me tightly, kissing me back with equal passion and fervor.
I lazily pulled my lips away from her kiss swollen ones and said “Now that’s a proper hello. What are you cooking that smells so good?”
Sloane was dazed and confused for a moment which made me smile.
“Huh? What? Oh, what I cooked. Ummm, chicken cacciatore but I made it in my slow cooker,” she said as she got her bearings again.
“I knew it was something Italian; it smells wonderful,” I said as I took her hand and led her to the kitchen. I lifted the lid on the crockpot, and it looked delicious.
“Mmmm. I can’t wait until it’s time to eat. This looks wonderful sweetheart.”
“Thank you. This is only my second time making it, and it was such a hit and quick and easy that I thought I’d make it for tonight,” Sloane said as she blushed.
“So what’s left to be done?” I asked as I rolled up the sleeves of my dress shirt and walked to her sink to wash my hands.
“Well I need to cook the pasta, warm up the bread, and I’m going to whip up a batch of homemade sinfully chocolate brownies with walnuts on top. You can make the salad for me if you don’t mind,”
she said as she began to get the veggies out of the fridge that I would need to make the salad. I watched her bend over to get the lettuce out of the crisper, and seeing her beautiful round ass in the air like that made me want to take her right then and there. I’ve been trying my best not to jump her bones since she answered the door, and now that she’s within my reach, the urgency to feel her, to be inside of her was taking over.
I walked up behind her as she stood in front of some cabinets grabbing various ingredients. She had to reach up high to get some mixing bowls, and I reached around her and got it for her, kissing her on her neck.
“Thank….ooh, Luca, you’re being naughty….” Sloane cooed. Her neck was her sweet spot. It was one of the first sweet spots that I discovered on Sloane.
“I told you I missed you. A lot,” I said in between butterfly kisses and gentle nips with my teeth all down her neck.
“Mmmm. I’ve missed you too baby, but we’ve got to finish up before my brothers get here,” Sloane said as she moved her head to the side to give me better access. I knew she missed me just as much as I missed her.
“We have thirty-five minutes. That’s more than enough time for a quickie,” I moaned into her ear.
“What happened to waiting?” Sloane asked as she turned around to look me in the eyes.
“Honestly baby, that went out the window the moment you answered your door looking all sexy and tempting. I need you more than I realized. I feel like a horny teenager, and I think I have blue balls.”
Sloane’s mouth was twisted in disbelief until she looked down at my bulging erection and her eyes got big.
“Baby…” she said as she reached out and caressed the length of my hardness.
“Sloane don’t tease me if you don’t plan on doing something about it,” I warned.
Without another word Sloane took my hand and led me out of the kitchen and down a hallway to her large bathroom. She closed and locked the door behind us and walked up to me and began to unzip my pants and pulled them down along with my underwear. My dick was so swollen it was throbbing painfully. Veins were bulging all over it.
