Surprisingly, my brothers release Roman right away.
Roman leans against me, trying to hold himself upright so as not to appear weak in front of my family. We stagger toward a leather armchair, and he slowly lowers himself onto it. The swelling and bruises have worsened in the last few minutes. His right eye is almost fused shut and a rainbow of streaks color his chin.
As I turn to face my family, my gaze lands on my mother, who I hadn’t realized was standing behind me. Grace is there as well, her blue eyes wide as saucers.
“You don’t have to do this,” Roman mumbles.
I slip my hand into his and rub his knuckles with my thumb. “Yes, I do.”
My parents, my brothers, and Grace are all on one side of the room while Roman and I occupy the other. I’ve never felt so isolated from them. My family has always stood together. That’s what we do. The Valentinis present a united front to anyone who tries to harm us.
And I’m breaking that code by defying them.
Is this man worth it?
Is he worth the strife my insubordination will cause with my family?
I look down and meet his eyes. A wave of love encompasses me, dissolving my lingering doubts as we stare at each other.
I love Roman.
Even if I weren’t carrying his child, I would still stand by him and fight.
With solidified resolve, I shift my attention to my family. “Roman is the father of my baby. I’ve loved him for three years, and I refuse to lose him now.”
“Not only did he betray us,” my father stabs a finger in my direction and growls, “he betrayed you!”
I bow my head in acknowledgment. Nothing I say will change those facts. I understand my father’s anger because I felt it myself when I learned the truth about Roman. “Yes, he did.”
“Regardless of the,” a look of discomfort flashes across his face, “circumstances, you know what needs to be done. We can’t just ignore this violation.”
I crumble and tear up in spite of my desire to remain strong. “I know what he did was wrong, Papa. But you can’t take away the father of my baby!”
My father huffs in exasperation and mutters a string of Italian profanities. His gaze darts to my mother. Their eyebrows rise and fall as they have a silent conversation. Looking aggravated, my father runs a hand through his thick black hair and breaks eye contact with Mama to focus on me.
“Please,” I plead. I’m not above groveling if it will help sway his decision. Nor am I above using the unborn life I’m carrying as leverage. I love Roman. I don’t want to go through life without him after everything we’ve been through. “Don’t take him away from me.”
A muscle ticks in his clenched jaw. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
“I do, Papa. I know exactly what I’m asking. That’s how much he means to me.” My tongue smudges my dry lips to moisten them. “How did you find out Roman was working undercover?”
“I heard it from an informant in one of the precincts,” he bites out with renewed ire.
Okay. I blow out a relieved breath. “No one has to find out about this, Papa. Roman has been trying to get out for weeks. He isn’t going to work undercover anymore. He’ll find something else to do. A different career.”
Papa’s narrowed gaze bounces from Roman to me and slides back to Roman. “I brought you into my home, took you in as one of my own, and you stabbed me in the back. You must be delusional to think I’m just going to hand my daughter over to you.” He chuckles grimly and adds, “Or this child.”
Roman struggles to his feet and draws himself up to his full height. “With all due respect, I’m going to marry your daughter regardless of what you think. Unless you plan on killing me, you don’t have a say. I love her. And I love this baby. They’re mine, and no one is going to take them from me.”
Something deep inside me thrills at his declaration.
My father bares his teeth.
As overjoyed as I am to hear how Roman really feels, the last thing he needs to do is piss my father off while his future hangs in the balance. All Papa has to do is give the word, and Roman’s life will be snuffed out.
Roman looks down at me. “Maybe this relationship didn’t start the way either one of us intended it to, but you and this baby mean everything to me. I haven’t given you much reason to believe in me, but I want the chance to prove myself to you. Give me a chance to show you the kind of man I can be, Sofia. That’s all I’m asking for.”
I want, more than anything, to believe him. To believe in him.
Instead of answering, I glance at my father because he’ll be the one who decides Roman’s fate as the head of the Valentini family. “Papa?” I ask nervously.
“I have to think about the best way to proceed,” he mutters begrudgingly.
Roman lowers his head in respect, aware of the gift he’s received.
“You’ll stay here until I make a decision,” Papa says to me.
I hope no one else in the organization knows Roman’s real identity. I’m not sure if my father will issue a pardon if someone does. His pride is at stake. He can’t allow anyone to know that the enemy breached us without retribution being doled out.
My father, my brothers, and Grace file out of the office.
Mama pulls me into a long embrace. “You’re really expecting his baby?”
As progressive as my parents can be, they’re still old-school in some regards. They believe babies should come after marriage.
I hate the idea of disappointing them, but I hate the idea of being without Roman more.
“Yes,” I reply, hugging her back.
Her lips curve as she shifts her attention to Roman. “Count your blessings that you aren’t being carried out of this house in a body bag.”
I gasp. “Mama!”
Her eyes stay pinned to the man at my side. “He knows the truth of what I’m saying.”
Roman nods in agreement.
Mama moves around me and stands toe-to-toe with Roman, who bows his head in deference even though he towers over her. Her fingers slide under his chin and turn his head from one side to the other so she can take a good look at his bruised and bloodied face. “You were let off easy. Don’t make my husband regret his generosity.”
“I won’t,” Roman says gravely.
“I always liked you,” she muses. “It’s disappointing to realize you spent so many years lying to us.”
Regret flashes across his face. “I’m sorry about that, Mrs. V. If I could go back and change it, I would.” His gaze dips to me. “But then I wouldn’t have met Sofia.”
Mama tilts her head to the side, her fingers digging into his chin as she studies him. “If you hurt my darling girl or this grandbaby, there will be nowhere on this earth you can hide that I will not hunt you down.”
Roman winces as her fingernails cut into his skin. “I’m asking for the chance to make Sofia happy. I want to give her the life she deserves.”
Looking satisfied, her gaze meets mine. “I want what’s best for you, Sofia. If you love this man, I’ll support you. If you’re with him solely because he fathered the child you’re carrying, you’ll have a difficult time finding happiness.”
“I love him, Mama,” I say honestly, savoring how good it feels to say those words out loud.
“All right.” She sighs. “I’m going to find your father. His ruffled feathers will need soothing.” Her steely gaze lands on Roman again. “I wouldn’t do anything to draw attention to yourself. I’d hate to see you disappear.”
Before I can say anything more, she walks out of the room, leaving Roman and me alone.
The adrenaline spike from earlier quickly dissipates, making me feel as limp as a noodle.
Roman lets out a long exhale and glances at me. “Are you okay?”
I open my mouth to tell him I’m fine, but a giggle escapes.
Am I okay?
His brows pinch together.
The man has been beaten bloody and can barely stand on his own two fe
et, but he is asking if I’m okay?
Tears roll down my cheeks as I laugh uncontrollably.
Oh God, I’m losing my mind.
Roman sifts his fingers through my hair. “Sofia?”
My laughter turns into noisy sobs, and he tries to comfort me by whispering words too low for me to understand in my hysterical state.
When the crying subsides, I sniffle. “I thought I was going to lose you. I was so sure that nothing I said would make a difference to my father.”
“I’m sorry for ever putting you in this position. I never intended to come between you and your family. The best I can say is that it’s over. Your family knows everything, and I’m still alive.” He leans back enough to look into my eyes. “That has to mean something, right?
I nod in agreement.
Thank God everything is out in the open. There are no more secrets between us. We can truly move forward now. Roman and I and the child we’ve conceived can all move forward.
He gently brushes my hair off my forehead and touches his lips to mine. “I love you, Sofia.” After a pause, he continues. “I don’t ever want you doubting me or what I feel for you. Our relationship has been complicated from the start, and I’m sorry for that. Sorry for the lies and the deceit. I wish it had unfolded differently between us.”
I consider what he just said.
Do I wish our relationship had been easier? Less complicated? More traditional?
I shake my head. “I’m glad everything happened the way it did. This is our story, Roman. I wouldn’t trade any of it for something easier.” So much love floods me that I feel ready to burst. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. Even when you were a jackass. And even when I tried to move on and forget about you. My heart wouldn’t allow me to do it.”
His lips quirk.
I rarely see Roman smile, which makes it all the more special when he does. I hope I’ll get to see more of them now that we don’t have to hide anything from each other.
Roman will never be a happy-go-lucky guy with an affable nature.
It’s not part of his DNA.
But I’m okay with that. I wouldn’t change a single thing about Roman.
His arms tighten around me. “You know that I’m never letting you go, right?”
Less than three months ago, I couldn’t imagine those words tumbling from his lips. Hearing them now makes this moment so much sweeter.
“I don’t ever want you to,” I tell him, rising on my toes for another kiss.
Epilogue
Roman Esposito
Four years later
Sitting in a wicker chair, I watch my three-year-old son race across the rolling green lawn.
Sunshine glints off his dark, unruly curls. He’s yet to have his first haircut because Sofia can’t convince herself to trim his gorgeous baby locks. His chubby legs move at full throttle. He giggles while chasing the newest addition to our family around the yard, a golden retriever named Tula.
Sofia wanted another female in the house to even out the numbers. Since I can’t deny her even the smallest request, I give that woman whatever she wants on a silver platter.
I spent the first three years of our relationship acting like a complete prick, doing whatever I could to drive her away and make her hate me.
I get down on my knees every single day and thank God that it didn’t work.
My gaze shifts to my beautiful wife sitting next to me, laughing at the little boy and dog as they play. Filled with a deep contentment I never dreamed possible, I lay my hand on her burgeoning belly. She’s six months pregnant with our second child, and my hunch is that this one will be a girl because Sofia seems to be carrying this baby differently.
Well, that’s what my mother-in-law tells me. And Teresa is usually scary-right about everything.
The simple act of looking at Sofia makes my heart swell with love for her, our son, and our unborn baby. This woman rocked my entire world. I knew she would change everything the second I saw her, and I wasn’t wrong. There was no turning back once I lowered my guard and stopped resisting my attraction for her.
I never imagined Sofia would stick by me after how I fucked up royally by betraying not only her but her family. But that’s exactly what she did. She stood up to them and declared her love for me in the most humbling moment of my life.
In hindsight, I understand that we were destined for one another.
This woman is my fucking everything.
And I’ll move heaven and earth to make her happy.
Shortly after the meeting in Enzo’s office where I almost got beaten to death, I resigned from the Chicago PD and started working for the Valentinis. Enzo was still furious and didn’t speak to me for a good six months. The closest we came to conversing was when he muttered something unintelligible in Italian before stalking out of the room. I often thought he was waiting for me to fuck up again so he could wipe me off the face of the planet.
The birth of his grandson, Alessandro, seemed to soften his feelings for me. Sort of. Teresa’s, too. It goes without saying that Enzo can be intimidating. He blusters and pounds his fist on his desk. He glowers and threatens to string you up and leave you for dead. Which, trust me, wouldn’t be a pleasant way to die.
But Teresa…
That woman is the real deal.
She has the heart of a stone-cold killer. Sure, she’s all sweet and loving… until you mess with her family. Then you see a totally different side of her. One that can make a grown man whimper like a baby. She’ll reach inside your chest, rip out your heart with her bare hand, and toss your carcass out the back door to feed the dogs before going back to the kitchen to finish off her antipasto platter as if nothing ever happened.
Does my mother-in-law scare the shit out of me?
You bet your damn ass she does. I slept with one eye open for a while, waiting for her to come for me in the dead of night.
Whenever I mention this to Sofia, she rolls her almond-shaped eyes and laughs because she thinks I’m exaggerating. Sofia has a lot of her mother in her. She’ll do whatever it takes to protect the ones she loves.
And I’ve made it my mission in life to do whatever it takes to protect her and our children. If that means working for her father and the family business for the rest of my days, so be it.
I’ll do it happily.
I can’t picture my life any other way. I can’t imagine not holding this woman in my arms every single night and raising our kids together.
Sure, I’d always thought being a cop was the be-all and end-all, but I was wrong. This woman, the one who stood by me through thick and thin, she’s all that matters. I told her I would never let her go and I meant every damn word.
This woman is mine.
And I’ve claimed what’s mine.
~The End~
I hope you enjoyed Sofia and Roman’s story as much as I loved writing it! If you did, please consider leaving a review at the retailer where you purchased this ebook- thank you!
What’s next?
I’ve already started working on a novel that is similar in style to King of Campus and I’m also dabbling with the idea of giving Francesca her own story.
Available now!
Protecting What’s Mine
Grace and Matteo’s story
Chapter One
“You know, it’s not too late to change your mind.” Shoving his hands into the pockets of his khakis, Dominic watches me from across the wide expanse of the bright, sunlight-filled room.
Sucking in a deep breath, the edges of my lips slowly curl into a small smile as I gaze at the huge, floor-to-ceiling panes of glass lining the entire eastern wall of the living room. From this vantage point on the thirtieth floor, I can easily survey the deep blue vastness of Lake Michigan along with the skyscrapers that make up the Chicago skyline.
It’s a stunning view.
Just as picturesque as I remember it.
Excitement thrums through my veins. It feels good to be back. Even thoug
h I’ve been gone for a decade, Chicago has always felt like home.
“I won’t be changing my mind,” I murmur, my eyes held captive by the sparkling water in the distance. “It’s a gorgeous view, isn’t it?”
He snorts, but I hear the affection he feels for me riddled throughout his deep voice. “It’s a view that only two point nine million can buy.”
“It’s my view now.”
I’m not sure it was the right decision to make, but I hope so. I’ve spent the last two years just trying to hold it together. Struggling to make it through life on a day-to-day basis. Feeling as if I were drowning in a bottomless well of grief and sadness. There were days when I felt like I would never find my way out of the labyrinth of despair that consumed me.
I hate to admit it, because it makes me sound weak and ungrateful for the life I have, but there have been too many nights when I’ve laid awake, sobbing, wondering why I was still here. Wondering why I hadn’t died in the accident that stole my parents from me.
It would have been so much easier that way.
Instead, I’m here.
With no family to speak of.
Sensing the direction of my thoughts, my godfather closes the distance, coming to stand beside me at the window. For just a moment, we both stare silently at the lake. It’s this particular view that sold me on the place. I wanted to be right smack in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown. Since I’ll be starting a graduate program in Art History at Northwestern, I wanted to be close to the university. I’m not more than a stone’s throw away from all the museums near the lakefront and all the great shopping on the Magnificent Mile.
What I need is to be in the thick of all the action. To be in a place where I can walk outside at two in the morning and find people. I need the pulse of the city to help bring me to life again. To revitalize me. It feels as though I’ve been in a deep hibernation since my parents died. I’ve spent the last two years living in a self-imposed isolation, unable to break free. But I can’t do that anymore.
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