And then I feel guilty for making him feel guilty – and it’s all a terrible spiral – “Oh no,” I murmur, tears slipping down my cheeks as I take his face between my palms. “We can’t live like this Kent – with both of us feeling like we’ve asked too much of each other without giving enough –“
“The bonds of marriage are very important to me, Kent! I –“ But I don’t get any further, because Kent seals his mouth to mine, shutting me up like he can’t stand to hear any of it. And then he takes his time showing me precisely how much I belong to him, wiping the thought of any other men – or
I glance anxiously towards the door. “I still think it’s the best plan, Daniel,” I say quietly. “Are you sure that the end result is even what he wants?” Daniel asks, his voice tight. “And Fay – is it what you want?” I hesitate now, honestly not knowing. Because I just tried to talk to Kent
“All right,” Kent says, frowning a little and looking between us, perhaps intuiting that it’s a little bit strange for us to be checking on the horses together, especially as he knows Daniel has no fondness for the creatures. “Are you…finished?” “Well, I’m never finished spending time with Heath
“Jerome went to get snacks,” Janeen says with a contented sigh, leaning back against the pillows. “Ohhhh, clever Jerome,” I say happily. “I knew he was useful.” Just then Jerome does come around the corner, bearing a full tray of snacks that he places on a larger table between us. Cheerful c
He’s quiet for a moment, studying me carefully. “Are you asking me if I want to leave the criminal world? To stop being a mafia boss, and to do something else?” Slowly, I nod, letting him know that that’s precisely what I’m asking. Because frankly, if he wants it back? He can have it. We have al
“Well I like it even better,” he says, making me give him a little glare. “European housewives chasing after me doesn’t sound so bad –“ I smack him on the chest now. “No groceries for you,” I murmur, shaking my head and resting it against him. “In fact, no grocery shopping at all. We’ll send Jan
We all stay outside until the sun starts to go down, which happens sooner than I thought it would – but then again, Kent and I did wake up around 1:00, so I suppose I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am. Janeen gets to her feet first, stretching. “Well,” she says, putting on an affected British acce
My dad greets him with such genuine joy and excitement that it makes my heart swell with joy. They talk for a few minutes about Dominic’s day before dad gives him a little nudge back towards the gate where Kent and I are waiting. Dominic gives dad a kiss before running ahead again. My dad waves to
“Papa!” Dominic shouts, startling me out of my reverie as he drops my hand and darts down the road. I look up, a huge smile breaking out on my face again as I see Kent on the sidewalk just ahead. His back is to us as he speaks companionably with the butcher, a heavy bag of his purchases already hung
As I walk down the street towards the little Italian kindergarten, the whispers start around me, as they always do. I listen to all of them, a big German Shepherd padding quietly at my heels. “Is that her?” “Yes, that’s the one – I heard she was her husband’s mistress before he married her – tha
Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci – across the baptismal font from us – snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad’s right, frankly – and it’s too happy a day to care. After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic – he likes that, bl
“Well, it didn’t seem to affect your first very badly,” Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome’s shoulders. “So…maybe keep it up.” I smirk, squeezing Ivan’s hand once more before standing and moving to Kent’s side, tucking myself against h
“Hey, gorgeous,” Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him. “Look who’s talking,” I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn’t get squis
He laughs, smiling at me genuinely. “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, blunt. I laugh, unable to help it. “Has no one bothered to tell you, in all these years, that you’re a little terrifying, Don Bianci?” He grins and shakes his head at me. “Well, considering what you accomplished, young lady, I
Two months later, we’re all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together. I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and
It's an incredible night. Kent didn’t lie, not at all, about the food either. I’m shocked by the mountains of dishes that continue to follow each other, one after another, long into the night. After a few hours of it I just mournfully watch the waiters go by because I couldn’t eat another bite if I