“She was never yours.” Dante shook his head.
“She would have been if you hadn’t interfered with what was happening between us. She was almost ready to date me.”
“She wasn’t. She was never interested in you, Enzo. I didn’t take what you didn’t have.”
“Enzo, no,” Enzo’s dad said.
But it was too late. He was across the room and sucker punched Dante in the face, who was at first stunned but then began pummeling Enzo.
They had to pull Dante off of Enzo, and he looked like he had a broken nose and a busted lip and there might have been a black eye forming. Blood was pouring from Enzo’s nose, but he wasn’t trying to stop it. He just kept rocking back and forth, mumbling, “She was mine,” on repeat.
Dante had called the feds to be ready pick Enzo up. They came in and hauled him away. They had been in the other room listening to the meeting. Their lawyer, Tony had gotten Dante immunity to get Enzo.
With his confession of what he had done, he was going to a federal prison. They were going to at least isolate him so that was a comfort to Dante. He didn’t want to think of Enzo being hurt in jail. After all, he was still family. Even if he was a traitor.
****
Madison sat at home unsure of what to do. She had taken several tests, and they all came back positive. She knew she had to tell Dante. She waited for him in the living room with one positive test and a new one because she was sure he was going to want her to do it again with his own eyes.
She knew he was at a meeting. He had told her that he might be home late. She didn’t have anything else to do, but practice in her head what she was going to say and to think how much her life had changed.
She wasn’t working at AS house of fashion or any other fashion house and all she had was time on her hands. She had no idea what she was going to do. She kept playing the conversation she had with Zoe in her mind. She was right. Too often Madison went with what other people wanted and what made them happy that she had lost sight of who she was. Before Dante, she wasn’t given choices, she was just expected to help out. But with Dante he showed her what it was like to make choices on her own and for herself and what she wanted.
He had given her two beautiful gifts that she would always cherish. Madison awoke to gentle shaking.
“What? Oh sorry, I must have fallen asleep waiting for you.”
“I think I know what you want to tell me.” He held up the positive pregnancy test.
“Yes, that was part of it.”
Dante looked over her shoulder and she knew the exact moment her packed bags came into view.
“You’re leaving? Why?”
“Dante. I have to. I don’t want to bring up a baby like this.”
“Madison, wait. You’re not telling me everything. Come on, be honest with me. What’s the real reason you’re leaving? Because you don’t love me?”
“Oh, Dante. How could I not love you? I love you and everything connected with you. I love how you hold me at night and tuck my hair behind my ears. I love watching basketball games with you and just sitting on the couch talking.”
“Then why are you leaving?”
“Because one thing I love is that you give me choices and I’m choosing to move back in with you.”
He walked closer to her and cupped her cheeks. “I love you. But I’m going to have to punish you for making me think you were leaving me. But I promise to spend the rest of my life saying it to you and showing you how much I love you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I had even bought this for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He knelt down on one knee.
“I was drawn to you the first moment I laid eyes on you. Not only your beauty on the outside, but also your beauty on the inside. How you would do anything for those you loved, even though they didn’t recognize your efforts. The care you put into your designs. The way you could see the real me. The man behind the money and the mafia name.”
“Oh, Dante.”
“Madison Blair Bryant, will you marry me again? This time for forever.”
“Oh yes, Dante. I will marry you.”
