And hearing it out loud pisses me off more than anything Giovanni Russo could ever do.
I pocket my phone.
Look around the room.
Our room.
My gaze lands on the new king-sized bed—our bed—where I plan to make love to her again.Soon.
Because this is my life now, and I want it more than anything.
I want this house.I want to build a life with her.
The future I didn’t know I wanted until she walked back into my orbit.
I inhale.
Exhale.
Resolve settles in my bones like steel.
Adrianna Thorn is mine.
Bella is ours.
And I’m done letting fear or hesitation dictate anything.
Time to prove it.
ChapterThirty-One
Adrianna
A week goes by,and somehow my life slips into a rhythm I never saw coming.
Every morning, I go to the bakery, check on the ovens, the staff, the deliveries.
Adele handles the storefront like a champ, Mom does cupcakes and pretzels for the after-school crowd, and I’m finally getting the hang of ordering supplies for two locations since Nathan convinced me—bullied me, really—to reopen the tiny satellite kiosk in town.
Every afternoon, I drive home in time for Bella’s bus, which—miracle of miracles—lets out right at the end of our new block.
Our block.
Our street.
Our house.
My mother is thrilled with the whole situation, mostly because she no longer has to be on Bella-duty 24/7 and also—God help me—because she is apparently dating Mr.Gimble.
Who now insists we call him Steve.
Yep.Steve.Like the dude from Blue’s Clues.
Steve brings her flowers.Steve fixes things around her backyard.Steve takes her out to early dinners at that seafood place the senior discounts should’ve killed decades ago.
And Steve blushes when she smiles at him, which is honestly adorable.
But the craziest part?
