“I know you miss Bettina. What if I call her parents and see if they will give permission for her to come and stay this weekend?”
His eyes light up. “Yeah?”
“Yes.” Ben has already done background checks on Joshua’s girlfriend and her family as well as the boys’ best friends, after I asked if it would be possible to let them arrange some sleepovers. I know this sucks for my sons, and I’m trying to think of ways I can make it easier on them. There is lots for them to do here with the extensive grounds, massive game room, home theater, pool, and the gym. All they are lacking is company their own age.
Any friends coming over will be required to sign NDAs, along with their parents, and they will travel on Ben’s helicopter so the exact location of his house is kept a secret.
Now more than ever, we need to remain hidden.
“Thanks, Mama.” He climbs across the bed, giving me a hug.
I hold him tight, kissing his head. “I know it’s been a lot of change, and I know you are missing your father, but I promise it will get better.”
He nods against my chest, and my heart aches for him. Where Joshua is giving in to his feelings and he’s internalizing a lot, Caleb is the opposite. He is even more hardened. Closing himself off to emotion. He acts like his father isn’t dead. Like the threat isn’t real. And he hasn’t stopped bitching and whining about being cooped up here.
Leo usually drags him out of the house when he gets home to go running on the grounds or for target practice at the new range Ben just had built at the far end of the property. Other times, Caleb works his frustration out in the gym. He has even spent a few evenings with Ben’s construction workers at the site where our new home is being built. It seems pounding a few sledgehammers does wonders for his aggression.
The only saving grace is he doesn’t appear to be touching drugs anymore. I hope it lasts.
“Come downstairs in twenty minutes,” I say, “and drag your brother with you.” I have already been in Caleb’s room to convey the same message, but I got a casual shrug and a look that said leave me the fuck alone.
I walk downstairs, stepping into the kitchen, an automatic smile lighting up my face when I see my husband is home. Ben is rubbing his hands over Sierra’s growing stomach while whispering in her ear. Serena appears to have disappeared. I wrap my arms around Leo from behind. “Hey there, sexy.”
He spins me around, banding his arms around my back. “Stop stealing all my lines,” he says before his mouth descends. Every anxiety and worry disappears as he holds me close, kissing me like it’s the first time we have kissed. “How was your day?” he asks when we finally break apart.
“It was good. My afternoon classes were canceled, so Brando drove us back early. I picked up some supplies, and Sierra and I made all the family favorites for dinner.” Things have been very tense lately, and the guys are working nonstop. They need a night to chill out and unwind.
“Sounds perfect.” He cradles my head to his chest, and I savor the feel of his warm body and his strong arms around me.
“I have a surprise for later,” I whisper coyly in his ear.
He playfully swats my ass. “You can’t say that and not tell me what it is.”
I press my mouth in closer to his ear. “Sierra taught me a few massage skills, and she gave me a bunch of aromatherapy oils. I plan to feed you with good food and wine, and then I’m going to massage all the stress from your body.”
“Fuck,dolcezza.” He subtly grinds his groin against me so I can feel his semi. “I can’t eat a family dinner with a boner.”
I giggle. “It hasn’t stopped you before.”
A smirk plays on his lips. “True.” He kisses me deeply. “I like your plan, and after I’m nice and relaxed, I’m going to make love to my beautiful, thoughtful wife. All. Night. Long.”
His teeth graze my ear, and a shiver works its way through me. “Now who isn’t playing fair?” I tease, fake pouting.
His expression turns serious. “I know things are shitty right now, but you make everything better, Nat. I feel like I can take on the world with you by my side.”
My heart melts, and my ovaries swoon. My husband is officially the most romantic man on this earth, and I am irrevocably and unconditionally completely head over heels in love with him. “Together we can do anything,” I agree, threading our hands. “We haven’t come this far to let anything come between us. Everything is going to work out.”
I bring our conjoined fingers to my lips, kissing our linked knuckles. “This is our time, Leo. This is the start of something amazing, and I refuse to let anything or anyone dampen my enthusiasm for our future because we have fought to be here, and we deserve it.”
“Amen to that, babe,” he says before his lips descend again.
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This concludesNatalia and Leo’s romance, but you haven’t seen the last of them yet! They will appear in future books set in this world, and of course, they also feature inCondemned to Love. If you haven’t read Sierra and Bennett’s romance, it is available now in ebook, paperback, and audiobook format. Keep reading for a sample!
Up next is STL, Alessandro and Serena’s romance, coming November 2021. I’ve enclosed a little sneak peek below! Enjoy.
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