He stretched out next to her as two of his younger cousins rolled around near the tree, wrestling. “Nonna is gonna kill you two if you knock over that tree again,” he called out. Although it wasn’t like he hadn’t done the same thing at their age.
A bark sounded, and Fabio bounded over, his right leg bandaged.
“Fabio!” Marlie cried, setting her glass down and reaching for the huge mutt.
The dog jumped into her lap, skidding until his face hit Bosco’s healthy shoulder. Marlie wrapped both arms around him and snuggled her face into his fur. “You are so brave.” She let him flop down on both of their laps, holding on tightly.
Bosco sighed and gave the dog a look.
The canine really did seem to smile.
Knox rounded the corner, a plate of food in his hand. “Oops. Sorry about that. Want me to make him move?”
“No,” Marlie said, petting the dog’s ears. “He can stay right here.” She looked too happy for Bosco to force the dog onto the floor. “He’s the bravest dog in the entire world.”
The canine panted happily, no doubt in agreement.
Knox chuckled and sat on the sofa table, facing them. “I called Detective Pierce for an update. Turner, Denny, and Rickert are all alive and in the hospital, facing charges. Looks like they’re going to survive to spend a lot of years in prison. Jackasses.”
Marlie shook her head. “It’s all so weird. I was so bored on that date with Turner that I really didn’t listen to a thing they said at that bar.”
The oldest brother, Vince, poked his head around the corner. “Knox? I need backup. Rory is heading out to kidnap Serenity right now, but he said he’d give her until the new year. It’s not the new year yet.” He disappeared.
Knox set his food down. “I’ll be back.” Then he stood and hustled after his brother.
Marlie watched them go. “Um, he seemed more concerned that the kidnapping was happening early than it was happening at all.” She reached for a piece of celery from Knox’s plate.
Man, she fit right in.
Bosco slid an arm over her shoulders. “Don’t worry about them. I wanted to tell you that I plan to put in for a transfer first thing next week. Maybe something on the ground here.”
She looked up, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t even think about it. You love your job and shouldn’t change that for anybody. I can handle it, Bos.”
He studied her earnest expression, his chest lightening. She really meant it. His heart thumped. All hers. Oh, it was probably way too early to tell her how he felt, but she did understand the Albertini guys. “So. We gonna move in together?”
She chuckled. “It’s a little early for that, don’t you think?”
Yeah, but his heart was gone. All hers. “Sure. We can take all the time you want.” Of course, they’d be staying together. He’d never forget the sight of her being kidnapped from his apartment. It might take a while to feel comfortable not being next to her, offering protection. Plus, it’d take months to repair his apartment. “When we fall, we fall hard and fast.” He leaned over and kissed her, going deep. “I love you. Just thought you should know.” He grinned.
Life was so damn good.
Marlie could barely breathe.Man, he could kiss. Apparently, he had no problem sharing feelings because he’d just laid it out there. It was way too early to declare love, much less feel it. Still… She chuckled. “I love you, too.” Oh, she shouldn’t. Not yet anyway. Maybe it was the kidnapping and shootings and all the action surrounding them, but she didn’t feel like hiding anything. “But it is too early. We are going to date and court and all of that, Bosco Albertini.”
“Sure thing.” He snagged a drumstick off Knox’s plate just as his brother Quint walked into the room, holding hands with a lovely blonde, a black Labrador following them. She’d met Quint at the hospital after her kidnapping, and he seemed sweet if a little dangerous. Well, like the Albertini’s in general, it appeared.
Quint grinned. “Marlie, I wanted you to meet Heather.”
“Hi,” Heather said, sitting in the adjacent chair with the dog flattening himself over her feet. “Welcome to chaos.”
Marlie laughed. “Thanks. That’s not the first time I’ve heard that. It’s nice to meet you.” The couple looked right together, and hadn’t they only dated for a couple of weeks? A toddler crawled beneath Marlie’s legs, and she lifted them, letting him go on by.
Heather watched the little boy. “You get used to the wildness of the family?” She sounded a bit unsure.
Quint kissed her on the cheek, and she turned a lovely pink. “Who knows. At the very least, you learn to survive it,” he rumbled.
“Isn’t this nice?” Nonna Albertini bustled in and refilled both Marlie’s and Heather’s wine glasses. “It’s so lovely to have you two here. Thank you for bringing goodies.” She wore a dark green dress that cinched in at her small waist and had her thick hair piled on her head. “Now, boys. Would you please go stop Knox and Vince? They’re causing problems with Rory, and your father doesn’t seem interested in getting involved. Your mother is helping with the turkey.”
Marlie swirled her wine in her glass. “I thought Knox and Vince were preventing a kidnapping.”
