Page 125 of Sweet Oblivion

I know. I know.

Kaleigh

Then share with the class.

Ryker

Bambi . . .

Delaney

Ryker loves spicy lessons.

“You little brat.” My husband throws a grape from the charcuterie board at my head. “The guys are never going to let me live that down.”

“It’s true though, isn’t it?”I ask and sign as I press my lips to his and grab another grape. I’ve worked hard on my ASL over the past year and use it constantly now. Well... unless my husband wants to wrap his hand around my throat to feel me instead. But that’s a whole different kind of thing.“In fact, I’m pretty sure you owe me a new lesson.”

“Bambi... I’m not sure you’ve got anything left to learn.” His hand slides down my back and squeezes my ass. “Not that I’m not willing to play a little bit with our curriculum.”

“Principessa, come taste the sauce,” Nonna yells from the kitchen, and I smile against Ryker’s lips.

“I have to go taste the sauce.”

He sips his wine and smiles before looking outside at his parents and Maverick, Emmie, and the kids. I’m not sure I thought I’d ever have this. A family to share my life with. Dinners at our house have become a regular thing. We’ve basically rotated between our house and Mav’s since the season ended.

“Principessa.” Nonna smiles as she walks into the dining room, her wooden spoon in hand. “The tomatoes came from your garden. So did the garlic, onions, and peppers. Come. Stir the sauce so you can officially claim this as your own.”

“Go,” Ryker mouths to me, and I shake my head.

Making sure to angle my body to block my hands from Nonna’s view, I smile. “Hope you’re working on an impressive lesson plan, Mr. Beneventi.”

Then, without giving him time to answer, I walk away.

“The sauce is delicious, Nonna,”Bash tells his grandmother, and I can’t help but smile as her blue eyes beam with pride.

“It was all Delaney,”she lies. She did most of the work, as always. She just likes to let Emmie and me take the credit when we can.

“I helped too,”Rosie announces.“I rendered the fat from the pancetta for us to roast the garlic.”

Our little Rosie has absolutely no idea what pancetta is. One day, when she learns the truth, she may actually kill us all. But in the meantime, Tori and her BFF, Butters, roll in the grass, taking turns destroying my roses. I swear that pig is lucky I love her.

“Have you thought any more about school, Lane?”Lenny asks as she sniffs the beautiful wildflower centerpiece Rosie and I picked from my garden earlier.

Ryker takes my hand in his under the table and sets it on his lap as he leans in and brushes a kiss over my temple.

This man is the most supportive man I could ever have dreamed to love.

“Actually, yes.”I went back and forth all year, deciding what I wanted to do. I loved designing our landscaping. Picking the flowers and shrubs and trees... playing with the colors and shapes and seasons. It was amazing. But it turns out, while it’s something I love doing, I’d rather do it for myself than for other people. I want to continue to enjoy being in my garden and watching what I plant come to life. But I don’t want to make a career out of it.

So I decided to look into something else.

Something more meaningful.

Something, after having spent nearly a year in therapy myself, I realized could make a difference in people’s lives.

“I’ve been accepted into an accelerated program through Kroydon University. It’s a five-year program, and at the end of five years, I’ll come out with a masters degree in psychology and a certification in counseling. I’d like to work with abuse victims.”

“What’s an abuse victim?”Rosie asks, her nose scrunched up as her baby sister, Violet, decides to let out an ear-piercing scream.