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He nods his head and grins. “Yep. I’m leaving the family. I’ve got a new family I want to start and I refuse to have anything threaten you. You’re my girl and I will fight every damn day to protect you.”
I glance around and sigh. “I’ll do the same for you, Ben.”
He laughs and hugs me tight, kissing my cheek. “I have no doubt, Red. I have no doubt.”
He glances over at Colt. “You got this?”
He nods. “Yep. Please take this out of here so I can get my guys out here and I don’t have to explain why a famous mobster is holding the bookstore owner and retiring to Wildwood.”
He nods and carries me out the door straight through the crowd out front that parts for us.
He carries me down the street and I sigh. “You know I can walk.”
“I know. But I like to carry you.”
“I’m too heavy.”
“You’re light as a feather.”
He carries me home and then into my house, smiling when the cat meows at us.
“I think he likes you.”
“I think he likes you. He tolerates me. Because he knows that I love you.”
I reach up and pull his head down to mine and smile against his lips. “I love you too. Maybe he knows that as well.”
“Maybe he does. I will never ever let anything like that touch you, Red. I promise that for the rest of our lives, I will try and bore the hell out of you.”
I throw back my head, laughing. “I wouldn’t go that far, Benito. You are the least boring man I’ve ever met. All I ask is that you spend it all with me. That no matter what comes, children or no children, the mob or not. All I need is you to make everything right.”
He leans over and rests his forehead on mine. “All I need is you too, Red. Forever and always you own me heart and soul. If anything had happened to you…”. He closes his eyes and I swear I see a tear trickle down his cheek. “I could not survive without you. The world would be a cold and dark place without your light in it.”
I smile and curl up into his chest. “Same, Benito. Same.” He snorts and holds me tight and I hear his heartbeat, steady and clear under my ear.
And I close my eyes, finally home. Finally where I know that I will always belong. With my gentle Ben.
Epilogue: Benito
Ican’t look away from her as she smiles and waves to the girls in her book club and walks out the door where I’m waiting for her. I’m not allowed inside when the girls get together. Scarlett says that the girls need a safe space to talk about their own lives without an unknown man listening in.
So I always wait outside when she has her book club nights to walk her home.
We’ve been living in Wildwood for almost a year now and we’ve been married for six months. I don’t regret retiring at all. I’ve got the girl of my dreams. My life is quiet and I’ve been looking into a new career as an owner of an advertising agency. I’ve always liked dabbling in that kind of thing. Not that I actually need to work. I’m set for life. My brother bought me out of our businesses so that I could go legitimate and he’s now running the show with no interference from me. Although he calls me sometimes if he needs a little help with some aspect of the business.
I pull myself out of my thoughts when the love of my life finally walks out the door and locks it, calling out final good-byes to her friends.
She turns and smiles at me and my heart thumps in my chest. It always does when I see her and I stalk forward to take her hand. “Hello, my love. I’ve missed you. And this little one.”
I touch her gently rounded belly and smile softly. “How is she tonight?”
My girl smiles and laughs. “She paid attention during the analysis of the book and then right after we were done, she started bouncing around and twirling like she’s a prima ballerina in there.”
I chuckle and rub my hand over her belly, hoping to feel her little fists or feet touch my hand and press. She does it sometimes and every time makes me want to cry. I’m a big fucking softy when it comes to my girls.
Unless you touch my girls and then I will break your arm. If you’re lucky.
I hold her hand and walk beside her as we head home. I’ve bugged her doctor about whether she should be walking home and she’s sided with my wife, saying that it’s very good for her and she should continue with it.
